Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge returns home suffering from shellshock and the emotional strains of World War I, but he soon goes back to work and must solve a murder case involving the killing of a retired military officer, a crime in which the main suspect is a highly decorated war hero.
A Test of Wills
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Having just returned from France after World War I with a medal of honor and serious shell shock, Inspector Ian Rutledge struggles to settle back into his duties at Scotland Yard. When, despite his tenuous condition, an envious supervisor assigns him to a traumatic case involving the murder of an army colonel and a young captain as the prime suspect, Rutledge must gather all of his strength to not only solve the case, but fight the town people's prejudice against military personnel. To make matters worse, the prime witness is another veteran--on the brink of insanity--scorned by the villagers for what they perceive to have been less than honorable conduct during his tour of duty.
From Library Journal
Inspector Ian Rutledge, a British veteran of the Great War secretly still suffering from shell-shock, returns to his Scotland Yard job in hopes of exorcizing his private demons. However, a devious higher-up has learned of his Achilles heel and gets Ian assigned to a potentially explosive and career-damaging case?a murder involving a decorated war hero, a beautiful ward, and a shell-shocked witness. Strong, elegant prose; detailed surroundings; and sound plotting characterize this debut historical?the first in a projected series. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Dave and Joe
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
First book in a first rate series. Todd manages to capture a time with precision, the mysteries are engaging, the investigator(s) likable. Other reviewers will give you an idea of plot. I simply want to add something important to the discussion. This is a series to read from the start. I was lucky to discover the first book first and then have read them as written. While they stand alone as good mysteries, there are characters and incidents from previous books mentioned in subsequent books. It's like the author's nod to those of us who have followed along. Wonderful series, enjoy.
By bernie
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is the firs in a series of Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries. It does not take us long to know the man and the burden he carries. It is this side of him and the descriptions of the world after the Great War that adds a unique value to the writing and our lives also.
A week ago headstrong Colonel Harris was unceremoniously dispatched. All signs point to the dispatcher being a war hero with friends in high places. Who ever takes the case needs to be expendable. Rutledge's superior Bowls suspected Rutledge's secret and decided he would make the perfect scapegoat.
It is interesting as the story unfolds we see mysteries within mysteries, maybe a few red herrings and many unwell people that can usually be detected by Rutledge but not always. As there is a race with time Rutledge's trying to regain his uncanny detective skills we also but figure out who did the deed and who. To some the answer will be obvious to others it will feel that he pulled a clue out of the closet at the last moment. In any case you will be intrigued to the conclusion.
A week ago headstrong Colonel Harris was unceremoniously dispatched. All signs point to the dispatcher being a war hero with friends in high places. Who ever takes the case needs to be expendable. Rutledge's superior Bowls suspected Rutledge's secret and decided he would make the perfect scapegoat.
It is interesting as the story unfolds we see mysteries within mysteries, maybe a few red herrings and many unwell people that can usually be detected by Rutledge but not always. As there is a race with time Rutledge's trying to regain his uncanny detective skills we also but figure out who did the deed and who. To some the answer will be obvious to others it will feel that he pulled a clue out of the closet at the last moment. In any case you will be intrigued to the conclusion.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I bought this book because it was listed to be one of the top 100 mysteries of the 20th century. I can often figure out "whodunit" when I read mysteries, and I appreciate a book where I am unable to do so, as happened here. Yet when the truth was revealed, I realized that I had been given all of the clues.
I thought the character of Inspector Ian Rutledge was very well drawn; I was really able to sympathize with his struggle with shell shock, self-doubt and lost love. Although his shell shock contributed a lot to how he dealt with the murder case, it didn't distract from the mystery. His shell shock manifests as the voice of Hamish, a soldier under his command, who Rutledge had shot for desertion on the front in France. Some of Hamish's comments were obscure, but I didn't think he got in the way.
The story held me in a pretty good grip, accelerating to the end. It was hard to put down in the last several chapters. All in all, very well done, and I think deserving of a spot on the top 100 mysteries.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Historical Mystery or Mystery Pastiche
I think some of the confusion about Todd's work is the fact that Todd is not trying to write an imitation of a golden age mystery. Read more
Published on Sep 4 2003 by Sires
2.0 out of 5 stars
Read some history, please, Mr Todd
This first novel's premise is promising - WWI veteran returns to solving crimes, carrying a heavy burden (shellshock) but possibly capable of new insights, too. Read more
Published on May 29 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting idea for a mystery
Inspector Ian Rutledge has returned from four years service in the trenches of World War I, and Scotland Yard has assigned him his first case after his return. Read more
Published on April 29 2003 by David W. Nicholas
4.0 out of 5 stars
Haunting and Evocative
Charles Todd re-creates the era of 1918 England so vividly that I'm walking around in a kind of an historical daze, part of my mind on work and part in an English village 85 years... Read more
Published on Nov 7 2002 by Robin Currier
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tests your will (in a good way).
A Test of Wills by Charles Todd is a great concept and first book of a series. The History is first rate, but the mystery plot could have been a bit more exciting (however... Read more
Published on Nov 5 2002 by Rafik
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good twist
An interesting murder mystery with a flawed detective (Inspector Ian Rutledge suffering from shellshock). Read more
Published on Jun 30 2002 by kymm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Imaginative, original, outstanding
Test of Wills is about Ian Rutledge, a Scotland Yard inspector and a survivor of World War I shell shock. Read more
Published on Mar 24 2002 by RuthAlice
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
When I read the description of this book I was thoroughly intrigued by the components of this story; particularly the character of Inspector Rutledge being a WWI veteran haunted by... Read more
Published on Mar 8 2002
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good yet disappointing
When I picked up this book, I saw a blurb on the cover saying it had been named one of the hundred best mysteries of the century (! Read more
Published on Feb 26 2002 by Binx Bolling
4.0 out of 5 stars
Historically interesting, mystery needs work...
This was the first of Todd's books introducing readers to Rutledge and Hammish. I actually disagree with one of the previous reviewers that Hammish should 'leave'. Read more
Published on Jan 3 2002 by K. L Sadler
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