A Fearsome Doubt
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Bestselling author Charles Todd has earned a special place among mystery’s elite writers with his acclaimed series featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge, a former soldier seeking to lay to rest the demons of his past in the aftermath of World War I. But that past bleeds into the present in a complex murder case that calls into question his own honor...and the crimes committed in the name of God, country, and righteous vengeance.
A Fearsome Doubt
In 1912 Ian Rutledge watched as a man was condemned to hang for the murders of elderly women. Rutledge helped gather the evidence that sent Ben Shaw to the gallows. And when justice was done, Rutledge closed the door on the case. But Shaw was not easily forgotten.
Now, seven years later, that grim trial returns in the form of Ben Shaw’s widow Nell, bringing Rutledge evidence she is convinced will prove her husband’s innocence. It’s a belief fraught with peril, threatening both Rutledge’s professional stature and his faith in his judgment. But there is a darker reason for Rutledge’s reluctance. Murder brings him back to Kent where, days earlier, he’d glimpsed an all-too-familiar face beyond the leaping flames of a bonfire. Soon an unexpected encounter revives the end of his own war, as the country prepares for a somber commemoration on the anniversary of the Armistice. To battle the unsettled past and the haunted present at the same time is an appalling mandate.
And the people around him? among them the attractive widow of a friend, a remarkable woman who survived the Great Indian Mutiny; a bitter, dying barrister; and a man whose name he never knew—unwittingly compete with the grieving Nell Shaw. They’ll demand more than Rutledge can give, unaware that he is already carrying the burden of shell shock? and the voice of Hamish MacLeod, the soldier he was forced to execute in the war. The killer in Marling is surprisingly adept at escaping detection. And Ben Shaw’s past is a tangle of unsettling secrets that may or may not be true. Rutledge must walk a tortuous line between two murderers...one reaching out to ruin him, the other driven to destroy him.
From the Hardcover edition.
A Fearsome Doubt
In 1912 Ian Rutledge watched as a man was condemned to hang for the murders of elderly women. Rutledge helped gather the evidence that sent Ben Shaw to the gallows. And when justice was done, Rutledge closed the door on the case. But Shaw was not easily forgotten.
Now, seven years later, that grim trial returns in the form of Ben Shaw’s widow Nell, bringing Rutledge evidence she is convinced will prove her husband’s innocence. It’s a belief fraught with peril, threatening both Rutledge’s professional stature and his faith in his judgment. But there is a darker reason for Rutledge’s reluctance. Murder brings him back to Kent where, days earlier, he’d glimpsed an all-too-familiar face beyond the leaping flames of a bonfire. Soon an unexpected encounter revives the end of his own war, as the country prepares for a somber commemoration on the anniversary of the Armistice. To battle the unsettled past and the haunted present at the same time is an appalling mandate.
And the people around him? among them the attractive widow of a friend, a remarkable woman who survived the Great Indian Mutiny; a bitter, dying barrister; and a man whose name he never knew—unwittingly compete with the grieving Nell Shaw. They’ll demand more than Rutledge can give, unaware that he is already carrying the burden of shell shock? and the voice of Hamish MacLeod, the soldier he was forced to execute in the war. The killer in Marling is surprisingly adept at escaping detection. And Ben Shaw’s past is a tangle of unsettling secrets that may or may not be true. Rutledge must walk a tortuous line between two murderers...one reaching out to ruin him, the other driven to destroy him.
From the Hardcover edition.
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14 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
One of the most unique book series in recent years
2 May 2005
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The success or failure of this book hinges entirely on character of Inspector Ian Rutledge and the believability of his fractured, WWI brain wherein resides the voice of the Scottish soldier he killed for cowardice on the battlefield and who haunts him years after the war has ended. It is a fascinating device because Hamish, the dead soldier, gives the solitary Rutledge a foil whilst investigating crimes that are intriguing but not especially unique or compelling. It is the characters that drive the Ian Rutledge series of mysteries and, for me, the characters that bring me back time and again with no disappointment.
It turns out the Charles Todd is actually a nom de plume for a mother and son who write these books together. I believe that one or both of them is especially strong on research and setting a very vivid and thorough picture of England after the war. I've never felt any doubt about the look and feel of the London of the day or the villages wherein much of the action takes place and that goes for the Kent countryside, wherein this story takes place.
Part of this story is the investigation of the murder of three war veterans and part of the story revisits a pre-war investigation by Rutledge and others that resulted in a man being hanged for murder. When circumstances seem to point to the wrong man having been hanged, Rutledge is forced to examine his conscience, his methods, and his war-damaged memory for what might have been overlooked and what might have been misinterpreted in the case. Add to this the presence of his best friend's widow in all of the attendant action and you have a ripping good little mystery!
It turns out the Charles Todd is actually a nom de plume for a mother and son who write these books together. I believe that one or both of them is especially strong on research and setting a very vivid and thorough picture of England after the war. I've never felt any doubt about the look and feel of the London of the day or the villages wherein much of the action takes place and that goes for the Kent countryside, wherein this story takes place.
Part of this story is the investigation of the murder of three war veterans and part of the story revisits a pre-war investigation by Rutledge and others that resulted in a man being hanged for murder. When circumstances seem to point to the wrong man having been hanged, Rutledge is forced to examine his conscience, his methods, and his war-damaged memory for what might have been overlooked and what might have been misinterpreted in the case. Add to this the presence of his best friend's widow in all of the attendant action and you have a ripping good little mystery!
