The Inspector Rutledge mysteries can be depended upon to deliver a nuanced view of life in Great Britain following the horrors of the Great War as well as a superlative mystery. A Fatal Lie is no exception. The relationships between victims, witnesses, and all those who Rutledge (and Hamish) come into contact are vividly portrayed.

A FATAL LIE (HistMys-Ian Rutledge-England-1921) - Okay
Todd, Charles – 23rd in series
William Morrow, 349 pp – Feb 2021

First Sentence: On his sixth birthday, Roddy MacNabb was given a fishing pole by his pa, with promises to teach him how to use it.

Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent to Northern Wales where a man's body was pulled from the River Dee by a young boy. It's first thought the man had fallen from the viaduct that spans high above the river, put there are no signs of a fall, no identification on the body, and no one claims to know him. Only a few clues lead Rutledge on a trail to identify the victim, recreate the man's recent travels, and uncover both the motive and the person responsible for the man's death, and those that follow.

Authors strive to create a good "hook," the opening which will compel the reader to keep turning the pages. Todd's opening does that very effectively.

Ian is a unique character. Shell shock; i.e., PTSD, from WWI has left him with the voice of Hamish, a soldier executed for desertion, in his head. We are reminded of the cost of war, not only in the number of the dead, but the lasting impact on the veterans and their families—"A fine soldier, liked by his men, he didn't suffer, and we must be proud of him, for he gave his life for his King and Country. That isn't terribly reassuring, is it?"

It is always fascinating to read about the forensics of the time. Todd weaves details of places, such as the operations of the aqueduct, and history, the Bantam Battalions, smoothly into the story. These create strong visual images and play into the fact that in the days before technology, police work was done by pulling the thread of clues, a lot of travel, and intuition.

One does need to keep track of who is where. Between the character names and Ian traveling from place to place, and back again, it can become confusing. Pulling up a map proves helpful. It is also a challenge to follow the timeline. There is a lack of clarity as to when things happened as there can be the impression of something happening in the past only to realize it is in the recent past. Follow the trail of bodies which are always one step in front of Ian. Yet it seems to take a while before any real progress is made and then, after all the to-ing and fro-ing, there is the great and complete confession. Good grief.

"A Fatal Lie" is a good book, but not as good as usual. The dialogue was weak, the usual wry humor was completely lacking, and the book could have used some serious editing and simplifying. One wonders whether because of COVID, the authors had little to do but write, so they just kept putting things in. Here's hoping for a crisper, more involving book #24.

"A Fatal Lie," by Charles Todd, William Morrow, 352 pages, Feb. 16, 2021.

A peaceful Welsh village is thrown into turmoil when Roddy MacNabb, 12, goes fishing in a nearby river and stumbles on a body.

The man appears to have fallen from the canal aqueduct spanning the valley. But there is no identification on the body, he isn’t a local, and no one will admit to having seen him before. The village police turn to Scotland Yard for help.  

Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent from London. Rutledge is still suffering from PTSD: he hears the voice of Corporal Hamish MacLeod, whom he shot for desertion.

The man was dead before he went in to the river. He has a military tattoo on his arm and an unusual label in the collar of his shirt. He is short, just over five feet. The tattoo is of the Bantam Battalions. At the start of World War I, shorter men were rejected by the military because the minimum height was 5 ft. 3 in. That decision was later reversed.

Those clues are enough to lead Rutledge to identify the man as Samuel Milford. He and his wife, Ruth, own a pub in Crowley. Their daughter, Tildy, 2, has been missing for a year. Ruth's cousin, Nan, and her husband, Donald Blake, help keep the pub open. More attacks occur and Rutledge discovers the crimes are linked.

Rutledge is a complicated character. Hamish's voice is not as prevalent now, a sign that Rutledge is recovering. Charles Todd, the mother and son team of Caroline and Charles Todd, is excellent at building suspense and adding atmosphere.

This is the 23rd in the series. You don’t need to read the others in the series first, but you may enjoy it so much that you’ll want to read them. Fans of historical fiction and of mysteries will enjoy this. I had never heard of the Bantam Battalions and thought that was interesting.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

"A Fatal Lie" is the latest Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery by the mother and son writing team, Charles Todd. The story takes place in 1921, and opens with the death of a man whose body is found in the River Dee in Wales. Rutledge's boss dispatches him to investigate. It is fortunate that Ian drives a high-quality car, since he will travel many miles, often in foul weather, in an effort to locate the witnesses and evidence he seeks. Ian's fans know that he suffers from PTSD—what used to be called shell shock. He frequently hears the voice of a deceased corporal, Hamish MacLeod, who had fought under his command in World War I. The ghost of Hamish speaks to Ian regularly, advising, chiding, and warning his former superior officer about impending danger.

