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

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.

Best Rutledge So Far

Thirteen books in, and this one tops them all. Inspector Ian Rutledge, along with his dead Corporal, Hamish MacLeod, who haunts his every moment, are searching all over the countryside for a murderer who is killing former soldiers with a garrote. The mystery is why? And why stuff another soldier's ID tags into their mouth after they are murdered? With every obstacle stacked up against him, including his own superiors at the Yard, Rutledge doggedly pursues the killer, digging into places that people want kept hidden. A secondary mystery is also on his mind, one that his retiring inspector mentioned to him, and that, too is on his mind. Excellent entry into this GREAT series!

One of the best in the Rutledge series

I really enjoy the Ian Rutledge series, but this surpassed my expectations. Great plot, character studies and Simon Prebble does a wonderful narration. When I listen to this series, I feel as though, I am there, in England after the Great War, and Rutledge and the other key characters are so well depicted, that their thoughts and action are exactly what u would expect, given their psychology.

The perfect combination

I absolutely adore Charles Todd’s Inspector Rutledge series, but sometimes the narrator leaves me uninterested. Simon Prebble is the perfect narrator, and he brings the story to life in a way few others can.

Intriguing To the final page

I enjoyed the book AND the reader so much that I am hoping to find them together in another novel.