No Shred of Evidence (Inspector Ian Rutledge Series #18)

by Charles Todd

Overview

In Cornwall, four women out boating see a man in another boat that appears to be sinking. In the rescue, Harry Saunders is gravely injured, and a witness accuses the women of attempted murder. They are placed under house arrest, and a very reluctant Ian Rutledge is sent to Padstow, where he is informed that the investigation is all but closed.

With the victim in a coma, there is no one to refute the witness. Rutledge’s inquiry takes an unexpected personal turn when he discovers that one of the accused is none other than the cousin of the woman he had intended to marry in 1914. And then another person is savagely attacked—but with the suspects in custody, why hasn’t the killing stopped?

Rutledge will require all his skill to deal with the families of those involved, the local police, and his own painful memories, if he is to find a killer who may—or may not—hold the key to their fate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062440228
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/16/2016
Series:	Inspector Ian Rutledge Series , #18
Edition description:	Large Print
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

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, Caroline passed away in August 2021 and Charles lives in Florida.

Editorial Reviews

NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE is the latest in Charles Todd’s consistently rewarding historical mysteries about British Detective Inspector Ian Rutledge. Over the course of a dozen and a half books, Todd has brilliantly, gradually revealed the many sides of this complex, melancholy man.

Seattle Times Book Review

It's [the] melancholy tone, the legacy of the trenches, that gives Todd's polite rural mystery such uncommon depth.

The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio

11/30/2015
Were four young women trying to rescue a drowning man on a Cornish river in 1920—or to kill him? That’s the intriguing puzzle bestseller Todd (the mother-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd) sets for Rutledge in the inspector’s solid 18th outing (following 2015’s A Fine Summer’s Day). According to the women—one of whom, Kate Gordon, was almost Rutledge’s relative by marriage—they spotted Harry Saunders in a sinking boat and tried to get him to safety. But they weren’t up to the task, and Saunders would have drowned but for the intervention of a farmer, Bradford Trevose, who insists to the police that he saw the women trying to murder Saunders. Evidence of a blow to Saunders’s head, which left him unconscious, supports Trevose’s version of events. As Rutledge strives to reconcile the conflicting testimonies, he must also resolve some clear-cut crimes of violence. Atmospheric scenes of suspense, set in the lonely Cornish countryside, are a plus. Agent: Jane Chelius, Jane Chelius Literary Agency. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

It’s that melancholy tone, the legacy of the trenches, that gives Todd’s polite rural mystery such uncommon depth.” — Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

“Fans already mourning the end of “Downton Abbey” can easily get their English fix by following Rutledge and Hamish on their rounds.” — Wilmington Star News on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

“Poirot was one name, Holmes was another, and Rutledge deserves to be in that classic pack of crime solvers.” — Suspense Magazine on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

“NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE is the latest in Charles Todd’s consistently rewarding historical mysteries about British Detective Inspector Ian Rutledge. Over the course of a dozen and a half books, Todd has brilliantly, gradually revealed the many sides of this complex, melancholy man.” — Seattle Times Book Review

“The mother and son team, who write as Charles Todd, deftly capture the atmosphere of post World War I England in this complex mystery which will appeal to fans of British mysteries.” — Iron Mountain Daily News on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

From the Publisher

Poirot was one name, Holmes was another, and Rutledge deserves to be in that classic pack of crime solvers.

Suspense Magazine on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

It’s that melancholy tone, the legacy of the trenches, that gives Todd’s polite rural mystery such uncommon depth.

Marilyn Stasio

Fans already mourning the end of “Downton Abbey” can easily get their English fix by following Rutledge and Hamish on their rounds.

Wilmington Star News on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

The mother and son team, who write as Charles Todd, deftly capture the atmosphere of post World War I England in this complex mystery which will appeal to fans of British mysteries.

Iron Mountain Daily News on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

02/01/2016
It's 1920, and Insp. Ian Rutledge (last seen in A Fine Summer's Day) has been sent to the Cornish countryside to investigate a case of attempted murder. Four gently bred young women insist they were trying to save Harry Saunders from drowning, not kill him. However, Harry's in no condition to tell what really happened, and the one witness says otherwise. Cornwall is definitely not Rutledge's favorite place, and he is painfully reminded of his past here. Nevertheless, he is determined to do his duty, especially since he has a personal connection to one of the accused women. VERDICT As always, Todd skillfully explores human emotion and motivations and is a master at creating an evocative setting. Not the strongest entry in the series but still enjoyable for fans of historical mysteries. [See Prepub Alert, 8/10/15.]—Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib.

Library Journal

Inspector Rutledge returns in this 18th novel in the beloved series about Scotland Yard in the 1920s. Simon Prebble portrays Rutledge—taciturn and intensely fair-minded as ever—with a steady persistence that suits a time when inter-village communication was limited to telegraph messages and motorcars were rare. Prebble’s tone effectively hints at the emotional trauma Rutledge still experiences from the Great War and depicts his flickering interest in a young gentlewoman he knew during peacetime. But she’s embroiled with three others who are accused of murdering a villager who appeared to be drowning in a sinking rowboat. Prebble’s characterizations of the villagers are distinctive. He capably differentiates the women’s voices, and his rich Scots brogue for Rutledge’s imaginary associate, Hamish, is downright delightful. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2016 - AudioFile

2015-12-08
A pleasure expedition in Cornwall turns deadly in Inspector Rutledge's 18th case. In the Cornish town of Padstow, Victoria Grenville is entertaining her neighbor Elaine St. Ives and two visitors from London for an autumn weekend. A row on the River Camel seems like a lark until they see Victoria's would-be suitor, Harry Saunders, in trouble in his own boat. What appears to be a well-intentioned rescue attempt, with the four women helped by young farmer Bradford Trevose, goes awry when Harry is hit with the oar, and Trevose accuses the young women of attempted murder. When the first detective on the case dies of heart failure, Grenville, the local magistrate, calls in Scotland Yard, which sends Inspector Ian Rutledge. Rutledge is shocked to learn that one of the accused houseguests is Kate Gordon, his ex-fiancee's cousin. Much as he admires Kate for her sense and courage under pressure, Rutledge has to be impartial, especially with Harry lying in a coma and his parents clamoring for justice. The only motives Rutledge can imagine are class resentment on Harry's side and bitterness about the victim's easy berth during World War I from the Grenville and St. Ives families, who suffered terrible losses. Even Rutledge's invisible familiar—the voice of a fallen wartime comrade—is mostly silent. Then Mrs. Grenville tells Rutledge about a past tragedy that could explain why Trevose blames the young women for Harry's coma and ultimately his death. Without real evidence or the missing notes from the first detective, Rutledge's investigation is as nebulous as the rumors of a local spirit. Then a second assault takes Rutledge in a new direction and into serious danger. The haunted detective is as thorough as usual, though he's dealing with faster-moving events than in some of his previous adventures (A Fine Summer's Day, 2015, etc.). There's no peace for the man and only a teaser of romantic feelings he scarcely admits.

Kirkus Reviews