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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Twenty-second in the Inspector Ian Rutledge historical mystery series and revolving around a Scotland Yard detective suffering from PTSD. The tale begins in February 1921.
My Take
Omigod! This is like, a "7", for all its impossible mystery and even worse moral entanglements. That horrifying betrayal! The Todds certainly kept me on the edge of my seat, desperate to know how Rutledge will solve the case and his dilemmas. I do love a mystery where I can't figure it out. It's such a fun voyage of discovery!
In this, it's third person protagonist point-of-view from Ian's perspective with a front row seat on his thoughts and emotions. It's a nasty choice he's having to make in this.
Thank god that we've come to our senses about PTSD. It makes me so furious that soldiers who were shellshocked were considered cowards. I'd like to see those accusers survive what these men did! It has to have been so much worse for the officers who had to order their men to take those stupid actions ordered by generals who were so clueless and uncaring of the damage being done to their own.
The Todds do a lovely job of creating the atmosphere of the time period with their manners, mores, and styles...including not taking women into account.
Ian is driving me nuts with his self-sacrificing attitude about Kate. I suppose it's part of those early twentieth century morals *eye roll*. And I want to cry when I read about the Radleigh family's situation. That Andy sounds like a really good guy.
I do wonder if Kate being affected by the volunteer work she had done during the war is a bit of foreshadowing...hmmm...
A nice bit about why Ian became a cop, "because someone had to speak for the dead". And Ian does speak for the dead in some three cases. Hunting the truth, and being castigated by Markham for finding it. What. A. Jerk.
Huh. Chief Superintendent Bowles had hated Ian for his university education. Then there's Brian Leslie, a strangely honorable man.
The Story
With the threat of Ian's unopened letter of resignation hovering, he must be perfect, and with Chief Inspector Brian Leslie's cold case in Avebury, this is Markham's chance to make Ian look bad.
Only, it's a cold case with missing evidence.
The Characters
Detective Inspector Ian Rutledge is single, but for the ghost of the corporal he shot that summer in 1916 at the Battle of the Somme, Hamish McLeod. Fiona had been the woman Hamish loved. Frances is Ian's recently married sister.
Ian is in hopeless love with Kate Gordon, Jean's cousin; Jean was the woman who broke off her engagement with Ian. But the idiot is too noble to tell Kate. Kate's mother, Mrs Gordon, despises Ian. Gwen and Meg are constantly complaining cousins of Kate's mother. Soeur Marie Andre is with the convent where Ian's previous love, Meredith Channing, joined her war-damaged husband.
Scotland Yard
Chief Inspector (CI) Brian Leslie had served in the trenches in World War I and is a successful interrogator who used to visit Avebury as a child when Townsend was rector, a friend of his parents. Sara is Leslie's wife. Chief Superintendent Markham hates Ian and wants him to fail. Sergeant Gibson keeps the Yard organized and running. Sergeant Richards. Inspector Bradley has a burst appendix. Inspector Kent got ahead of Rutledge. Sutton is getting married next month. Inspector Gaines is visiting his sister in Blackmon's Hotel. CI Murray. Inspector Hayes was in Maidstone. Inspector Hadley's wife is friendly with Sara Leslie. CI Stanley and Inspector Martin may have issues with Leslie.
Constable Fuller was there for the hit-and-run. Mrs Gerald FitzPatrick was the victim. Mr Taverner, a prominent barrister, discovered his personal motorcar was stolen.
Haldane is supposedly part of the Foot Police, a division that was in charge of Army discipline and crimes...Ian reckons he's really with Military Intelligence. Edwards is a friend of Ian's who works at the War Office.
Avebury, Wiltshire, has...
...its own henge on Marlborough Down and isn't far from Stonehenge. Constable Henderson is the village copper who had also served as a sergeant with the Wiltshires. Barry is his son. Bouncer is the butcher's dog. Ben Wainwright delivers kegs to the inn. Mr Marshall is the rector; Dorothea is his wife and likes to take photographs. White is the sexton. The Green Man is the inn where Leslie, and later, Ian, will stay. It's run by Sam and Mary Bryant, who makes incredible apple tarts. The nearsighted, frightened Mary Parrish has a clue. Mrs Dunlop is a widow who now cleans houses for people in the village; her husband had been the shoemaker. Mrs Alastair Johnson has a generous seven-year-old, Tommy, who has the measles. Peggy is her even younger daughter with the pretty necklace and the stone peas. Mr Johnson had been the village farrier before the war and is now a carpenter. Mr Downing has been training a couple of young retrievers. Dr Mason is a widower.
