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Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge must contend with two dangerous enemies in this latest complex mystery in the New York Times bestselling series
London, summer 1920. An unidentified body appears to have been run down by a motorcar and Ian Rutledge is leading the investigation to uncover what happened. While the signs point to murder, vital questions remain: Who is the victim? And where, exactly, was he killed?
One small clue leads Rutledge to a firm built by two families, famous for producing and selling the world's best Madeira wine. Lewis French, the current head of the English enterprise, is missing. But is he the dead man? And does either his fiancée or his jilted former lover have anything to do with his disappearance—or possible death? What about his sister? Or the London office clerk? Is Matthew Traynor, French's cousin and partner who heads the Madeira office, somehow involved?
The experienced Rutledge knows that suspicion and circumstantial evidence are not proof of guilt, and he's going to keep digging for answers. But that perseverance will pit him against his supervisor, the new acting chief superintendent. When Rutledge discovers a link to an incident in the French family's past, the superintendent dismisses it, claiming the information isn't vital. He's determined to place the blame on one of French's women despite Rutledge's objections. Alone in a no-man's-land rife with mystery and danger, Rutledge must tread very carefully, for someone has decided that he, too, must die so that cruel justice can take its course.
Charles Todd is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother-and-son writing team, they live in Delaware and North Carolina, respectively.
Sometimes in any criminal case it often appears open and shut. Meaning all the clues point to all the right people and it's simply a matter of connecting the proverbial dots to solidify the case. However in some, no matter how simply it looks to solve, but burden of proof may often times prove difficult or in some cases completely misleading. If you love a great mystery with a bit of twist to it and not too easy to solve, than I might suggest Charles Todd's latest novel, Proof of Guilt. This is the 15th book in his Inspector Ian Rutledge series and regardless of where you pick up in this series, they can all be read as a stand alone.
Ian Rutledge works for Scotland Yard in the 1920's and once again finds himself with a body without any identification. A proper gentlemen's clothing attires the body along with a gold pocket watch. The body appears to have been the unfortunate victim of a car accident, as the body appears to have been dragged to the location is now has been found in. Simple open and shut case right? Or does it merely appear that this is what the murderer wants the body of the man to look like. What is really going on? Who is this well dressed man? Why has his body been found in the street with no apparent markings around him that would show he has been dragged by a car? If he was the victim of a robbery, why does he still carry a gold pocket watch but missing his identification? Why hasn't anyone reported this man missing?
Ian Rutledge is a bit like your traditional Sherlock Holmes but with a modern flair. He finds himself bucking against the politics of Scotland Yard and his current supervisor while trying to solve this murder. The clues will lead our Inspector into a vast enterprise that begins just as the World War 1 is ending and businesses are still struggling to find a way to make money. It seems some of the wealthy business merchants would like to see this case simply go away and offer very little in the way of help for Inspector Rutledge. But just like Sherlock Holmes, he will not rest until he solves this crime. It truly is another page turner from beginning to end. Go ahead and try to solve this one before the end. Be warned however the evidence doesn't always point to the murderer.
I received Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins for my honest review. This is my third Inspector Rutledge novel and was super excited to once again lose myself in a mystery and ride along as Dr. Watson, trying to solve the case. In every single instance, you are completely caught off guard by the end, and realize that sometimes that path of clues you think are linked are merely clues to keep you guessing til the end. Another award winning novel in my opinion and a must read for fans of historical murder/mysteries! I give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for the next one to hit the presses.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.cslewis48
Posted Thu Feb 14 00:00:00 EST 2013
I am simply insane for all the Charles Todd books....the Bess Crawford, which we would all welcome more of and their stand alone books and tops are the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries. I've read them all and am wondering if it's just me or if there are any other readers who feel it is time to let go of poor old Hamish. In fact, I'm begging that he finally be laid to rest. I am quite confident he is so very tired of, well, becoming tiresome. That is the only reason I gave this latest, wonderful mysterful 4 stars instead of 5.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2013
3.5/5
Yes, mysteries are one of my favourite genres. But, I only recently started reading Charles Todd's books - I have become quite fond of the Bess Crawford novels. This newest book, Proof of Guilt, is the latest (#15)entry in the Inspector Rutledge series.
