by Charles Todd
Part of Inspector Ian Rutledge, book 6
First published 2002
Inspector Ian Rutledge thought he had closed the Ben Shaw case forever. In 1912, he helped gather evidence that sent Shaw to the gallows for murdering elderly women. Seven years later, Shaw's widow Nell arrives at his door with evidence she believes proves her husband's innocence. Rutledge wants to dismiss her claims, but his reasons go deeper than professional pride. A murder investigation brings him back to Kent, where he glimpsed a familiar face in bonfire flames. As the country prepares to mark the Armistice anniversary, Rutledge must navigate between two cases that threaten to destroy him. The widow of a war friend, a dying barrister, and other demanding figures pull at him while he battles shell shock and the voice of Hamish MacLeod, the soldier he executed during the war. The current killer in Marling proves skilled at avoiding capture. Ben Shaw's past reveals a maze of secrets that may or may not be real. Rutledge walks a dangerous path between two murderers, one seeking his ruin, the other his destruction.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Kent, Marling
Period: 1912, 1919
295 pages · Hardcover · Bantam
Content warnings: mental-illness, violence