Corporal Andrew Henley Radleigh wears a donated coat. Karina Larchian had been an Armenian refugee from Anatolia, escaping from Turkey in 1915. In 1916, her son Peter died. In 1919, she had been advocating that the Young Turks be punished. Mrs Brooke-Davies is on the Armenian Refugee Committee. Sergeant Tiller had witnessed some trouble in Paris in 1916.
Winterbourne, Wiltshire
Miss Mott runs a tea shop. Mr Steadman is rector in the next village; he and his wife used to ride a tandem. Larry and Sadie Blake also have a tandem; he'll do a test ride with Ian. Old Mr Barlow could be counted on to drive people from the train station in Marlborough.
The Nelsons lived in Stokesbury, near Marlborough, and rode a tandem bike. After they died, their house was left to cousins. Constable Benning investigated the break-in reported by Mrs Shelby.
Tern Bridge, Shropshire
Constable Leigh works here. Mr Grissom owns the Dun Cow where Ian will stay. Todd has quite the believable story about the inn. The farm people include Mr Wilkins, Nate Harding, Mrs Taylor who's having a boy, and Mr Ward who likes to flirt with the ladies, even though his wife tries to keep him on a short leash. Rusty is Ward's dog. Young Billy Bailey has croup. Ralph Ellis is the rector; Mariah is his wife. The eighty-some-year-old Mrs Brooks minds everyone's business. Mr Simmons is the newly deceased whose grave is occupied. Dr Allan is the village medic. Courtney Miller is the sexton; his wife, Joan, had run off eight years ago. She'd been no better than she should be.
Bath, Somerset
Inspector Graves is investigating the missing Serena Palmer, a schoolmistress at a private girls' school. Margaret Palmer is Miss Palmer's cousin.
The port of Dover
James Westin is a port official with a good memory.
Manchester, Greater Manchester
Patience Underwood is/was Andy Radleigh's sister. Her husband, Herbert, had been killed in the war. George is their younger brother, and they all live with their mother, trying to make ends meet.
David Trevor is an architect and Ian's godfather who lives in Scotland. Ross is David's son. Douglas is a jeweler in London. Private Archie Grant had been Ian's batman during the war. Not much good with a needle but a great shot. Alan Barrington is the killer Ian caught in The Black Ascot, 21. Josh is the gentleman who stands Kate up, and Ian takes her to Baldwin's.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a gloomy one with its stormy dark blue sky and the stones standing amongst the golden grasses, the Long Barrow behind them with trees behind it. The author's name is at the very top in white with the title in a deep orange just above the center. The series information is in white at the bottom.
No kidding! The title says it all, for Ian is suffering A Divided Loyalty, a man he knows and respects versus truth.
My Take
Omigod! This is like, a "7", for all its impossible mystery and even worse moral entanglements. That horrifying betrayal! The Todds certainly kept me on the edge of my seat, desperate to know how Rutledge will solve the case and his dilemmas. I do love a mystery where I can't figure it out. It's such a fun voyage of discovery!
In this, it's third person protagonist point-of-view from Ian's perspective with a front row seat on his thoughts and emotions. It's a nasty choice he's having to make in this.
Thank god that we've come to our senses about PTSD. It makes me so furious that soldiers who were shellshocked were considered cowards. I'd like to see those accusers survive what these men did! It has to have been so much worse for the officers who had to order their men to take those stupid actions ordered by generals who were so clueless and uncaring of the damage being done to their own.
"For many of us, the war didn't end when the guns stopped firing. ... We saw too much. Things that can't be shared. Things we can't forget."The Todds were brilliant in the tease, releasing all these clues but keeping them so "anonymous". I was absolutely shocked when the truth was revealed, and yet all those clues did lead right up to it.
