If you like psychological, historical mysteries, you cannot do much better than Charles Todd. This book is one of a series featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge, who has returned from WWI quite literally haunted by the war to try to pick up the pieces of his life by working again at Scotland Yard. Fascinating stuff, really delves into the psyche of an individual and a nation trying to put themselves back together from impossibly small shards.

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A great series, with the shell shocked Scotland Yard detective Rutledge and his executed Sargeant Hamish, who he carries as a ghost in his memory from the bloody trenches of WWI. "Sensitively written & intellectually plotted [it] is a magnificent story of the lost generation and the agonies they suffered... this book totally innvolves the reader in the chracters and their fates..." 4.5 Stars from Romantic Times. While the Hartford Courant states, " A profound and insightful rendering of a Britian bewteen wars." and how the war effected the men who survived! Author Charles Todd is actually a mother & son team, who do a beautifull job of story telling that really makes you feel for the characters. I have read the entire series & am just waiting for the next book!

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A compelling murder mystery with interesting characters

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During the WWI era, the Inspector is in a small English village trying to locate missing children and to identify the body of a woman who may or not be their mother - and a man who may or may not be the grieving father/husband who had been told they all died in a London bombing of their home.

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Charles Todd's Inspector Rutledge books are always good. Very unusual mysteries.

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For first class British village mysteries, you'll never go wrong with Charles Todd. The authors have a real knack for making the location as much a character as the people and each village has a different feel to the ones in the other novels. Inspector Rutledge is a sympathetic and complex character who changes realistically in response to his experiences. The supporting cast is well drawn and round enough to seem like people you might actually meet. My favorite character is Hamish, who manages to evolve from book to book just as Rutledge does. The plots are always intriguing, never obvious, but somehow not as important as the people. I'll not insult the series by calling it "literary," it's far too readable for that, but there's more here than meets the eye. Highly recommended!

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I don't think this book was as good as the first two books. I thought the mystery was too far fetched. The characters were not engaging in any way. I really like Ian Rutledge, but not this case. Again I figured it out somewhere along the way, but was not too sure. I never did get a sense of how he figured it out. He just wrapped it up quickly without too much explanation and that was the end of it. I wanted to hear more about what happened to Rutledge and the other characters after all was said and done. I am hoping that the next installment will give me some clue, but not depending on it.

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Very, very good writing. The Mother-Son due "Charles Todd" have continued to keep readers on their toes in this great story line.

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