A review by nonna7
The False Mirror by Charles Todd

3.0

This novel takes place starting in February, 1920. Ian Rutledge has been back in Scotland Yard after the Great War for less than a year. The war haunts him as it has so many of the men who survived. Rutledge is working an important case in London when he is told that a case in a small town along the southern English coast requires his attention. A man is holding a woman hostage and insists that Rutledge personally investigate. He served under Rutledge in the war. Rutledge despises him because his uncle, a bishop with connections, had him pulled out of combat. Despite his personal dislike, he agrees to investigate. The former officer is holding the wife of a retired foreign service officer. They were in love before the war, but he told her not to wait. She met Matthew, a retired foreign service worker, and fell in love. When the war was over, her former love followed her to her new town. When her husband is badly beaten, her former lover is suspected. He takes her hostage but with her help which complicates matters. This book seemed to be a bit of a stretch compared to some of the others. Even in Great Britain of 1920, I doubt that civility would allow someone to be held hostage for that long. It really is a intriguing story though with a interesting ending.