by Charles Todd
Part of Inspector Ian Rutledge, book 0.3
First published 2017
Hamish MacLeod tends his sheep on a hillside croft in the Scottish Highlands before the Great War begins. During a fierce spring storm, he hears a cry echoing through the glen. He ventures into the wild night and discovers a wounded young piper collapsed near the loch edge. Hamish carries the boy home and bandages his head injury, but the piper disappears by morning. Hamish tracks him down only to find the boy dead in the heather. The mystery deepens as Hamish searches for answers about the piper's identity and killer. His investigation reveals that his neighbors harbor secrets and lies. Without a clear motive, suspicion falls on everyone in the community, including Hamish himself. This standalone story features the Scottish soldier who haunts Inspector Ian Rutledge in Charles Todd's main series, showing Hamish in his peaceful Highland life before war changed everything.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, thriller, world-war-i
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-detective, small-town-mystery
Setting: Scottish Highlands
Period: Great War, Pre-World War I
58 pages · Kindle Edition · Witness Impulse