Ian's first task is to identify the victim, whose face is unrecognizable. Subsequently, he tries to extract the truth from a grieving widow and an unscrupulous solicitor who may be lying and/or withholding vital information. Moreover, there are numerous secondary characters, some of whom play key roles in this drama. As the tale progresses, Rutledge becomes increasingly frustrated with his lack of results. However, he soldiers on and eventually ends up in the crosshairs of a ruthless villain.

Todd's atmospheric setting is appropriate for this gloomy tale of duplicity and desperation. Alas, the plot is messy, contrived, and tedious. Coincidences and red herrings abound, and additional killings and attempted murders add to the confusion and mayhem. No sensible sleuth would attempt to handle such a complex inquiry by himself, but Ian persists, with occasional help from members of the local police. When the authors finally spell out the reasons and motives for the crimes, the explanation does not ring true. Having been a fan of Inspector Rutledge for years, it pains me to say that "A Fatal Lie" lacks the coherence, humor, and heart of the best novels in this series.

Thoughtful, slippery, convoluted—and yet so simple.

The finding of a body is thought to be an accidental death until Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard is sent to Northern Wales to investigate. His superior is rather annoyed with him (cut the air with a knife cross) or as Rutledge put it to a colleague he was being sent far, far away. “Northern Wales is rather like being sent to Coventry—out of sight and out of mind.”
Fortunately Rutledge was keen to escape the boring task of reviewing papers he’d been hither too stuck with, being decidedly out of favour.
Little did he realize just how complex his seemingly innocent investigation would become. As one murder slips into another, as the ground is muddied by the innocent and the abetters, Rutledge and the voice of his dead companion Corporal Hamish MacLeod, have much to ponder.
Danger lurks and the way becomes blinded by clues slipping down rabbit holes and morphing into something else, much like Alice’s crazy journey.
What stands out for me is the marvellous character that Rutledge is. I do so admire him.
Once more an intelligent addition to the Rutledge ‘who dunnit’ compendium.

A William Morrow and Custom House ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This post-World War I mystery sends Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge to the Wales. What appears to be not so complicated a case turns into a multiple-murder and kidnapping case. The mystery and setting are interesting but for readers who met Rutledge in the 22 previous books of the series it’s the details about World War I that are most interesting. Dealing with the death of a man who had served in the Bantam Battalions, a unit comprised of men too short in stature to meet the Army’s entrance standards, Rutledge not only has to confront other soldiers who returned from the war, but he must deal with his own PTSD. It wasn’t acknowledged as an issue until recently, but it has been around since man went to war. Then it was looked on as “lacking moral fiber” or cowardice then. It is increasingly difficult for Rutledge to deal with his PSTD as he gets deeper into solving the murders. Its also a wonderful look at a local that while not hostile to strangers, people aren’t welcoming either making Rutledge’s case more difficult.

3.75 stars

If you are a fan of the Ian Rutledge series, you know the basics: he is a returned WWI veteran travelling with a lot of psychic baggage, particularly the eerie voice of one of his soldiers who died. Rutledge is, along with hordes of others, a wounded survivor. He has returned to his job at Scotland Yard but has few allies there. He quite consciously is a loner in every way. He keeps himself at a distance from his family, avoids romantic entanglements, and has few work peers.

In this case, a body has been found in a Welsh river. What originally appears to be an accidental drowning begins to look more and more like murder. The tortuous investigation leads back, as is almost always the case with this series, to old secrets and deceptions.

