A Lonely Death

An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

By: Charles Todd

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Three men have been murdered in a Sussex village, and Scotland Yard has been called in. It's a baffling case. The victims are soldiers who survived the horrors of the Great War only to meet a ghastly end in the quiet English countryside two years later. Each had been garroted, with small ID disks left in their mouths.

But even Scotland Yard's presence doesn't deter this vicious and clever killer. Shortly after Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives, a fourth soldier is found dead. With few clues to go on and the pressure building, Rutledge must gamble everything to find answers - his job, his reputation, and even his life.

©2011 Charles Todd. All rights reserved. (P)2011 AudioGO

Experience the hunt with Inspector Rutledge

Enjoy an author who writes pictures for your mind. Thoroughly absorbing entertaining and intelligent.

Great listen..

What made the experience of listening to A Lonely Death the most enjoyable?

My husband and I take long road trips and we enjoy listening to books when we are on the road.. The narator was a joy to listen too. If you enjoy a who done it novel this was awsome... Alot of twists and turns keeps you interested... I would call it a page turner..

Who was your favorite character and why?

Inspector Ian Rutledge... He was the main character .

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Not sure

Any additional comments?

I'm not used to writing reviews but hope this is helpful..

A lonely death

If you love old English , Scottish or Irish detective stories, then I believe you will enjoy this book.

a great story and good performance in the series

I think for most of us who have read these books we've enjoyed the character development of the main characters as each book has gone by, similar to as time has gone by in their lives like seasons. I for one felt a lot of sadness for the main character in this book. It's still easy to see reading or listening to it as a standalone. I like reading play space mysteries for both the feel of the area or the country that they're writing about but most importantly for the development of the characters as well.

Best Rutledge So Far

Thirteen books in, and this one tops them all. Inspector Ian Rutledge, along with his dead Corporal, Hamish MacLeod, who haunts his every moment, are searching all over the countryside for a murderer who is killing former soldiers with a garrote. The mystery is why? And why stuff another soldier's ID tags into their mouth after they are murdered? With every obstacle stacked up against him, including his own superiors at the Yard, Rutledge doggedly pursues the killer, digging into places that people want kept hidden. A secondary mystery is also on his mind, one that his retiring inspector mentioned to him, and that, too is on his mind. Excellent entry into this GREAT series!

Grim but gripping

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Although the story is dark and rather sad, the narrator was convincing and largely invisible (a good quality, as opposed to a narrator who is distracting).

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, a good "Whodunnit?" murder mystery.

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, I bought this title because I loved Mr Prebble's performances in the Detective Kubu books by Michael Stanley. This one is almost as good as those.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Competent story; exemplary narration

Simon Prebble is terrific narrating this tale of a Scotland Yard policeman as he tries to solve several murders and bury the ghost of his WWI PTSD. The best chapter? Ian Rutledge (the detective) contemplates suicide in a former battlefield that's now a cemetery for fallen soldiers.

Another gem

Excellent plot, good characters, and phenomenal presentation. Well worth my time and attention. Highly recommended this series.

worth 10 stars

I've read many of the Ian Rutledge novels, and they're the type of books where I know that my emotions will be wrung out by the time I finish. While reading, I find it hard not to feel that I am there with Rutledge as he investigates.

Simon Prebble is the voice of Inspector Rutledge in my head, and there is no one better.

The best in the series

Inspector Ian Rutledge races against time to solve a series of murders, the victims all being men who had fought together in the Great War. This killer is particularly sinister, much more sinister than any one that Rutledge had yet come up against. Clues left by the killer send Rutledge on wild-goose chases across the English countryside. Meanwhile, his own experience in the Great War continues to haunt him and come between him and his love for a woman who understands him too well. Margaret has her own ghosts to deal with and the reader's heart aches for them both. For me, this was a particularly sad novel, not just because of the deaths, but because of the lives that try to go on in spite of the deaths, because of the post-war weariness, the sense that it will be years before lives can be normal again, and the idea that for some, life will never be normal again.
But the mystery abides and once Rutledge figures out who the killer really is, there's no turning back; only a relentless struggle to stop him from killing again. For me, this installment is the best in the series. The characters are fully fleshed out now, and Todd's writing is often at times poetic, making me wish I had the book so I could underline some of the passages. I hope I don't have to wait too long for another installment.