A Long Shadow: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery [Hardcover]

This is the eighth entry in this outstanding series featuring Ian Rutledge and his constant companion Hamish is set in 1919 and continues the story of the haunted Rutledge. In this outing, Rutledge is sent to the remote village of Dudlington to investigate the attempted murder (by bow and arrow) of the local constable. Rutledge is faced with a close-mouthed community suspicious of outsiders and determined to keep its secrets. Slowly, but surely Rutledge begins to gather information. Almost immediately, he realizes that the attempt on the constable's life may be linked to the disappearance of a young lady in the village. His attempts to solve the mystery of who shot the constable and why are hampered by a stalker who somehow knows where he will be almost before he himself knows. In the end, Rutledge solves the crime and, almost simultaneously, discovers who wants him (and Hamish) dead.

This is another "I can't put this down even though it's two in the morning and I have to go to work in five hours" entry. Charles Todd sits at the top of my list of the best authors writing mysteries/procedurals today. Todd continues to develop the personality of both Rutledge and Hamish and the relationship between the two. Todd's descriptions of the village, its inhabitants, and the surrounding land are vivid - so vivid that while you're reading you can almost feel the rising winter's wind stealing its way into your bones.

This is an outstandingly written series and deserves a very large following. If you are new to the series, I suggest you start with the first book "A Test of Wills" to understand the relationship between Rutledge and Hamish as well as watch the author grow these two. Along the way, Todd writes a wonderful procedural and shares each bit of information with the reader. Just when you figure out who the culprit is, Todd throws yet another piece of the puzzle into the mix and both you and Rutledge are forced to change your minds.

I enjoyed this novel, as I do all of Charles Todd's books about Inspector Ian Rutledge. The Rutledge novels are well-written, are replete with minutely researched post-Great War period details, and delineate a type of character - the psychologically wounded war veteran trying to adjust - not seen often in literature these days. All these things are to the good, and Todd has marked out an almost virgin territory that has me hooked as a fan.

But, what for many may be part of the appeal of these books has become a liability for me. I'm talking about the voice of Hamish MacLeod that resides inside Rutledge's head. If Hamish in life was as bitter, abusive, and censorious as he is in Rutledge's mind, then little wonder he died friendless and alone. After eight times out with this unyielding and unfriendly presence, I find his running commentary tedious, irritating, and extraneous to the mystery.

Hamish's continued and unabated presence is also beginning to stretch credibility. If he is truly present, then Rutledge is insane and shouldn't be able to withstand the constant carping much longer, at least while continuing to solve emotionally taxing mysteries one after another. If he's a manifestation of Rutledge's guilt, then why doesn't this otherwise insightful and rational man consult someone and get some help in exorcising the ghost - an alienist (as psychiatrists were known then), or an Anglican clergyman trained as an exorcist, or his new almost-girl friend, the mysterious psychic Mrs. Channing?

Otherwise, "A Long Shadow" is up to Todd's usual standard. The characters are well-drawn, as is the depiction of English village life, with its class system, its insiders, its outsiders, and its endless gossip and secrets. The creation of the brooding presence of Frith's Woods was a masterstroke, hinting at ancient, forgotten evils and England's pagan past. The wood's long shadow has affected the village of Dudlington more than its inhabitants know, just as it affects Rutledge who's combating a new enemy, an anonymous stalker.

While it's a wonder that Ian Rutledge stays so calm with Hamish gnawing away at him inside and an assassin lurking outside, I am also puzzled as to how much longer Superintendent Bowles is going to be allowed to persecute Inspector Rutledge. An interesting aspect of the series is that chronologically each mystery picks up after the last, weeks, sometimes days, after the other ends. Rutledge has shown an extraordinary degree of professional success in a matter of months since his return to the Force, capturing notorious murderers, ferreting out serial killers, solving crimes that were not even known to occur, and saving potential victims. In the real world, he'd be a celebrity, at least among his colleagues, not the passive victim of a petty tyrant and jealous superior who, among other things, seems to be on the take.

Set in the year 1919. Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge spent four years fighting in the Great War. Now he is back to being a dedicated investigator. But it seems that someone has targeted Ian for a game of cat and mouse. Someone follows Ian, leaving brass machine gun cartridge casings, with interesting designs etched upon them, where he is sure to find them. Ian, knowing that his stalker seems to holding his leash, finds his resolve actually shaking.

Ian's investigation of a constable's death makes him the outsider this time around. Locals want nothing to do with him, except for one young lady who claims to be a psychic.

**** This is the eighth Inspector Ian Rutledge novel and probably the best yet, in my opinion. Only the prior novel, "A Cold Treachery", can come close to claiming the spot as my favorite story within this series. A bit long winded at times, but very good reading. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.