A Matter of Justice

Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries

By: Charles Todd

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

After two London men end their business partnership, one of them is savagely murdered in a medieval tithe barn on his estate in Somerset.

Investigating the killing, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge discovers that the victim was universally despised in Cambury - even the victim's wife and the town's police inspector are suspect. And yet in London circles, the man was highly regarded. What triggered his death?

Rutledge doggedly follows a well-concealed trail that finally leads him to the one person who knows the whole truth. But it's too late to stop a spreading evil and a vicious settling of scores.

As the seasoned inspector comes to understand the larger picture, he realizes he may not be able to prove what he suspects. In spite of his skill, this may be the only case in which Rutledge fails to get his man.

©2009 Charles Todd (P)2009 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"In the stellar 11th Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery, Todd (the pseudonym of a mother-son writing team) seamlessly combines a fair-play whodunit with a nuanced look into the heart of darkness in the human soul." ( Publishers Weekly)

Great Read

Charles Todd story is brilliant, as always gets better each time. Keep up the good work. 

Very well done, Inspector

I appreciated the complexity of this mystery as well as the attention to detail paid by the author. Inspector Rutledge and his internal companion Hamish have become one of my favorites. And this installment, with it themes of choice and consequences does not dissapoint. I especially enjoyed the narrator, who gave individual voice to each character and imbued each with a degree of depth that can be lacking with a professional reader.

Wonderful narration.

Really enjoy the books, but most importantly, Simon Prebble's narration is superb and keeps me listening to the whole series - at least the ones he narrates!

Delightful old fashioned mystery

I needed a break from some of the heavier material I had been reading. This was a fine choice, well written and well crafted. Well thought out details and believable characters, with a nice touch of background history. Kudos to the performer as well. Loved this book , will look for more from both.

I cannot get enough of Inspector Rutledge

It pleases me that theae introcate story ots always ends in surprise . Every clue explained by books end. I can't wait to get to the next one.

very creative

This local was lovely, haunting. The horrors from the war always following and twisting characters. good listen.

one of Charles Todd's best!

Enough twists and turns to keep you guessing , and yet you don't believe Inspector Rutledge will ever learn the whole truth

Excellent Entertainment

This is an engaging tale, well-presented by author and narrator, featuring a thoughtful, flawed, courageous protagonist in a cultural context with which I'm unfamiliar. It came together as the pleasant diversion I seek in this type of audio book.

AN ADDICTIVE SERIES!

Somehow I started with just one of the books in the series but soon bought all of them back to back. FYI: This is the 11th in the series. Simon Prebble, as always, is a superb narrator - much better than Samuel Gillies, who narrates like he's performing "Hansel and Gretel" to 6 year olds!

No matter how hard you try, you will never guess who will be murdered and by whom. There are so many twists and turns and red herrings that the reader is always kept guessing. The Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge is a tortured soul but a great detective. He suffers from World War I "shell shock" which is what we now recognize as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that is manifested by a dead "imaginary friend" named Hamish McCloud. This adds an interesting component into how this detective acts and reacts. Hamish is to Rutledge what cocaine is to Sherlock Holmes - a dangerous nemesis that both helps and hampers. All of the books are pretty much the same plot but just different enough in locations, people, class distinctions, and twists to make each worth reading. My suggestion is to go on Google or Wikipedia to learn the order of the series and start with the first one. Each book fills in the gaps if you start somewhere in the middle but the continuity really helps. It would be nice if Audible.com would assign chronological order to books which contain a series or prequels and sequels. )I will post this same comment on all of the Ian Rutledge books that I've read.)

More Surprises, Less Hamish

I found this book to require more attention to character and plot than the other Ian Rutledge stories I’ve read. Simon Prebble never disappoints, and I found surprises to the very end. Charles Todd is now a fave!