On a deserted road, late at night, Scotland Yard’s Ian Rutledge encounters a frightened woman standing over a body, launching an inquiry that leads him into the lair of a stealthy killer and the dangerous recesses of his own memories in this twentieth installment of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series.Hours after his sister’s wedding, a restless Ian Rutledge drives aimlessly, haunted … aimlessly, haunted by the past, and narrowly misses a motorcar stopped in the middle of a desolate road. Standing beside the vehicle is a woman with blood on her hands and a dead man at her feet.
She swears she didn’t kill Stephen Wentworth. A stranger stepped out in front of their motorcar, and without warning, fired a single shot before vanishing into the night. But there is no trace of him. And the shaken woman insists it all happened so quickly, she never saw the man’s face.
Although he is a witness after the fact, Rutledge persuades the Yard to give him the inquiry, since he’s on the scene. But is he seeking justice—or fleeing painful memories in London?
Wentworth was well-liked, yet his bitter family paint a malevolent portrait, calling him a murderer. But who did Wentworth kill? Is his death retribution? Or has his companion lied? Wolf Pit, his village, has a notorious history: in Medieval times, the last wolf in England was killed there. When a second suspicious death occurs, the evidence suggests that a dangerous predator is on the loose, and that death is closer than Rutledge knows.
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My first Ian Rutledge novel. Loved it. A slow burn mystery that had me guessing until the end. A lot of interesting information in this book about post WW1 England and the ramifications of the war. Some of it was heartbreaking. An easy read and a page turner.
The Charles Todd books are all wonderful!
Inspector Ian Rutledge has become one of my favorite fictional characters. I think the Gate Keeper is one of his best adventures.
This book was just too long! Characters were not “fleshed” out. The reader never learned what became of them. In fact there were characters that were unlikeable. The story had a decent basic premise but never caught my attention.
I liked this book, but thought it was a bit too long or the plot didn’t keep a good enough pace. Based on reading this one, I tried another in the series, and found the same reaction. So a good book, but not exactly my style/preference in terms of pace.
Loved this book. Enjoyed getting lost in the pages
well-written, good characterizations, touching reminders of WWI (set in 1924)
This is another Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery. The setting is rural England in the years immediately after the “Great War”. It was a quirky coincidence that I finished this book on the 100th anniversary of the Armistice ending WWI.
Rutledge is a Scotland Yard detective who ends up investigating murders that occur wherever he happens to be in the English countryside. He is usually accompanied by his ghostly sidekick from the war – Hamish MacLeod.
The Rutledge series is not action packed but the stories are truly mysteries with the murderer not revealed until the end.
If you like books set in England in the years right after WWI, I think you’ll like the Charles Todd books.
Set in the early twenties,this book just breathes golden age with a very modern twist. A very perturbed inspector, suffering from post-war trauma, finds himself involved in a mysterious murder(a man stops a car in the middle of the night and shoots the chauffeur ). Not only does he needs to solve the case,he is also confronted with a certain animosity from the villagers and the local constabulary. This is a perfect read for lovers of the British detective story (villages,gentry, murder…)but this is definitely not a soppy read. Good story,right atmosphere and good characterisation. Very good.
A good mystery
Reads like a classic mystery. I read it very quickly and enjoyed his writing style.
I love this series
His books are always great
This is another Ian Rutledge book, set immediately after WWI in England. Charles Todd books are real page turners- I am always sorry to finish them, and they are one of the few series I buy in Hardback also to KEEP!
I look forward to the release of every book in this series. It is well written and the characters are interesting.
One of the best literary mystery/ thriller bets out there! The stories are always fantastic!!
Murder mysteries. The entire series is excellent.
Not listed for what I like about the book is history. PTSD/shell shock, still not understood but at least they don’t call it cowardice. Whether it is WWI or any other war, living after the”Great War” changed everyone.
Love this author!
A high point in the series.