Watchers of Time (2001) is the 5th in the Inspector Ian Rutledge book series by Charles Todd. The Inspector is a casualty of WW1 struggling to take back up his civilian career. He is able to hide his shell shock, keeping people at a distance, and is haunted by the Scots soldier he executed on the battlefield.
I pick these up as I find them and am not reading them in order. This one begins in September of 1919.
from the back of the book:
In a marshy Norfolk backwater, a priest is brutally murdered after giving a dying man last rites. For Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge, an ex-officer still recovering from the trauma of war, it looks to be a simple case. Yet the Inspector finds himself uncovering secrets that the local authorities would prefer not to see explored. Rutledge pares away layers of deception to piece together a chain of events that stretches from the brooding marshes to one of the greatest sea disasters in history -the sinking of the Titanic. Who is the mysterious woman who survived it? Only Rutledge can answer those questions... and prevent a killer who'll stop at nothing from striking again.I have also read the following from this series:
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Haven't heard of this, but Rutledge sounds a bit like Watson from the Sherlock Holmes television re-boot with Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch
ReplyDeleteHe's much more damaged than that Watson and more solitary -unless you count the Scots soldier who is very real here, an internalized person he actually talks to.
DeleteI love those books, they make a great read. Enjoy your weekend, Valerie
ReplyDeleteI've put the next several on my list for upcoming Christmas and birthday. Maybe I'll get one :)
DeleteThis sounds SO good. I have never heard of it, but I know PTSD takes all forms, whether called shell shock in WWI or combat stress in WWII or PTSD now. It's all the same and the triggers can be as insignificant as a loud sound to a bad car accident. I think this is one I need to find and read.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying these. I love the character and sympathize with his struggle to hide his trauma. I do hope you can find one. I haven't checked local libraries so don't know how available they are.
DeleteI know I don't know much about WWI, and I do love mysteries, so I am putting this on my to read list. Thanks for recommendation. Can't send you any rain this weekend though. Sorry. Hope it's a good one. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteI hope you like this character as much as I do :)
DeleteI'm sure we'll get rain once fall fully comes, but it seems to me it's been an awfully dry summer.
Catching up... I really like this series and have read several of the books, maybe all. The authors also have a series with Beth, a nurse from the same era. Good too.
ReplyDeleteThis is the only series I've read by them. I'll have to check into the others. Hmmm, no time like the present, so I just googled them. There are two stand-alone novels that look interesting, too. Thx!
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