A Lonely Death

An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

By: Charles Todd

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Three men have been murdered in a Sussex village, and Scotland Yard has been called in. It's a baffling case. The victims are soldiers who survived the horrors of the Great War only to meet a ghastly end in the quiet English countryside two years later. Each had been garroted, with small ID disks left in their mouths.

But even Scotland Yard's presence doesn't deter this vicious and clever killer. Shortly after Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives, a fourth soldier is found dead. With few clues to go on and the pressure building, Rutledge must gamble everything to find answers - his job, his reputation, and even his life.

©2011 Charles Todd. All rights reserved. (P)2011 AudioGO

I liked it.

I was a little hesitant to buy this thinking I might have already see it on PBS. But I had not. What a a great writer. I love writers like Todd, Tony Hilllerman, JamesLee Burke and Jacqueline Winspear that can take little visual things that are totally unrelated to story and with that description put you in the exact place that the character is at that point. I was so moved when Todd took us back to WWI battle field both as it happened and then when grass was growing there. Wonderful. A rare 5 from me.

Second Listening… just as good!!

First of all, Simon Prebble is the best. His narration of Ian Rutledge is spot on. There are at least six different stories running in this book. Some carried over from other books. Some running parallel with the main mysteries in this one. The ending is fantastic. At the very last second I saw the end of this story within a story where it fit! Just incredible writing. No wonder the authors made such a fantastic team. So sad one of them is now gone… along with Ian Rutledge.

A gripping story

Replete with twists & turns of its own. That interest in it never flags despite it not being a whodunit is a testament to the artful story-telling of Charles Todd

Very complex, very satisfying!

I'm a big fan of the Ian Rutledge series but I'll try to avoid gushing in this review. From the very first I was hooked as the murders are very puzzling. As the book goes on, much detail is revealed about various characters and families in the region so by the end I felt like I actually knew them. Going into so much depth with even the minor characters makes the story so much more significant than many mystery novels. That's one thing that keeps me reading this series.

As usual with this series there is a secondary mystery going on that's at least as puzzling as the main story line. It is complicated and the solution was discovered in ways I felt were too far-fetched. A years old unsolved murder is finally cleared up by several accidental discoveries, one involving an old acquaintance of Rutledge who reveals the truth on his death bed. I'm not sure I like the inclusion of these sub plots as there just isn't time in one novel to lay the groundwork and develop the clues for two such complicated mysteries. Too much last minute explanation is required.

Hamish, the persona living in Rutledge's head due to trauma suffered in the war, plays a larger role in this book than in most of the others. He warns Rutledge of danger and gives him advice which is more substantial than usual and Rutledge actually seems to appreciate the help, which is also different.

I highly recommend this audiobook as a dependably satisfying post World War I murder mystery read by a superb narrator.

one of the best.

this was a very very good Ian rutledge. one of the best. I love the way the whole thing tied up in the end and the character development was spot on so that you could get attached to a variety of people as the story played out. and of course, there is no narrator better and Simon preble!

Best So Far.

Very suspenseful! Truly gives one pause as to the horrors of WW1. Great everything!

Experience the hunt with Inspector Rutledge

Enjoy an author who writes pictures for your mind. Thoroughly absorbing entertaining and intelligent.

Great listen..

What made the experience of listening to A Lonely Death the most enjoyable?

My husband and I take long road trips and we enjoy listening to books when we are on the road.. The narator was a joy to listen too. If you enjoy a who done it novel this was awsome... Alot of twists and turns keeps you interested... I would call it a page turner..

Who was your favorite character and why?

Inspector Ian Rutledge... He was the main character .

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Not sure

Any additional comments?

I'm not used to writing reviews but hope this is helpful..

A lonely death

If you love old English , Scottish or Irish detective stories, then I believe you will enjoy this book.

a great story and good performance in the series

I think for most of us who have read these books we've enjoyed the character development of the main characters as each book has gone by, similar to as time has gone by in their lives like seasons. I for one felt a lot of sadness for the main character in this book. It's still easy to see reading or listening to it as a standalone. I like reading play space mysteries for both the feel of the area or the country that they're writing about but most importantly for the development of the characters as well.