History Corner / Book Review: The Gatekeeper by Charles Todd

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook free of charge,from William Morrow Publishing, via Edelweiss,  for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it,  all opinions are my own.


In this landmark installment of the series, Rutledge is tormented by a very present Hamish—the Watson to his Sherlock—the echo in his mind of a young soldier he was forced to execute on the battlefield for refusing a direct order.

the gatekeeper cover

Synopsis:

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 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.


Review:

I have to admit, Rutledge and I have a love/hate relationship. Some books I love him, others, he gets on my nerves, as Hamish gets on his. But I try to persevere with the series, and I am glad I have. This latest book is one of the better books in the series, with plenty of background on Rutledge, so that it can actually be a stand alone read! By putting Rutledge out of his normal territory and norms, it also allows the reader to see more of how his mind worls. The book also gives a good historical setting for post WWI and the after affects of those who came home. It also gives a good show of how circumstances were different and changed, from the loss of so many men from England. As such, it may be historically st, but it has mirror allegories to modern combat victims. The mystery will leave you guessing for it's outdoors 'closed room; setting, and may bring to mind a traditional Christie mystery! This was a real pageturner and kept me guessing til the end! If you're looking for a hisorical read, be sure to check out this book! 


About the Author:

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.

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