Rutledge is committed to the truth and to finding out who the killer is. He doesn't enjoy the pain that his investigations reveal, but he faces it head on. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Fatal Lie
A Novel
by Charles Todd
William Morrow and Custom House
You Are Auto-Approved
William Morrow
General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 16 Feb 2021 | Archive Date 13 Apr 2021

This is a story of great intrigue and mystery. I am a new reader of Charles Todd and he is becoming one of my favorite authors. Kidnapping, mystery, what more could you ask.
Thanks to William Morrow and Custom House, NetGalley for the ARC. It was an enjoyable read.
4 star

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. When Ian Rutledge with Scotland Yard London is called to Wales to investigate a suspicious death, he didn't realize the the twists and turns the investigation would take. A man is found in The Dee River, appearing to be in the water for days, his face is unrecognizable. The only way to track his identity is through a label sewn into his jacket by the tailor. That sends him to notify the victims wife, who was under the impression he was in Shrewsbury. Where the investigation leads from there are months and years old unsolved mysteries. It amazes me how any cases could get solved in the 1920s. Driving from city to city to city, knocking on doors asking questions with some of the residents who aren't forthcoming or willing to help. In this series, there is a lot of remembrances of the Great War. People Rutledge meets talks about their time in the trenches, but this doesn't not take away from the story. Although this is the latest in a series with numbers in the 20s, this is only the 2nd book that I have read. There is not any story lost by jumping in so far. I would recommend this book for sheer willpower of the detectives in the 1920s and the lack of technology that we have now. Thank you NetGalley, William Morris Custom House and Charles Todd.

The Charles Todd team return with another compelling mystery featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge. This time, a murder in Wales leads to a kidnapped child and family intrigue. There is less about Rutledge's personal life in this book, and constant companion Hamish feels less present than in earlier entries in the series. I've enjoyed the series (as well as the Bess Crawford books) and this latest didn't disappoint.

Inspector Ian Rutledge is a remarkable character who is very dedicated to his job. He was an officer in the army and survived the war, mostly intact. There are still things that haunt him from the war, but there is one young soldier that died under his command that is still with him. Hammish is sort of Ian’s conscience, but he also has some keen insights into the cases that Ian is sent out to work on. Ian works tirelessly to solve whatever case he is on, but this one proves to be particularly difficult and vexing. Ian does not have a good relationship with his commander, and often in the books there is conflict that arises from this. But for the most part in this book, Ian is left to his own devices.

These are incredibly well done mysteries with lots of twists and turns and red herrings that make it very difficult to figure out how it all fits together. That is what I like so much about these stories, I almost always don’t choose the right suspect, or if I get that right the motivation is not one I was expecting. The other things that I always enjoy is the setting. Many of the stories take place in remote areas of England and this one in particular is in Wales. The cover of the book depicts what looks like a bridge, but is actually a boat canal that crosses over another river. These were all built as waterways so that goods could be transported easily from one river to another.

If you enjoy historical mysteries, especially those set in England, then this is a series you need to add to your list. I highly recommend that you start with book one, A Test of Wills, as that explains Ian’s past with Hammish the best. After that you really don’t have to read them in any particular order. Even after 23 books, this series is going strong, and should continue to be exceptional to the end.

I have never read this author before but decided to see what this mother and son team was all about. I am glad I did! What a wonderful mystery. The clues kept coming and coming and coming but I still did not figure out who did it.
Would I read them again? Of course I will and maybe start will the first one.

This is a very good addition to the Ian Rutledge series. It kept me guessing until the end. A man’s body is found in a river below an aqueduct. Who was he? Was he pushed? If so why? Rutledge is good at tracking things down. He finds the identity but this just makes things more confusing. There is a lost child, a possible affair, a mad sister, a Machiavellian solicitor. . It is all so complex and all so enjoyable to try and figure out.

A very nicely done mystery! Inspector Rutledge is sent to Wales to investigate a body found under mysterious circumstances. His investigation led him to a small pub in the middle of England, back to Wales, and around multiple locations before arriving back at the pub with the return of a small child. Several lies and misunderstandings lead to multiple murders and destruction. Charles Todd entertains while leading the readers on an exciting trip across England and Wales in the 12920s. Well worth the time and brain power to keep track of the facets of the case.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title!

Another episode in the long running Inspector Rutledge or Scotland Yard series written by mother and son team “Charles Todd.” In this episode, Rutledge tackles a series of murders and a missing child in the Llangollen Valley accompanied by Hamish — the ever-present ghost of the man he’d had shot for desertion during WWI.

Pretty convoluted plot — I managed to get lost a bit and didn’t quite find it all believable — but it was certainly readable and I did enjoy learning about the Bantam Battalions and the towpaths. The Bantams were soldiers in WWI who were under the minimum regulation height of 5’3” — at first not allowed to join up but signed up in droves once allowed. I had read the phrase towpaths often and hadn’t realized that these were the paths where people (or mules or whatever) pulled the boats down the canal.