A False Mirror: Inspector Ian Rutledge, Book 9

Another exciting detective mystery in the series of Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard. The novel takes place in England after WWI which has not yet recovered from the war. Part of the interest in this, and the other novels, is that Ian is treading upon a society that has been shredded from the horrific results of the war on English society and economic impact of an emerging mercantile class. The English Empire has been mortally wounded, and in England social mores have been damaged but still linger on.Ian must still deal with the strict Victorian social rules of class distinction, and at the same time deal with people on the lower classes and the "new mercantile class". This is fun reading as it is historically correct as to the social and economic mores of the time. And it complicates Ian's investigations but makes the plot more enjoyable.The plot is as always ingenious and one needs to keep ones wits sharp as the numerous suspects are brought up and involved in the story until the very end.Ian Rutledge has a sister and aunt who make a cameo appearance in this book. Ian works alone in the series so far and I am beginning to wish that he develops a bigger role for the aunt and sister. And most of all that maybe another figure befriends him and becomes more then a bit player as Ian continues his role in Scotland Yard.

Not my favorite Ian Rutledge mystery. The hostage scenario was beyond unbelievable and incongruous. The two principal characters were rather cardboard and unlikeable. But the ending and the final reveal were vintage Charles Todd—very satisfying and made up for some of the other deficiencies in this book.

A man has been beaten nearly to death and the first man the local police suspect is a former soldier who fought under Insp. Ian Rutledge in World War I.The man bolts, hits the policeman with his car, and 'flees' to the victim's wife -- a woman he had once dated and lost. In the stress and in confusion, the woman shoves her husband's revolver into her former lover's hands and tells the police that she is being held against her will. The only man her capturer will deal with: Insp. Rutledge.The action buys the couple some time but nothing else -- the town now believes they are both guilty and brings Rutledge into contact with his memories of war. Rutledge must hold those memories at bay as he investigates what goes beyond rumors and deep-seated hatred. Once again, Charles Todd has written a masterful and exciting story that holds interests from the beginning to the end. A very good book.

I love a good story, and Charles Todd has yet to disappoint me in this regard. The characters are wonderfully developed, and Inspector Rutledge is bold, insightful, and endearingly tragic. The murders are described with appropriate horror, but without unnecessary graphic detail. While these books are not classified as historical fiction, the weaving together of the effects of World War I into the lives of individuals in the story give a clear picture of the suffering of a nation. This is an added bonus for one like me, who needs the drama of story to appreciate historical events. In this particular story, suspense builds when an attempted murder victim vanishes leaving behind another murder and causing us to wonder if he is victim or perpetrator, dead or alive. Suspects abound making it difficult to predict the ending. This has been the case with all books in this series.The drama, rich character development, historical interest, suspense and story have made the Ian Rutledge series one of my all time favorites.

My only frustration with Todd is that he never writes an epilogue so you can only hope he includes certain characters in future novels. For example, I'm still waiting to find out if his godfather, David Trevor, has custody of the grandson he didn't know about and has kept Fiona on as nanny cum mother. I always want to know how things turned out in the end for characters who were put through so much misery and angst. Todd doesn't seem to be willing to accomodate that desire. Otherwise, I find myself so engrossed in the stories that I have a hard time putting them down and frequently read much too late into the night.

This was another in the beautifully crafted 'Ian Rutledge' mystery series. It was chock full of wonderfully written descriptions of the characters in the story, as well of the places and events which lie outside of living memory!Kudos to the splendid writing mother-son team of Charles Todd on another GREAT piece of writing!

good book

As usual, a great read. Love Charles Todd!

The charecters in these seven novels have now had time to develop, I thought this was the best story for quite a while, I could find no niggles with the content. My only complaint is the time frame I'd like to see the books move on quite a few years betwixt and between!

Great series...can't get enough