The Todds do a lovely job of creating the atmosphere of the time period with their manners, mores, and styles...including not taking women into account.
Ian is driving me nuts with his self-sacrificing attitude about Kate. I suppose it's part of those early twentieth century morals *eye roll*. And I want to cry when I read about the Radleigh family's situation. That Andy sounds like a really good guy.
I do wonder if Kate being affected by the volunteer work she had done during the war is a bit of foreshadowing...hmmm...
A nice bit about why Ian became a cop, "because someone had to speak for the dead". And Ian does speak for the dead in some three cases. Hunting the truth, and being castigated by Markham for finding it. What. A. Jerk.
Huh. Chief Superintendent Bowles had hated Ian for his university education. Then there's Brian Leslie, a strangely honorable man.
The Story
With the threat of Ian's unopened letter of resignation hovering, he must be perfect, and with Chief Inspector Brian Leslie's cold case in Avebury, this is Markham's chance to make Ian look bad.
Only, it's a cold case with missing evidence.
The Characters
Detective Inspector Ian Rutledge is single, but for the ghost of the corporal he shot that summer in 1916 at the Battle of the Somme, Hamish McLeod. Fiona had been the woman Hamish loved. Frances is Ian's recently married sister.
Ian is in hopeless love with Kate Gordon, Jean's cousin; Jean was the woman who broke off her engagement with Ian. But the idiot is too noble to tell Kate. Kate's mother, Mrs Gordon, despises Ian. Gwen and Meg are constantly complaining cousins of Kate's mother. Soeur Marie Andre is with the convent where Ian's previous love, Meredith Channing, joined her war-damaged husband.
Scotland Yard
Chief Inspector (CI) Brian Leslie had served in the trenches in World War I and is a successful interrogator who used to visit Avebury as a child when Townsend was rector, a friend of his parents. Sara is Leslie's wife. Chief Superintendent Markham hates Ian and wants him to fail. Sergeant Gibson keeps the Yard organized and running. Sergeant Richards. Inspector Bradley has a burst appendix. Inspector Kent got ahead of Rutledge. Sutton is getting married next month. Inspector Gaines is visiting his sister in Blackmon's Hotel. CI Murray. Inspector Hayes was in Maidstone. Inspector Hadley's wife is friendly with Sara Leslie. CI Stanley and Inspector Martin may have issues with Leslie.
Constable Fuller was there for the hit-and-run. Mrs Gerald FitzPatrick was the victim. Mr Taverner, a prominent barrister, discovered his personal motorcar was stolen.
Haldane is supposedly part of the Foot Police, a division that was in charge of Army discipline and crimes...Ian reckons he's really with Military Intelligence. Edwards is a friend of Ian's who works at the War Office.
Avebury, Wiltshire, has...
...its own henge on Marlborough Down and isn't far from Stonehenge. Constable Henderson is the village copper who had also served as a sergeant with the Wiltshires. Barry is his son. Bouncer is the butcher's dog. Ben Wainwright delivers kegs to the inn. Mr Marshall is the rector; Dorothea is his wife and likes to take photographs. White is the sexton. The Green Man is the inn where Leslie, and later, Ian, will stay. It's run by Sam and Mary Bryant, who makes incredible apple tarts. The nearsighted, frightened Mary Parrish has a clue. Mrs Dunlop is a widow who now cleans houses for people in the village; her husband had been the shoemaker. Mrs Alastair Johnson has a generous seven-year-old, Tommy, who has the measles. Peggy is her even younger daughter with the pretty necklace and the stone peas. Mr Johnson had been the village farrier before the war and is now a carpenter. Mr Downing has been training a couple of young retrievers. Dr Mason is a widower.
Corporal Andrew Henley Radleigh wears a donated coat. Karina Larchian had been an Armenian refugee from Anatolia, escaping from Turkey in 1915. In 1916, her son Peter died. In 1919, she had been advocating that the Young Turks be punished. Mrs Brooke-Davies is on the Armenian Refugee Committee. Sergeant Tiller had witnessed some trouble in Paris in 1916.
Winterbourne, Wiltshire
Miss Mott runs a tea shop. Mr Steadman is rector in the next village; he and his wife used to ride a tandem. Larry and Sadie Blake also have a tandem; he'll do a test ride with Ian. Old Mr Barlow could be counted on to drive people from the train station in Marlborough.
