No Shred of Evidence

November 30, 2015
Were four young women trying to rescue a drowning man on a Cornish river in 1920—or to kill him? That’s the intriguing puzzle bestseller Todd (the mother-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd) sets for Rutledge in the inspector’s solid 18th outing (following 2015’s A Fine Summer’s Day). According to the women—one of whom, Kate Gordon, was almost Rutledge’s relative by marriage—they spotted Harry Saunders in a sinking boat and tried to get him to safety. But they weren’t up to the task, and Saunders would have drowned but for the intervention of a farmer, Bradford Trevose, who insists to the police that he saw the women trying to murder Saunders. Evidence of a blow to Saunders’s head, which left him unconscious, supports Trevose’s version of events. As Rutledge strives to reconcile the conflicting testimonies, he must also resolve some clear-cut crimes of violence. Atmospheric scenes of suspense, set in the lonely Cornish countryside, are a plus. Agent: Jane Chelius, Jane Chelius Literary Agency.

September 15, 2015
In the next in this Barry Award-winning, "New York Times" best-selling series, four young women living on Cornwall's north coast have been accused of murder, and the father calls in a favor at the Home Office. But even after Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives, the murder spree continues. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2016

It's 1920, and Insp. Ian Rutledge (last seen in A Fine Summer's Day) has been sent to the Cornish countryside to investigate a case of attempted murder. Four gently bred young women insist they were trying to save Harry Saunders from drowning, not kill him. However, Harry's in no condition to tell what really happened, and the one witness says otherwise. Cornwall is definitely not Rutledge's favorite place, and he is painfully reminded of his past here. Nevertheless, he is determined to do his duty, especially since he has a personal connection to one of the accused women. VERDICT As always, Todd skillfully explores human emotion and motivations and is a master at creating an evocative setting. Not the strongest entry in the series but still enjoyable for fans of historical mysteries. [See Prepub Alert, 8/10/15.]--Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015

In the next in this Barry Award-winning, New York Times best-selling series, four young women living on Cornwall's north coast have been accused of murder, and the father calls in a favor at the Home Office. But even after Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives, the murder spree continues. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2015
A pleasure expedition in Cornwall turns deadly in Inspector Rutledge's 18th case. In the Cornish town of Padstow, Victoria Grenville is entertaining her neighbor Elaine St. Ives and two visitors from London for an autumn weekend. A row on the River Camel seems like a lark until they see Victoria's would-be suitor, Harry Saunders, in trouble in his own boat. What appears to be a well-intentioned rescue attempt, with the four women helped by young farmer Bradford Trevose, goes awry when Harry is hit with the oar, and Trevose accuses the young women of attempted murder. When the first detective on the case dies of heart failure, Grenville, the local magistrate, calls in Scotland Yard, which sends Inspector Ian Rutledge. Rutledge is shocked to learn that one of the accused houseguests is Kate Gordon, his ex-fiancee's cousin. Much as he admires Kate for her sense and courage under pressure, Rutledge has to be impartial, especially with Harry lying in a coma and his parents clamoring for justice. The only motives Rutledge can imagine are class resentment on Harry's side and bitterness about the victim's easy berth during World War I from the Grenville and St. Ives families, who suffered terrible losses. Even Rutledge's invisible familiar--the voice of a fallen wartime comrade--is mostly silent. Then Mrs. Grenville tells Rutledge about a past tragedy that could explain why Trevose blames the young women for Harry's coma and ultimately his death. Without real evidence or the missing notes from the first detective, Rutledge's investigation is as nebulous as the rumors of a local spirit. Then a second assault takes Rutledge in a new direction and into serious danger. The haunted detective is as thorough as usual, though he's dealing with faster-moving events than in some of his previous adventures (A Fine Summer's Day, 2015, etc.). There's no peace for the man and only a teaser of romantic feelings he scarcely admits.

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January 1, 2016
Four young women stand accused of attempted murder. Scotland Yard inspector Ian Rutledge is assigned the case, and he soon discovers that one of the accused is the cousin of his former fiancee. He also discovers that most of the townspeople seem quite emphatic that they want the four girls behind bars, the total lack of evidence against them notwithstanding. What's going on in the town of Cornwall? Rutledge is forced to solve an older, much darker mystery if he's to clear the names of the accused. The Rutledge novels are always smartly written, with good historical atmosphere and intricate stories. Rutledge himself is set apart from other Scotland Yard types by an unwelcome costar: Hamish Macleod, a soldier whom Rutledge executed on a WWI battlefield for dereliction of duty but whose voice now manifests itself inside Rutledge's head. This element isn't played for fantasy but, rather, as a way of exploring Rutledge's postwar internal demons, what we would now call his post-traumatic stress. Mixing detection and psychological complexity, this is another fine entry in a long-running series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)