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A Matter of Justice (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries)
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$ 11.99
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| Retail Value |
$ 14.99 |
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$ 3.00 (20%) |
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| Item Number |
1456137 |
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Item Description...
Overview
Investigating the murder of an English businessman who was universally despised in Cambury but respected in London, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge sifts through a list of potential killers and begins to believe he may not be able to prove his suspicions.
Publishers Description
At the start of a new century, in a war far away from England, two British soldiers see a golden opportunity . . . and do the unthinkable to take advantage of it. Twenty years later, a successful though much despised London businessman is found savagely and bizarrely murdered in a medieval tithe barn on his estate in Somerset. For Scotland Yard inspector Ian Rutledge, a man still shaken by the Great War's deafening echoes, the well-concealed trail he must now follow is leading back to an event so monumentally barbarous that its consequences envelop even the innocent. And when justice takes a malevolent turn, one haunted policeman must stand alone against the onrushing tide. |
Item Specifications...
Pages 335
Dimensions: Length: 0.75" Width: 5" Height: 7.75"
Weight: 0.6 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Dec 1, 2009
ISBN 0061233609
EAN 9780061233609
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Availability 6 units.
Availability accurate as of May 23, 2012 06:45.
Usually ships within one to two business days from Reno, NV.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | Too many red herrings mar an otherwise engaging mystery Dec 31, 2009 |
After a few introductory paragraphs about a huge injustice done to one man during the Boer War, we switch unexpectedly to the viewpoint of Inspector Rutledge, who is battling his own demons from his service during WWI, including the appearance in his mind of his dead Scottish comrade, Hamish, who throughout the book comments on Rutledge's actions. Once the switch in perspective is accomplished, the book is fairly engaging, as Inspector Rutledge is called to Somerset on behalf of his employer, Scotland Yard, to help the local police investigate the murder of one of the scoundrels from the opening chapters.
Rutledge gets involved in the tiniest details of the lives of the villagers, all of whom seem to have had cause to carry out the murder and all of whom seem, inexplicably, to be suicidal, lending a melodramtic air to what is otherwise a fairly straightforward murder mystery, albeit one that flags at the very beginning what may be going on.
The problem for me is that I wanted this to be what the title promises, namely a mystery, and it was more a study of village life. I think I would have liked it better if the opening paragraphs had been omitted, and the events related therein uncovered in the course of Rutledge's investigation, and the details of the villagers lives had been a bit more interesting.
Worth reading, but certainly not a great book. | | |  | The long arm of revenge... Aug 14, 2009 |
I choose to read books by this duo under the name of Charles Todd, mainly because the mysteries are so intelligent and well thought out. I love the time period in England just after WWI, and the history that these books provide while reading them. The protagonist is a man who is scarred by his service in the trenches. He brings with him a background in deductive police work, and unfortunately, he carries around with him an 'imaginary' person whose voice and presence remind him of his horrific responsibilities in the War. Hamish, this person, also rails at injustices or things that Rutledge might overlook when solving mysteries. Rutledge has to be very careful to avoid answering Hamish in the presence of others, to maintain the facade he keeps that he is sane and capable of working (which is vital to his mental health).
This book revolves around two men who had committed a crime long before WWII in South AFrica. This crime allows them to become 'more' than the might have been normally, and to attain to a certain class that would have been closed to them otherwise. However, the crime comes back to haunt them and their families in ways they could not have foreseen, and Rutledge is sent to figure out the murder of one of these men. The murder is complicated by the feelings of the entire small village about the murdered man...he was so despised that many people could have been guilty of his murder, and Rutledge must sort through all the various possibilities to get to the real murderer. He also must deal with the local police who has his own problem with the murdered man, and who works to muddy the waters without concern for who else he hurts.
This was a good mystery, but not a great one. The writing could have been tighter, the authors send the reader off on tangents that seem unnecessary when the book is finished. I do enjoy these books in between my more serious reading and look forward to the next one... | | | | A Page Turner May 22, 2009 |
| This book was hard to put down. I read it in one day. Goes back to the Boer War to find the solution for a current murder. Very well written. Lots of twists and turns before you learn what really happened. | | |  | The Haunted Detective Apr 22, 2009 |
Every great literary detective has a special quirk: Poirot has his little grey cells; Marple has her fleecy knitting; Rumpole has his claret and Wordsworth; and Morse has his pint and his opera. In the tradition of these notable exemplar's, Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard, the creditable sleuth of Charles Todd's "A Matter of Justice," has his Hamish. Acting as a sort of Greek (or Scottish) chorus, Hamish, who was killed going over the top in the Great War, lives on in Rutledge's head, persistently offering advice, often unsought, on the case at hand. His existence certainly renders Ian Rutledge one of the most interesting detective protagonists that I have encountered of late.
"A Matter of Justice" is set in England of 1920. And although it contains a continuity error (e.g., Betty, described as "age forty" on page 90 becoming "an elderly woman" on page 294), the book held my interest throughout. The characters are believable and the mystery is intriguing. Mr. Todd takes the time to develop his characters and to describe his settings, which include Devonshire, a Somerset village, and one of the Scilly Isles, off the coast of Cornwall.
I suppose that this mystery is one that would be called a "cozy" in the trade. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would recommend it to anyone who likes an old-fashioned mystery which presents a complex puzzle to be solved with a nice cup of tea. | | | | A Matter of Justice Apr 8, 2009 |
| Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge mysteries - A Matter of Justice the latest - are intelligent and thoughtful, while telling a gripping story. I await each new book in the series with anticipation. | | | Write your own review about A Matter of Justice (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries)
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