Charles Todd's excellent mystery series featuring Inspector Rutledge is a must for lovers of historical whodunits. In Legacy of the Dead, Inspector Rutledge is sent to Scotland to investigate the discovery of a skeleton found on a remote hillside to see if it is that of missing society girl, Eleanor Gray.
Since the war, World War One that is, Rutledge has been avoiding Scotland for two reasons: he will firstly be obliged to visit his godfather in Edinburgh, and this will rekindle feelings of grief for both of them over the death of his godfather’s son, Rutledge’s boyhood friend, who went down with his ship.
The second reason is because the ghost of a fellow officer, Hamish MacLeod, shot by firing squad for disobeying an order, is a constant presence in his mind, an affliction that is Rutledge’s own wartime legacy. Hamish and Rutledge were comrades in arms, and Hamish will be even more disturbing on a visit to his home country.
The journey will take them to the small town of Duncarrick, where a young woman is accused of murdering the victim in order to steal her baby. This Fiona MacDonald turns out to be none other than Hamish’s fiancée and Rutledge must work against the locals’ prejudices and Fiona’s unaccountable silence if he is to save her life.
Legacy of the Dead is packed with interesting period detail, solid characters and a gripping plot that builds to an exciting ending. What is particularly refreshing about this series is that you can read the books in any order. You can find the Ian Rutledge books on ePukapuka as well as our physical library shelves.
Posted by JAM
Catalogue Link: Legacy of the Dead
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