Synopses & Reviews
It's New Year's Eve, 1919. Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge has accompanied his sister to the home of mutual friends for dinner but gets a call from the office and has to leave. On the steps outside, he sees a brass cartridge casing, like countless others he's seen during the war. But this one has an engraving in the metal. Curious, he pockets it.
Soon after, Rutledge is on the southern coast of England helping the local police capture a murderer. Work done, on a whim he drives along the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic and takes a walk out on the headland. Returning to his car, he finds another engraved cartridge casing on the driver's seat. He's been followed.
The cartridge casing seems to point to the war and unfinished business there. To stay alive in the face of an unknown and unseen adversary, Rutledge is pressed to the limits of his skills. He's the prey. But who is the hunter?
Review
"Another winning story from the East Coast mother-son duo." Library Journal
Review
"Its ever-thickening plot is sure to please serious puzzlers who thrill to a large cast of wary villagers spinning complex webs of rumor and deception. Add to this an eerie dash of Grimpen Mire reminiscent of the gothic feel of Anne Perry's Monk series, and you have a traditional mystery buff's delight." Booklist
Synopsis
Seamless in its storytelling and enthralling in its plotting.
Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
Dark and remarkable .Once Todd] grabs you, there s no putting the novel down.
Detroit Free Press
The Winston-Salem Journal declares that, like P. D. James and Ruth Rendell, Charles Todd writes novels that transcend genre. A Long Shadow proves that statement true beyond the shadow of a doubt. Once again featuring Todd s extraordinary protagonist, Scotland Yard investigator and shell-shocked World War One veteran, Inspector Ian Rutledge, A Long Shadow immerses readers in the sights and sounds of post-war Great Britain, as the damaged policeman pursues answers to a constable s slaying and the three-year-old mystery of a young girl s disappearance in a tiny Northamptonshire village. Read Todd s A Long Shadow and see why the Washington Post calls the Rutledge crime novels, one of the best historical series being written today.
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Synopsis
New Year's Eve, 1919. Scotland Yard's Inspector Ian Rutledge has accompanied his sister to the home of mutual friends for dinner but is called away by work. On the steps outside, he finds a brass cartridge casing that is seemingly identical to the countless others he'd seen during the war he still cannot forget. But this one has an engraving in the metal. Curious, he pockets it. Soon he finds another in a most unexpected place.
These cartridge casings seem to point to unfinished business involving the war. A man with a dark secret, Rutledge already walks on the edge of sanity. Now someone is hunting him. But who? And will Rutledge live long enough to discover why?
A Long Shadow is a deeply evocative, atmospheric, and gripping novel that will keep readers hooked until the very last page.
Synopsis
On New Year's Eve, 1919, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge finds engraved brass cartridges that seem to point to unfinished business involving the war. A man with a dark secret, Rutledge already walks on the edge of sanity. Now, someone is hunting him, but who?
Synopsis
“Seamless in its storytelling and enthralling in its plotting.”
—
Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel“Dark and remarkable….Once [Todd] grabs you, theres no putting the novel down.”
—Detroit Free Press
The Winston-Salem Journal declares that, “like P. D. James and Ruth Rendell, Charles Todd writes novels that transcend genre.” A Long Shadow proves that statement true beyond the shadow of a doubt. Once again featuring Todds extraordinary protagonist, Scotland Yard investigator and shell-shocked World War One veteran, Inspector Ian Rutledge, A Long Shadow immerses readers in the sights and sounds of post-war Great Britain, as the damaged policeman pursues answers to a constables slaying and the three-year-old mystery of a young girls disappearance in a tiny Northamptonshire village. Read Todds A Long Shadow and see why the Washington Post calls the Rutledge crime novels, “one of the best historical series being written today.”
About the Author
Charles Todd is the author of seven Ian Rutledge mysteries: A Cold Treachery, A Fearsome Doubt, Watchers of Time, Legacy of the Dead, Search the Dark, Wings of Fire, and A Test of Wills and one stand-alone novel, The Murder Stone. They are a mother-and-son writing team and live in Delaware and North Carolina, respectively.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Charles Todd