Charles Todd is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother-and-son writing team, they live on the East Coast.

"Excels at intricate relationships among characters...Another winning story." -- Library Journal "Riveting historical mystery." -- Romantic Times "Incisive as ever." -- Kirkus Reviews "A daunting portrait of a town that keeps its thoughts, its troubles and most of all its secrets to itself." -- New York Times Book Review "[A] remarkable series...Keeps readers on the edge right up to the stunning end." -- Detroit Free Press "Atmosphere aplenty." -- Charlotte Observer "Evocative." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

1. 1/5

   Boring. And long-winded.

   I bought this book on recommendation. In fact I bought three books by the same author couple. Big mistake. I slaved through the first two. Now on no.3 just because I bought it. Everything is gloomy. The weather, the village, the people, the detective. The sky and the roofs are slate grey. The main character is punished by an inner character who questions everything he does. Endless conversations with reluctant villagers who basically hate him for just being there. The plot is decent, but slow, slow, slow - it was a fight to get to the end. I guess this kind of ultra-slow storytelling, with a main character who is tormented by his own mind as well as people around him appeals to some. Not to me.

   Tomas H

   29 juni 2025

Charles Todd is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother-and-son writing team, they live on the East Coast.

"Excels at intricate relationships among characters...Another winning story." -- Library Journal "Riveting historical mystery." -- Romantic Times "Incisive as ever." -- Kirkus Reviews "A daunting portrait of a town that keeps its thoughts, its troubles and most of all its secrets to itself." -- New York Times Book Review "[A] remarkable series...Keeps readers on the edge right up to the stunning end." -- Detroit Free Press "Atmosphere aplenty." -- Charlotte Observer "Evocative." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

1. 1/5

   Boring. And long-winded.

   I bought this book on recommendation. In fact I bought three books by the same author couple. Big mistake. I slaved through the first two. Now on no.3 just because I bought it. Everything is gloomy. The weather, the village, the people, the detective. The sky and the roofs are slate grey. The main character is punished by an inner character who questions everything he does. Endless conversations with reluctant villagers who basically hate him for just being there. The plot is decent, but slow, slow, slow - it was a fight to get to the end. I guess this kind of ultra-slow storytelling, with a main character who is tormented by his own mind as well as people around him appeals to some. Not to me.

   Tomas H

   29 juni 2025