Inspector Rutledge of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate a body apparently hit and dragged by a car in a well to do neighbourhood. There is no identification on the victim, only a watch. But that watch yields enough clues to determine that the dead man isn't the owner. The rightful owner is the head of a world renowned winery - and he's gone missing.
Rutledge is plunged into a complicated myriad of suspects, additional missing persons, and more bodies. Things are complicated by his new Acting Chief Superintendent who is determined to 'solve' the case from his desk and seems to thwart many of Rutledge's investigative avenues.
WWI has ended, but the effects of that conflict still affect the present. Ian Rutledge is carrying around the guilt of a having to shoot a fellow soldier for dereliction of duty during the war. But that soldier hasn't left - Rutledge hears the voice of dead Hamish often - giving him further food for thought in his investigations or warning him of danger.
" As he turned toward London, Hamish was there, just behind his shoulder, as he always was. Just as they had watched the enemy, night after night at the Front. But now the young Scot was not the trusted corporal intent on keeping men alive and fighting as efficiently as possible. Now he was the voice of guilt and turmoil, the vivid reminder that Rutledge himself was not yet whole."
I've really come to enjoy reading this time period lately - especially in the mystery vein. What I quite enjoy are the social niceties that must be observed, the tone, the sense of duty and loyalty that are as much a part of the story as the crime. And the crime, although horrific, is never blatantly described in full gory detail. Instead, investigation in undertaken in interviews, inquiries and possible conjectures until the pieces finally fall in place and Rutledge has his 'proof of guilt'.
I enjoyed Proof of Guilt, but I did find the number of possibilities and characters a bit overwhelming. Late addition clues seemed a tad too precipitous in cases. There was an bit of business not dealt with in the final chapter that I would have liked to seen tied up. All in all, a good read, but I think I prefer Bess's stories.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Apr 18 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I have always loved the Ian Rutledge books but this one was just not very good. There was very little of Hamish throughout this story which was very disappointing. The plot was messy and not very suspenseful.
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Posted Mon Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2013
Really enjoyed the lates Charles Todd Inspector Rutledge. Enjoying the new characters that have been added to the series. Looking forward to their next book. The mother/son team never disappoint.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In the summer of 1920, an unidentified body was found in London. Scotland Yard believes he was run down by a motorcar and Ian Rutledge is on the case to find out what happened. All signs point to this being a murder but who is the victim? A pocket watch on the body is the only lead.
Previously, I had read The Walnut Tree by Charles Todd and I thought I’d give this book a try too. Being my first Ian Ruthledge novel, I found it VERY enjoyable. About midway through it, I had already decided that I’m going back to read the other books. Ian is just such a colorful character that you can’t help but connect with him right away. He’s a driving force for the story and not afraid to do what it takes to get things done. The secondary characters are just as interesting and the story either leaves you guessing or just fervently reading because you want to know what happens next and don’t have the slightest clue how the pieces fit. The end left me a bit sad but I’m hoping certain characters return with the next book and that’s why it went down that way. Am I going back to read the others? Absolutely! Am I looking forward to the next book? You bet! I love mysteries that keep me on my toes! Even better if it’s a historical mystery! Kudos to Charles Todd!
Thank you to Partners in Crime Tours and William Morrow for the review copy. It in no way influenced my review.
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Overview
Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge must contend with two dangerous enemies in this latest complex mystery in the New York Times bestselling series
London, summer 1920. An unidentified body appears to have been run down by a motorcar and Ian Rutledge is leading the investigation to uncover what happened. While the signs point to murder, vital questions remain: Who is the victim? And where, exactly, was he killed?
One small clue leads Rutledge to a ...