Hunting Shadows (Inspector Ian Rutledge, #16) in Ask Rhys Bowen, Deborah Crombie, and Charles Todd!

Jan 20, 2014 Lynne Perednia rated it really liked it

Returning for his 16th novel, WWI survivor and Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge is on the road again, solving murders in the appropriately named Hunting Shadows.

This time, the story begins with an old soldier who largely keeps to himself but feels he needs to pay his respects to another soldier by attending his funeral in the Fens country. He stops short of entering the church upon seeing an old enemy, a former officer. He waits until the man returns to the area for a wedding and, drawing on Returning for his 16th novel, WWI survivor and Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge is on the road again, solving murders in the appropriately named Hunting Shadows.

This time, the story begins with an old soldier who largely keeps to himself but feels he needs to pay his respects to another soldier by attending his funeral in the Fens country. He stops short of entering the church upon seeing an old enemy, a former officer. He waits until the man returns to the area for a wedding and, drawing on his sniper experience during the war, kills the man in front of the bridegroom.

The public slaying horrifies the area. People are even more scared when another man, a quiet country solicitor running for Parliament, also is killed by an unknown assailant in public.

En route to the small villages where the murders took place, Rutledge is lost in the fog one night on the Fens, guided by a ghostly presence who leads him to eventual safety. As with many people Rutledge meets in his investigations, people are suspicious of the police yet expect them to solve crimes, preferably before they happen.

Mixed in with the prickly characters are those who intrigue Rutledge as people, whether they may know much about the murders or even be suspects. There are at least two who would be worth seeing in subsequent novels in this series.

One of the highlights of this novel is the focus on the role of snipers in WWI. Although they saved many lives, their ability to blend into their surroundings to kill was seen by many as cowardly, as not forthright or sporting. The snipers often keep their past a secret, to avoid being shunned. It's an interesting commentary on warcraft and the needs of the battlefield.

The novel also does a wonderful job of bringing the bleak, blandly treacherous Fens to life. This is the landscape in which Lord Peter Wimsey got lost in The Nine Tailors, and this Todd novel recalls that classic tale as well as tells its own strong story.

Rutledge remains haunted by Hamish MacLeod, although the corporal whose execution Rutledge ordered does not disrupt the narrative. He serves as Rutledge's inner guide, asking the right question at the right time and being a bit of a worrywart. Rutledge still suffers from being in the trenches. As his investigation brings back the horrors of those times, he relives them as well.

But he also is soldiering on in that he shows signs of trying to move on by doing his job with diligence, wishing happiness for those he cares about and showing a wee bit more of his human side in his consideration of people he comes across in this outing.

Hunting Shadows is a superb entry in one of the most consistently entertaining historical mystery series around.

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Feb 06, 2014 Ray Palen rated it really liked it

The Mother/Son team that writes under the pen name have successfully juggled two terrific, recurring historical mystery/thriller sagas. Most recently, the Bess Crawford series has introduced a World War I British battlefield nurse and the many adventures her and her wealthy family have gotten involved in during this bloody war.

The other series, now with its 16th release, is the superb Inspector Ian Rutledge series. In HUNTING SHADOWS we find Rutledge on a case that takes place in some small Brit ...more

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Oct 30, 2013 Shelly rated it really liked it

Disclaimer: This review is of an Advanced Reader's Edition I received in a giveaway through Goodreads.

Rutledge is back in a puzzling new mystery. A sniper has killed two men in the Fens and Rutledge has been called in to help the local police find the man. In order to do this he must cope with the unusual landscape, the odd weather, and reluctant witnesses. No one wants to believe that someone in their village is a killer, and yet it quickly becomes clear that the killer is very familiar with th ...more

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Nov 15, 2013 Melyssa rated it really liked it

I won a copy of this book from the author's giveaway. This is the 16th book in the series, but it is the first I had read. There were some traits in the main character that I didn't understand at first, but not enough to make it difficult to enjoy this mystery. For many pages, it seemed that Inspector Rutledge would never figure out who was guilty of the two murders. I enjoyed that because with some mysteries it is very obvious who the killer is, or the detective just magically figures it out. T ...more

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Mar 06, 2014 Gina rated it liked it

Shelves: british, mystery, historical

When two seemingly unrelated men are killed in the Fen Country of England, Scotland Yard sends in Inspector Rutledge. The two victims don't seem to have anything in common, but as he investigates there might be some connections they have in common. ...more

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Mar 09, 2014 Bill rated it it was amazing

Another fantastic book by Charles Todd. Murders in Cambridgeshire require Inspector Rutledge to travel from London to investigate what proves to be a very difficult set of crimes to solve. If you love English mysteries this is a must read.

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Oct 24, 2013 Joanna rated it really liked it

I received an Advanced Readers Edition from a Good Read's giveaway.

As always Inspector Rutledge is kept busy looking for an elusive killer with much driving about the English countryside this time in an area I'd not heard of before called the Fens. Lots of good character development and diversions from the real killer with a surprise thrown in toward the end. Maybe not such a surprise if you were really paying attention earlier in the story.

Another good one from the mother/son Charles Todd. ...more

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Oct 24, 2013 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads

This is the latest in a series featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge, a shell-shocked veteran of the First World War. He is investigating two seemingly unrelated murders, one before a wedding in Ely Cathedral. A particular charm of the book is the description of the Fen country. Fans of PD James will find this series particularly appealing.

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