The Nelsons lived in Stokesbury, near Marlborough, and rode a tandem bike. After they died, their house was left to cousins. Constable Benning investigated the break-in reported by Mrs Shelby.
Tern Bridge, Shropshire
Constable Leigh works here. Mr Grissom owns the Dun Cow where Ian will stay. Todd has quite the believable story about the inn. The farm people include Mr Wilkins, Nate Harding, Mrs Taylor who's having a boy, and Mr Ward who likes to flirt with the ladies, even though his wife tries to keep him on a short leash. Rusty is Ward's dog. Young Billy Bailey has croup. Ralph Ellis is the rector; Mariah is his wife. The eighty-some-year-old Mrs Brooks minds everyone's business. Mr Simmons is the newly deceased whose grave is occupied. Dr Allan is the village medic. Courtney Miller is the sexton; his wife, Joan, had run off eight years ago. She'd been no better than she should be.
Bath, Somerset
Inspector Graves is investigating the missing Serena Palmer, a schoolmistress at a private girls' school. Margaret Palmer is Miss Palmer's cousin.
The port of Dover
James Westin is a port official with a good memory.
Manchester, Greater Manchester
Patience Underwood is/was Andy Radleigh's sister. Her husband, Herbert, had been killed in the war. George is their younger brother, and they all live with their mother, trying to make ends meet.
David Trevor is an architect and Ian's godfather who lives in Scotland. Ross is David's son. Douglas is a jeweler in London. Private Archie Grant had been Ian's batman during the war. Not much good with a needle but a great shot. Alan Barrington is the killer Ian caught in The Black Ascot, 21. Josh is the gentleman who stands Kate up, and Ian takes her to Baldwin's.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a gloomy one with its stormy dark blue sky and the stones standing amongst the golden grasses, the Long Barrow behind them with trees behind it. The author's name is at the very top in white with the title in a deep orange just above the center. The series information is in white at the bottom.
No kidding! The title says it all, for Ian is suffering A Divided Loyalty, a man he knows and respects versus truth.
valefimbres's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
I was thrilled to learn that I'd won an Advanced Reader's Edition of the latest installment of the Inspector Ian Rutledge series. I have dipped in and out of this series, but this was the first time that I'd wished that I'd read the previous book before diving in. Despite missing the full backstories on certain plot points, I still thoroughly enjoyed this novel from start to finish. It made me want to go back and read its most immediate predecessors to find out what happened, which I'd say is a good sign. As I've come to expect from this writing duo, I found the writing style engaging and loved that the location was just as integral to the story as the characters were. The historical details that were woven in brought the time and place to life; I always appreciate the careful research that the authors do for this series to ensure the setting is just right.
Rutledge is sent to the village of Avebury, which is set inside a great prehistoric stone circle not far from Stonehenge, to investigate a seemingly impossible case on the heels of solving another one. A respected colleague already investigated the murder of an unidentified woman found near the stones, reaching no conclusions about the motive or murderer. None of the villagers recognize the woman, who seems to have been lured to the village only to be killed.
Rutledge is convinced that his supervisor has set him up to fail and that he will reach no better conclusion than his more senior colleague. However, the meticulous Rutledge soon begins to unearth clues that take him down unexpected paths, leading to dangerous conclusions. I found the pacing to be excellent and liked how Rutledge's investigation proceeded slowly, building up to the big reveal. Like Rutledge, the reader is reluctant to believe, but cannot ignore, the evidence as the pieces come together. While the revelation of the murderer's identity was not entirely a surprise, the events that take place afterwards are and provide quite the cliffhanger ending. I am curious to see the direction the series takes based on how this one ended.
Many thanks to William Morrow for my Goodreads Giveaways win and giving me a sneak peek at the latest Rutledge novel!
I used this for the 2020 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge advanced prompt "a book by an author who has written more than 20 books." This is number 22 in the Rutledge series. There are also 11 entries in the equally excellent Bess Crawford series (which I adore!), two stand-alone novels, and several novellas and short stories.
