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Hunting Shadows: Book summary and reviews of Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd

Hunting Shadows

An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

by Charles Todd

Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd X
Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd
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  • Published Jan 2014
    336 pages
    Genre: Mysteries

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Book Summary

A society wedding at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire becomes a crime scene when a man is murdered. After another body is found, the baffled local constabulary turns to Scotland Yard. Though the second crime had a witness, her description of the killer is so strange its unbelievable.

Despite his experience, Inspector Ian Rutledge has few answers of his own. The victims are so different that there is no rhyme or reason to their deaths. Nothing logically seems to connect them - except the killer. As the investigation widens, a clear suspect emerges. But for Rutledge, the facts still don't add up, leaving him to question his own judgment.

In going over the details of the case, Rutledge is reminded of a dark episode he witnessed in the war. While the memory could lead him to the truth, it also raises a prickly dilemma. To stop a murderer, will the ethical detective choose to follow the letter - or the spirit - of the law?

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Todd has rarely been better." - Publishes Weekly

"Another well-written, well-plotted entry in this always engaging mystery series." - Booklist

"Another winner…Strong atmosphere and a complicated mystery make this book one that readers won't be able to put down." - Romantic Times

This information about Hunting Shadows was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Dorothy T.

Mystery in a long-ago setting
This is the first Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery I have read, having read and enjoyed a few Bess Crawford mysteries by the same authors, which are set during WWI. As in Bess Crawford, here the authors have developed a likeable central character with many facets to his personality that also lend a bit of intrigue to the story, and have set him in England in a now popular time period (think Downton Abbey).

I have to admit, though, that the story seems to drag in sections. The continual shuffle of small village settings during the course of the investigation of the double murder may be part of the trouble as well as the multitude of minor characters that left me a little confused at times.

Nevertheless, I would not be averse to reading another of the 15 other titles in this series, and I would not hesitate to recommend this one to those who like mystery, England, and the post-WWI era.

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Author Information

Charles Todd Author Biography

Caroline Todd died on August 28, 2021.

From the authors' website, 2018

Charles and Caroline Todd are a mother-and-son writing team who live on the east coast of the United States. Caroline has a BA in English Literature and History, and a Masters in International Relations. Charles has a BA in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Business Management, and a culinary arts degree that means he can boil more than water. Caroline has been married (to the same man) for umpteen years, and Charles is divorced.

Charles and Caroline have a rich storytelling heritage. Both spent many evenings on the porch listening to their fathers and grandfathers reminisce. And a maternal grandmother told marvelous ghost stories. This tradition allows them to write with passion about events before ...

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