Sophia Rose is here with a historical mystery in the Inspector Ian Rutledge. A Christmas Witness by Charles Todd delivers a holiday mystery that has the inspector facing his past. Grab a cup of cocoa and check out Sophia’s thoughts.
by Charles Todd
Series: Inspector Ian Rutledge #24.5
Genres: Historical Mystery
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate
Inspector Ian Rutledge investigates a possible attempted murder in this seasonal mystery novella from New York Times bestseller Charles Todd.
December 1921: Being single and a new Chief, Inspector Rutledge gets the short straw and is called upon by Chief Superintendent Markum to go to the Kentish home of a lord who is recovering from an attempt on his life. In bed with a concussion, the man is convinced someone is trying to kill him after he claims he was struck by the hoof of a running horse whose rider never stopped to check on him.
When he gets there, Rutledge learns that he and the lord were both young cavalry officers and graduated from Sandhurst together. As Rutledge’s investigation gets underway, he uncovers even more similarities between his life and that of the man he’s sent to protect, all of which grows eerily poignant as the Christmas holiday approaches…
Sophia Rose’s Review
Getting a case during the Christmas holidays, Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge not only meets a face from his past, but experiences his own Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol experience complete with mystery.
I have been meaning to try the Inspector Ian Rutledge series set in post-WWI era with a shell-shocked British police detective trying to get on with his life even though he can’t get past the war including a voice in his head much like Dickens’ ghost.
Occasionally, I do gutsy reader things like jumping into the middle of an ongoing mystery series like this time when I had not previously read any of the regular series books. Turned out okay, actually, as this was something of a lighter, quicker fare that gave me a feel for the series and meet the inspector had his most introspective. I enjoyed the historical background of rural England during the holidays.
Ian Rutledge arrives in Kent and discovers the victim of a ‘hit and run’ riding horse-style is an officer he remembers from the war. The Colonel was responsible for many men’s lives, and the chief inspector wonders if that factors into his case. He discovers the pair of them have some key points in common, including after-war struggles that are almost debilitating and a Christmas Carolesque experience complete with the ghostly voices in his mind. My heart went out to him for paying this price for serving in the war, and I respected his attempt to work through it especially since solving murder takes one into some pretty dark situations, too.
A Christmas Witness read fast and leaned to the personal story over the mystery, which was swiftly put to pasture. There was a complexity in Ian Rutledge that I like to see in a long-running series main character that shows room to grow and vulnerabilities and strengths that made him interesting.
I liked this first experience with the series and will definitely be going back for the previous stories. Those who want a slower-paced, gentler and introspective mystery set in England’s countryside for the holidays should give A Christmas Witness historical mystery a go.
About Charles Todd
Charles and Caroline Todd are a mother-and-son writing team who live on the east coast of the United States. Caroline has a BA in English Literature and History, and a Masters in International Relations. Charles has a BA in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Business Management, and a culinary arts degree that means he can boil more than water. Caroline has been married (to the same man) for umpteen years, and Charles is divorced.
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About Sophia Rose
Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
That was a gutsy move, Sophia, given this is book 24 in the series! Happy to see it worked out! It’s interesting this is the work of a mother/son writing team. I’m definitely curious!
Sophia Rose
LOL, yeah, I felt a bit like I dove off into the deep end, but it definitely left me wanting to go back and read the series. I thought that was curious about the co-authors, too.
Teresa Broderick
Nice review Sophia. It sounds like something I’d definitely like!
Sophia Rose
Glad to put it on your radar, Teresa.
Mary Kirkland
That sounds really good.
Sophia Rose
It was neat getting both Christmas vibes and a quick murder mystery.
Anne - Books of My Heart
I read a couple of these and enjoyed them. There are so many. Some day.
Sophia Rose
Yeah, I want to do the series, but man it will definitely keep me busy for a while.
Katherine
This is a series (and an author) that I need to read. I don’t mind a slower read if I’m engaged enough in the story and like the characters enough.
Sophia Rose
Same here! Both about getting on with this series and the type of slower read it was.
hena
Not much for slower stories.. but thanks for sharing.
Sophia Rose
You betcha, Hena! Thanks for stopping by.
Ethan
You had me at historical mystery! I’ve been struggling to find holiday reads that catch my fancy, so this one is definitely being added to my list!
Sophia Rose
Glad to tempt you with this one, Ethan! 🙂