by Charles Todd
Part of Inspector Ian Rutledge, book 24.5
First published 2025
December 1921. Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge draws holiday duty when Chief Superintendent Markum sends him to Kent. A lord lies bedridden with a concussion, insisting someone attempted to kill him. The man claims a horse struck him down, its rider fleeing without stopping to help. Rutledge arrives expecting a routine investigation but discovers an unsettling connection. He and the injured lord both served as young cavalry officers and graduated from Sandhurst in the same class. As Rutledge digs deeper into the case, more parallels between their lives emerge. The similarities grow increasingly disturbing as Christmas approaches. Rutledge must determine whether the lord faces a real threat or suffers from concussion-induced paranoia. The investigation forces him to confront how closely their paths have run and what that might mean for both their futures.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigation
Setting: Kent
Period: December 1921
216 pages · Hardcover · The Mysterious Press