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
great mystery as well as a haunting human drama
1 Oct 2002
Format:Hardcover
Seven years ago, Ian Rutledge was the policeman responsible for sending Ben Shaw to the hangman for killing three elderly, bedridden women. Ian left police work to fight in France during World War I, but what he saw in the trenches almost destroyed him. He came back shell-shocked, guilt ridden and broken with his only grip on sanity being his work at Scotland Yard.
His belief in himself as a good police officer is shattered when Ben Shaw's widow comes into his office with evidence that she claims will exonerate her husband. She wants Rutledge to reopen the case but before he can come to any decisions he is sent to Marling in Kent. Three veterans of the war, all with one leg amputated have been murdered and the local police don't have a clue about who is responsible. During his investigation, Mrs. Shaw hounds Rutledge yet he is able to carry on with both cases.
The protagonist of this novel acts normal but he carries on in his head a dialogue with a soldier he ordered killed before a firing squad in France for failing to obey a direct order. At times the reader isn't sure if Rutledge actually believes Hamish is dead but there is ample evidence he is able to conduct an inquiry and make brilliant investigations from evidence he gathers. A FEARSOME DOUBT is a great mystery as well as a haunting human drama.
Harriet Klausner
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Shudder dear reader along with Ian!
26 Jan 2006
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The mystery begins at a blazing Guy Fawkes bonfire, as Ian Rutledge - the brilliant but flawed Scotland Yard Inspector - is trying to have some time off from a hectic schedule of sleuthing. There in the center of a charming English village (is there any other kind of English village, dear reader?) the revels are interrupted by - what? A sudden glimpse of recognition! A face in the crowd, lighted by the leaping flames! It chills Rutledge to the bone!
Is it his War-stressed imagination playing tricks on him again - making memory seem a reality? Or is this the presence of evil itself? Shudder dear reader along with Ian. Then let the tale unfold!
Charles Todd has brought his famed and admired (and to his growing company of faithful readers, beloved) detective to a new crossroads. Till now, Ian Rutledge has never second-guessed his brilliant pre-War career. That, at least, has been on solid footing, even if his post-War life seems to be built on sinking sand. However, into his assurance of things past comes an amazingly persistent woman, Nell Shaw by name, who is seeking that justice be done for her family.
Before the War, Rutledge was instrumental in her husband's conviction of murder most foul. Now, Nell is like a dog with a bone, as she brings new evidence to light that casts a large measure of doubt across the pathway of Ian's past. Was the late Mr. Shaw the serial killer that he was found to be by due process of law and hanged as a result? Or was the man framed by the real killer, still at large?
What shall Ian do? Ignore or investigate? To ignore would keep his reputation and the Yard's on a solid footing. To investigate might put his own and his super's (that nemesis!) reputation in jeopardy. And how might that eerie face of the bonfire night figure in the unfolding drama?
Of course, Ian's ghostly companion Hamish is there to help with the investigations. From his usual corner of the backseat of Ian's car; he whispers hints and opinions galore. Hamish, you see, died on the battlefield of war and is not really there-just a figment of Ian's shell shocked mind. Or is he?
Throw into the mix some sad returned veterans of the war, who begin to die at an alarming rate around that charming English village, and you have another of these complex Ian Rutledge mysteries that seem to be two very independent crimes but may very well have some connection.
One hopes that the authors will ignore those voices who say that the plot device of Hamish as Ian's detecting assistant has become tiresome. Anyone who enjoys knowing how Jane Marple compares the intricacies of murder to the local gossip of St. Mary Meade, or who relishes Poirot's banter about the little grey cells with Hastings and Miss Lemon will be glad to see Ian and Hamish interact for...well, at least the next sixty years worth of books. This is a winning combination and Rutledge has so much psychological depth to offer as the stories unfold.
If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction
Is it his War-stressed imagination playing tricks on him again - making memory seem a reality? Or is this the presence of evil itself? Shudder dear reader along with Ian. Then let the tale unfold!
Charles Todd has brought his famed and admired (and to his growing company of faithful readers, beloved) detective to a new crossroads. Till now, Ian Rutledge has never second-guessed his brilliant pre-War career. That, at least, has been on solid footing, even if his post-War life seems to be built on sinking sand. However, into his assurance of things past comes an amazingly persistent woman, Nell Shaw by name, who is seeking that justice be done for her family.
Before the War, Rutledge was instrumental in her husband's conviction of murder most foul. Now, Nell is like a dog with a bone, as she brings new evidence to light that casts a large measure of doubt across the pathway of Ian's past. Was the late Mr. Shaw the serial killer that he was found to be by due process of law and hanged as a result? Or was the man framed by the real killer, still at large?
What shall Ian do? Ignore or investigate? To ignore would keep his reputation and the Yard's on a solid footing. To investigate might put his own and his super's (that nemesis!) reputation in jeopardy. And how might that eerie face of the bonfire night figure in the unfolding drama?
Of course, Ian's ghostly companion Hamish is there to help with the investigations. From his usual corner of the backseat of Ian's car; he whispers hints and opinions galore. Hamish, you see, died on the battlefield of war and is not really there-just a figment of Ian's shell shocked mind. Or is he?
Throw into the mix some sad returned veterans of the war, who begin to die at an alarming rate around that charming English village, and you have another of these complex Ian Rutledge mysteries that seem to be two very independent crimes but may very well have some connection.
One hopes that the authors will ignore those voices who say that the plot device of Hamish as Ian's detecting assistant has become tiresome. Anyone who enjoys knowing how Jane Marple compares the intricacies of murder to the local gossip of St. Mary Meade, or who relishes Poirot's banter about the little grey cells with Hastings and Miss Lemon will be glad to see Ian and Hamish interact for...well, at least the next sixty years worth of books. This is a winning combination and Rutledge has so much psychological depth to offer as the stories unfold.
If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction
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