by Charles Todd
New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd takes readers into Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge's past—to his perplexing final case before the outbreak of World War I.
On a fine summer's day in June, 1914, Ian Rutledge pays little notice to the assassination of an archduke in Sarajevo. An Inspector at Scotland Yard, he is planning to propose to the woman whom he deeply loves, despite intimations from friends and family that she may not be the wisest choice.
To the north on this warm and gentle day, another man in love—a Scottish Highlander—shows his own dear girl the house he will build for her in September. While back in England, a son awaits the undertaker in the wake of his widowed mother's death. This death will set off a series of murders across England, seemingly unconnected, that Rutledge will race to solve in the weeks before the fateful declaration in August that will forever transform his world.
As the clouds of war gather on the horizon, all of Britain wonders and waits. With every moment at stake, Rutledge sets out to right a wrong—an odyssey that will eventually force him to choose between the Yard and his country, between love and duty, and between honor and truth.
New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd takes readers into Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge's past—to his perplexing final case before the outbreak of World War I.
On a fine summer's day in June, 1914, Ian Rutledge pays little notice to the assassination of an archduke in Sarajevo. An Inspector at Scotland Yard, he is planning to propose to the woman whom he deeply loves, despite intimations from friends and family that she may not be the wisest choice.
To the north on this warm and gentle day, another man in love—a Scottish Highlander—shows his own dear girl the house he will build for her in September. While back in England, a son awaits the undertaker in the wake of his widowed mother's death. This death will set off a series of murders across England, seemingly unconnected, that Rutledge will race to solve in the weeks before the fateful declaration in August that will forever transform his world.
As the clouds of war gather on the horizon, all of Britain wonders and waits. With every moment at stake, Rutledge sets out to right a wrong—an odyssey that will eventually force him to choose between the Yard and his country, between love and duty, and between honor and truth.
Reviews-
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November 24, 2014
Series fans will appreciate Todd’s 17th Ian Rutledge mystery (after 2014’s Hunting Shadows), a prequel set in the summer of 1914. Rutledge, a Scotland Yard inspector, has just gotten engaged, and as the guns of August loom, he lands a tricky murder case in Dorset. Furniture maker Ben Clayton—who had no obvious enemies—was hanged from his staircase by an intruder. More deaths follow, but a scene that Todd (the mother-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd) presents early on makes this a thriller rather than a whodunit. The writing is as sharp as ever, but without the series regular Hamish MacLeod, whom Rutledge was forced to execute during WWI for disobeying orders and who subsequently haunts the shell-shocked Rutledge as a sort of ghostly Watson, newcomers won’t appreciate how extraordinary this series is. Five-city author tour. Agent: Jane Chelius, Jane Chelius Literary Agency. -
January 1, 2015
It was a fine summer's day in 1914 when life changed for so many people: Scotland Yard inspector Ian Rutledge proposed to his longtime companion, Jean Gordon, Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo, and the death of a mother sparked a trail of murders, leading Rutledge across the English countryside in search of the killer. As Rutledge closes in on the solution to the case, rumors of war become a reality, and the inspector must not only deal with the aftermath of his investigation but also face the increasing needs of his betrothed, family, Scotland Yard, and Britain itself. VERDICT In this prequel and 17th series entry (after Hunting Shadows), Rutledge deals with a killer's past and his own future in a country readying for war. A tight plot keeps readers on the edge until the stunning final pages. [See Prepub Alert, 7/28/14.]
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Suspense Magazine on A Fine Summer's Day
"An excellent tale. As always when it comes to Charles Todd, this mother/son team of authors are in-depth, refined, and offer up a true thriller of a story." — Suspense Magazine on A Fine Summer's Day
"A very welcome addition to, and expansion of, a much-loved series." — Booklist
"The books are Charles Todd recounting the cases of Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge in the days following WWI are as quintessentially English as anything by Ruth Rendell, PD James or John Harvey....These are some of the finest historical mystery novels in print....Todd [is] in top form again." — BookPage on A FINE SUMMER'S DAY
"Readers familiar with the series can't imagine a Rutledge who doesn't hear the voice of MacLeod in his head, and this novel adds poignancy to the Rutledge we avidly follow. Grade: A" — Cleveland Plain Dealer
"A tight plot keeps readers on the edge until the stunning final pages." — Library Journal
"A Fine Summer's Day" is a high point in this evocative series that has never disappointed." — South Florida Sun Sentinel
"Pure fun for fans. " — Charlotte Observer
"A bittersweet gift to longtime readers of this wonderful series." — Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review
"A FINE SUMMER'S DAY is an absolute pleasure to read and a true treat for faithful readers of this series." — Bookreporter.com