Rutledge is sent to the village of Avebury, which is set inside a great prehistoric stone circle not far from Stonehenge, to investigate a seemingly impossible case on the heels of solving another one. A respected colleague already investigated the murder of an unidentified woman found near the stones, reaching no conclusions about the motive or murderer. None of the villagers recognize the woman, who seems to have been lured to the village only to be killed.
Rutledge is convinced that his supervisor has set him up to fail and that he will reach no better conclusion than his more senior colleague. However, the meticulous Rutledge soon begins to unearth clues that take him down unexpected paths, leading to dangerous conclusions. I found the pacing to be excellent and liked how Rutledge's investigation proceeded slowly, building up to the big reveal. Like Rutledge, the reader is reluctant to believe, but cannot ignore, the evidence as the pieces come together. While the revelation of the murderer's identity was not entirely a surprise, the events that take place afterwards are and provide quite the cliffhanger ending. I am curious to see the direction the series takes based on how this one ended.
Many thanks to William Morrow for my Goodreads Giveaways win and giving me a sneak peek at the latest Rutledge novel!
I used this for the 2020 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge advanced prompt "a book by an author who has written more than 20 books." This is number 22 in the Rutledge series. There are also 11 entries in the equally excellent Bess Crawford series (which I adore!), two stand-alone novels, and several novellas and short stories.
marieleigh73's review against another edition
4.0
I have always enjoyed the Inspector Rutledge books. This was filled with a few more twists and turns and I couldn’t put it down.
nicoleankenmann's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook: 11hr 11m
If this book were music, it would be set in a minor key. I found this book a rather heavyhearted mystery, though still written with excellence. Another good installment in a series I have come to love.
If this book were music, it would be set in a minor key. I found this book a rather heavyhearted mystery, though still written with excellence. Another good installment in a series I have come to love.
400mom's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoy this series, about Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard. Yes, I know that some readers don't enjoy the ongoing storyline of Rutledge's shell-shock from World War I or the way he always seems to be on the wrong side of his boss, but for me these make him an interesting character that I can root for. I also enjoy the way the effects of the war influence the stories. I think this was one of the better books in the series.
wendys's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway.
I’m a fan of the of the Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd, and this was my first in the Ian Rutledge series. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characterization is intriguing and the pacing is perfect. I was able to follow it without having read the earlier books in the series. I’ll be going back to read this whole series through starting with the first one, and I look forward to it.
I’m a fan of the of the Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd, and this was my first in the Ian Rutledge series. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characterization is intriguing and the pacing is perfect. I was able to follow it without having read the earlier books in the series. I’ll be going back to read this whole series through starting with the first one, and I look forward to it.
thisandthatwithkaren's review against another edition
4.0
A Divided Loyalty by Charles Todd the 22nd instalment in the " Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery" series. I won a copy from a Goodreads giveaway in 2019. Even though this is the 22nd instalment in the series, the authors did an excellent job in not letting you feel lost so it can quite easily be read as a stand-alone.
I have read a few of the earlier books years ago but nothing recent. I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it over a weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. It made me wish I had kept up with the series especially the most recent ones to find out what happened.
The setting of Avebury Henge and the historical details that were woven into the story brought it to life in my mind. I could picture myself there which I personally always think is a good thing. I appreciated all the research that the authors must of had to do for this series to ensure everything is accurate. I googled some of the sites etc. and liked that I good see photos of Avebury Henge.
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end.
I highly recommend this series to all my British Crime Mystery loving friends.
I won this novel from a giveaway on GoodReads and was asked for an honest review
I have read a few of the earlier books years ago but nothing recent. I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it over a weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. It made me wish I had kept up with the series especially the most recent ones to find out what happened.
The setting of Avebury Henge and the historical details that were woven into the story brought it to life in my mind. I could picture myself there which I personally always think is a good thing. I appreciated all the research that the authors must of had to do for this series to ensure everything is accurate. I googled some of the sites etc. and liked that I good see photos of Avebury Henge.
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end.
I highly recommend this series to all my British Crime Mystery loving friends.
I won this novel from a giveaway on GoodReads and was asked for an honest review
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
2.0
Temporarily engaging and generally inoffensive. A review for this book and, in fact, this entire series.
kriscricket's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No