by Charles Todd
Part of Inspector Ian Rutledge, book 0.5
First published 2013
Lieutenant Ian Rutledge has traded his Scotland Yard detective work for the trenches of France in 1915. The Great War is only six months old, but already he finds himself with the sappers, soldiers who dig tunnels beneath enemy lines to plant explosives under German trenches. When Rutledge and his men set their charges and retreat, nothing happens. The explosives fail to detonate. Someone must return to the tunnel to investigate, a task that borders on suicide. Rutledge volunteers alongside Private Williams. They discover the problem and escape just before the tunnel explodes. Rutledge suspects two Welsh miners, half brothers Taffy Jones and Aaron Lloyd, deliberately cut the fuse too long. They deny any wrongdoing. Then Williams reveals a disturbing truth. These same men have tried to kill him before and care nothing about endangering other soldiers in their attempts. As battle rages around them, Rutledge realizes murder has followed him to the front lines. He must prove what happened before more men die.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, military-fiction, mystery, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: France, Scotland Yard
Period: 1915
100 pages · Unknown Binding · William Morrow Impulse
Content warnings: death, violence, war