In post-WWI England, Scotland Yard’s Detective Ian Rutledge is called to take a look at a case previously investigated by a colleague. Simon Prebble narrates with confidence and ease, helping to create an almost palpable atmosphere that runs through the story. The atmosphere emanates both from the mysterious setting of Avebury and the time period, with characters seeking to move on from the war despite their wounds, both physical and psychological. Prebble is the perfect voice for this story, capturing the doggedness of Rutledge and bringing to life the other key characters. In particular, his portrayal of Hamish, a voice in Rutledge’s mind, is strong and authentic. While this is the 22nd title in the series, it should still be an enjoyable listen even for those new to this series. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
A Divided Loyalty (Inspector Ian Rutledge Series #22)
Narrated by Simon Prebble
Charles ToddUnabridged — 11 hours, 11 minutes
A Divided Loyalty (Inspector Ian Rutledge Series #22)
Narrated by Simon Prebble
Charles ToddUnabridged — 11 hours, 11 minutes
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Overview
Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge is assigned one of the most baffling investigations of his career-a cold murder case with an unidentified victim and a cold trail with few clues to follow.
Chief Inspector Brian Leslie, a respected colleague of Ian Rutledge's, is sent to Avebury, a village set inside a great prehistoric stone circle not far from Stonehenge.*
A young woman has been murdered next to a mysterious, hooded, figure-like stone, but no one recognizes her-or admits to it.* And how did she get there? Despite a thorough investigation, it appears that her killer has simply vanished.
Rutledge, returning from the conclusion of a case involving another apparently unknown woman, is asked to take a second look at Leslie's inquiry, to see if he can identify this victim. But Rutledge is convinced Chief Superintendent Jameson only hopes to tarnish his earlier success once he also fails.
Where to begin? He too finds very little to go on in Avebury, slowly widening his search beyond the village-only to discover that unlikely-possibly even unreliable-clues are pointing him toward an impossible solution, one that will draw the wrath of the Yard down on him, and very likely see him dismissed if he pursues it. But what about the victim-what does he owe this tragic woman? Where must his loyalty lie?
Editorial Reviews
Todd's astute character studies of individual townspeople, from the upright rector to the local gossip, offer a fascinating cross section of postwar life in a community where, as one woman says, "we lost more men than we got back." While delivering a satisfying puzzle-mystery, the story also tasks us to think about the women who lost their lives during the war, too.
11/25/2019
Set in 1921, bestseller Todd’s middling 22nd whodunit featuring Insp. Ian Rutledge (after 2019’s The Black Ascot) opens with a suspenseful tease. Scotland Yard Chief Insp. Brian Leslie is dispatched to Wiltshire, where an unidentified woman, who’s been fatally stabbed, has been found inside Avebury, a Stonehenge-like prehistoric stone circle. Leslie is startled to recognize the victim and fears that his reaction has alerted his colleagues that he knew the deceased, even as he reassures himself that, as the officer in charge, he can control the inquiry and its outcome. When Leslie fails to solve the murder, the Avebury case is reassigned to Rutledge, who recently handled a similar crime successfully. Rutledge finds himself in the awkward position of reviewing a superior’s work and questioning the man’s choices. The answers as to why Leslie felt guilt after seeing the woman’s corpse and what she meant to him are less satisfying than the series’ many superior solutions. Todd (the mother-and-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd) has done better. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, DeFiore and Co. (Feb.)
"Todd's astute character studies... offer a fascinating cross section of postwar life.... While delivering a satisfying puzzle-mystery, the story also tasks us to think about the women who lost their lives during the war, too." — The New York Times Book Review on A Divided Loyalty
“Rutledge is one of the most complicated and finely drawn characters in contemporary crime fiction.... There’s not a weak episode to be found in Todd’s terrific series.” — Bookpage (starred review) on A Divided Loyalty
"This is a series, written by a mother-and-son team under the Charles Todd pseudonym, that shows no signs of slowing down. As always, this one combines crisp plotting with stylish prose. Ideal for historical-mystery devotees." — Booklist on A Divided Loyalty
“Each person dealt with the war differently, as Todd so poignantly shows with each character. Ian’s resilience and his complex persona continue to make him an endearing character. And Todd, the mother-and-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd, continue their superior storytelling with A Divided Loyalty.” — Sun-Sentinel (Florida) on A Divided Loyalty
“A Divided Loyalty finds Rutledge at his most vulnerable and persistent, and it is this dichotomy that gives the book its character and tense atmosphere. It is an intense ride to take with him, but one that is well worth it.” — Bookreporter.com on A Divided Loyalty
"Nobody evokes long postwar shadows or overwhelming postwar grief better than Todd." — Kirkus Reviews on A Divided Loyalty
“Fans of historical fiction surrounding WW1 should rely on these books. . . . A poignant and engrossing story.” — Military Press on A Divided Loyalty
Each person dealt with the war differently, as Todd so poignantly shows with each character. Ian’s resilience and his complex persona continue to make him an endearing character. And Todd, the mother-and-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd, continue their superior storytelling with A Divided Loyalty.
