by Charles Todd
Part of Inspector Ian Rutledge, book 3
First published 2000
Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives in the Dorset village of Singleton Magna to investigate a woman's murder and the disappearance of two children. The war veteran carries psychological scars from World War I, including the persistent voice of Hamish, a dead soldier who haunts his thoughts. The obvious suspect is a tormented veteran whose own family perished in enemy bombing during the war. Rutledge doubts this simple explanation and digs deeper into the case. When investigators discover a second body buried in the Dorset countryside, the investigation expands beyond the village boundaries. Rutledge uncovers the hidden lives of both locals and London residents whose wealth and social standing give them power to obstruct his work. Their private desires and secret relationships create a web of motives and alibis. Someone in this network actively shields the real killer from justice. Meanwhile, two children remain missing somewhere in the darkness, and time runs short to find them alive.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, psychological-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: haunted-protagonist, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Dorset, Singleton Magna
Period: World War I
310 pages · Mass Market Paperback · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: mental-illness, war