A Long Shadow: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

“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.”

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?

“One of the most respected writers in the mystery genre.” - Denver Post

“Todd’s plotting and characterization are, as usual, first-rate, and the tormented motivations behind the novel’s dark acts are presented with a sensitivity and refinement remniscent of the best P.D. James.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A daunting portrait of a town that keeps its thoughts, its troubles and most of all its secrets to itself.” - New York Times Book Review

“[A] remarkable series....Keeps readers on the edge right up to the stunning end.” - Detroit Free Press

“Evocative.” - Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Incisive as ever.” - Kirkus Reviews

“No mystery series I can think of captures the sadness and loss that swept over England after World War I with the heartbreaking force of Charles Todd’s books about Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge.” - Chicago Tribune

“Atmosphere aplenty.” - Charlotte Observer

“Todd’s series has the feel of the classic whodunits of such Golden Age masters as Christie and Sayers. 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....a traditional mystery buff’s delight.” - Booklist

“Excels at intricate relationships among characters....Another winning story.” - Library Journal

“Riveting historical mystery.” - Romantic Times