"Todd's astute character studies... offer a fascinating cross section of postwar life.... While delivering a satisfying puzzle-mystery, the story also tasks us to think about the women who lost their lives during the war, too."
Fans of historical fiction surrounding WW1 should rely on these books. . . . A poignant and engrossing story.
"This is a series, written by a mother-and-son team under the Charles Todd pseudonym, that shows no signs of slowing down. As always, this one combines crisp plotting with stylish prose. Ideal for historical-mystery devotees."
Rutledge is one of the most complicated and finely drawn characters in contemporary crime fiction.... There’s not a weak episode to be found in Todd’s terrific series.
“A Divided Loyalty finds Rutledge at his most vulnerable and persistent, and it is this dichotomy that gives the book its character and tense atmosphere. It is an intense ride to take with him, but one that is well worth it.
"Todd's astute character studies... offer a fascinating cross section of postwar life.... While delivering a satisfying puzzle-mystery, the story also tasks us to think about the women who lost their lives during the war, too."
Each person dealt with the war differently, as Todd so poignantly shows with each character. Ian’s resilience and his complex persona continue to make him an endearing character. And Todd, the mother-and-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd, continue their superior storytelling with A Divided Loyalty.
“A Divided Loyalty finds Rutledge at his most vulnerable and persistent, and it is this dichotomy that gives the book its character and tense atmosphere. It is an intense ride to take with him, but one that is well worth it.
Fans of historical fiction surrounding WW1 should rely on these books. . . . A poignant and engrossing story.
“A Divided Loyalty finds Rutledge at his most vulnerable and persistent, and it is this dichotomy that gives the book its character and tense atmosphere. It is an intense ride to take with him, but one that is well worth it.
Each person dealt with the war differently, as Todd so poignantly shows with each character. Ian’s resilience and his complex persona continue to make him an endearing character. And Todd, the mother-and-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd, continue their superior storytelling with A Divided Loyalty.
"This is a series, written by a mother-and-son team under the Charles Todd pseudonym, that shows no signs of slowing down. As always, this one combines crisp plotting with stylish prose. Ideal for historical-mystery devotees."
In post-WWI England, Scotland Yard’s Detective Ian Rutledge is called to take a look at a case previously investigated by a colleague. Simon Prebble narrates with confidence and ease, helping to create an almost palpable atmosphere that runs through the story. The atmosphere emanates both from the mysterious setting of Avebury and the time period, with characters seeking to move on from the war despite their wounds, both physical and psychological. Prebble is the perfect voice for this story, capturing the doggedness of Rutledge and bringing to life the other key characters. In particular, his portrayal of Hamish, a voice in Rutledge’s mind, is strong and authentic. While this is the 22nd title in the series, it should still be an enjoyable listen even for those new to this series. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
2019-11-10
Inspector Ian Rutledge's 22nd case revolves around two young women found dead in utterly unexpected places.
Scheduled to give evidence in an ongoing investigation, Rutledge can't go to the village of Avebury—where a body has been found stabbed to death in the center of a circle of prehistoric stones—in the place of Chief Inspector Brian Leslie when Rutledge's nemesis, Chief Superintendent Markham, sends Leslie there when he'd been looking forward to a couple of days off. Instead, Rutledge ends up going to the Shropshire village of Tern Bridge, where a woman eventually identified as Bath schoolmistress Serena Palmer has been stabbed and tossed into a grave dug the day before for someone else. After a witness's unexpectedly keen eye and sharp memory puts Rutledge on a trail that leads with disconcerting suddenness to Serena Palmer's killer, he's sent to Avebury after all, since Leslie's conscientiously thorough inquiries have identified neither the killer nor the victim. This mystery, Rutledge finds, is just as murky as the Shropshire murder was clear, and he despairs that he'll ever have anything to add to Leslie's report. Constantly threatened by Markham, who's still holding the letter of resignation Rutledge submitted to him after his last case (The Black Ascot, 2019, etc.), and intermittently needled by the ghost of Cpl. Hamish McLeod, the corporal he executed in a trench in 1916 when he refused to lead troops into further fighting in the Somme, Rutledge struggles with a case whose every lead—a necklace of lapis lazuli beads, a trove of letters written to the victim—leads him not so much to enlightenment as to ever deepening sadness. The final twist may not surprise eagle-eyed readers, but it will reveal why Todd's generic-sounding title is painfully apt.
If you're in a receptive mood, nobody evokes long postwar shadows or overwhelming postwar grief better than Todd.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940173427632 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 02/04/2020 |
| Series: | Inspector Ian Rutledge Series , #22 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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