Holiday Sale! Get an annual membership for 20% off!

What do readers think of A Lonely Death by Charles Todd? Write your own review.

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

A Lonely Death by Charles Todd

A Lonely Death

An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

by Charles Todd

  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • Published:
  • Jan 2011, 352 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews

Page 1 of 4
There are currently 31 reader reviews for A Lonely Death
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Power Reviewer
Elizabeth

A Page Turner
Three murders in a small town....Scotland yard is involved....all the same method of murder, but no weapon and no clues. The townspeople are terrified about who will be next especially since there is really no connection between the men who were murdered. The only similar thread is the victims were alone or in an isolated area and had been officers in the armed forces during WWI, and they all had identification discs in their mouths from other dead soldiers.

Scotland Yard's, Ian Rutledge, was coming up short with all clues and interviews. Everything turned up a dead end. Mrs. Saunders, the ever-present lady in the window, can't even help him even though she said she sees everything no matter what time of the day or night.

As events begin to unfold, and the characters become alive from all the great detail, the story turns to page-turning status with its twists and turns and sub plots.
This was my first Ian Rutledge Mystery....Rutledge is a character you want to know better. The beginning pages were a little confusing trying to get all the characters straight....especially figuring out who Hamish was, but once you had everyone sorted out and the plot continued...wham...it was difficult to put down.

I definitely will be reading more of these mysteries....superb author. Ohhhhhhhhhhh....I did enjoy it a lot. 5/5
Sherry H. (Naperville, Illinois)

A Lonely Death
Charles Todd seduced me on the first page. “A Lonely Death” is a mystery that touches on the effects of war, keeping secrets, and hidden agendas. I loved the book because his character and scenery descriptions took me to post WWI England. His main character, Inspector Rutledge and his haunted conscious, personified by Hamish, is raw, complex and very believable.

This would be a good selection for a book club. It’s a good mystery with a number of other topics to explore and discuss.
Barbara E. (rockville, MD)

Another outstanding book in the series
I always look forward to the release of a new Charles Todd mystery, and "A Lonely Death" did not disappoint. The plot is carefully crafted and held my attention throughout. I especially enjoyed how all the characters in this small English village really came alive on the page. I also enjoy the development of Ian Rutledge throughout the series--there is always something new that we learn about him or some change that occurs to his character in the book. I highly recommend this book and all the others in the series.
Maryanne K. (Spanaway, WA)

A Lonely Death
The Ian Rutledge detective series never disappoints. In this latest installment, the main character continues to evolve. As the voice in his head moves further into the background, Ian Rutledge becomes an even more sympathetic, human character. I always look forward to a new installment in this detective series that doesn't rely on forensics, but on investigation and deduction.
Jan B. (Aiken, SC)

A Lonely Death
Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Ian Rutledge has returned in an intriguing case that kept me guessing until the end. As usual, I was not disappointed by the writing team of Charles Todd. The characters are complex and well drawn. Ian Rutledge risk all to solve this dark case even as he continues to deal with his own darkness resulting from the war. If you are looking for a well written story filled with complex psychological characters and twist and turns this is a read for you.
Patricia S. (New Canaan, CT)

Another Inspector Rutledge winner
Although I haven't read any of the other 12 Rutledge mysteries written by the mother-son writing team Charles Todd, I'm looking forward to starting tomorrow. I had to refer back to a review of the first book to understand more about Rutledge's alter ego Hamish Mcleod. This book has many layers and many deaths and just when you think you've solved the mystery-something else happens in the small towns in England. I liked that it took place in the 1920's when life was a little less electronic.
Joe S. (Port Orange, FL)

Another great read in a great series.
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed every book in this series and this one, the latest, did not disappoint me. The characters are very well developed, the plot well thought out, and the historical research obviously quite extensive. Like the others in the series, the book brings out the traumatic impact the war had not only on the members of the military, but their families and friends. I highly recommend this book and the entire series.
Jenny P. (Cupertino, CA)

Excellent Read
The latest entry in the "Inspector Ian Rutledge" series is a great read, full of twists and turns and perfectly captures the atmosphere of England after the 1st World War. The mother-son duo writes seamlessly and some of the descriptive passages are truly engaging. Even though the identity of the villain becomes clear as the plot develops, my interest was held to the very last page. The character of Ian Rutledge is endlessly fascinating and the setting in the south of England is extremely vivid. The circumstances in which Inspector Rutledge finds himself remind me of the William Monk stories by Anne Perry and anyone who has read these books will be sure to find this series riveting. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a well plotted mystery.

Read-Alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket
    The Frozen River
    by Ariel Lawhon
    "I cannot say why it is so important that I make this daily record. Perhaps because I have been ...
  • Book Jacket: Everything We Never Had
    Everything We Never Had
    by Randy Ribay
    Francisco Maghabol has recently arrived in California from the Philippines, eager to earn money to ...
  • Book Jacket: The Demon of Unrest
    The Demon of Unrest
    by Erik Larson
    In the aftermath of the 1860 presidential election, the divided United States began to collapse as ...
  • Book Jacket: Daughters of Shandong
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Daughters of Shandong is the debut novel of Eve J. Chung, a human rights lawyer living in New York. ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
A four-year-old Mi'kmaq girl disappears, leaving a mystery unsolved for fifty years.
Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Who Said...

People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.