Proof of Guilt

An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery, Book 15

By: Charles Todd

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge must contend with two dangerous enemies in this latest complex mystery in the New York Times bestselling series

London, summer 1920. An unidentified body appears to have been run down by a motorcar and Ian Rutledge is leading the investigation to uncover what happened. While the signs point to murder, vital questions remain: Who is the victim? And where, exactly, was he killed?

One small clue leads Rutledge to a firm built by two families, famous for producing and selling the world's best Madeira wine. Lewis French, the current head of the English enterprise, is missing. But is he the dead man? And does either his fiancée or his jilted former lover have anything to do with his disappearance - or possible death? What about his sister? Or the London office clerk? Is Matthew Traynor, French's cousin and partner who heads the Madeira office, somehow involved?

The experienced Rutledge knows that suspicion and circumstantial evidence are not proof of guilt, and he's going to keep digging for answers. But that perseverance will pit him against his supervisor, the new acting chief superintendent. When Rutledge discovers a link to an incident in the French family's past, the superintendent dismisses it, claiming the information isn't vital. He's determined to place the blame on one of French's women despite Rutledge's objections. Alone in a no-man's-land rife with mystery and danger, Rutledge must tread very carefully, for someone has decided that he, too, must die so that cruel justice can take its course.

©2013 Charles Todd (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

Great action.

This one does not have much of Hamish, which I enjoy greatly. The tale is rich with details, as always, with a plot that whirls round and round.

Epilogue

I wish he would oils wrap it up by telling the final results of everything.

Unsatisfactory ending

I hope there is more illumination in the next installment in the Rutledge series. Too many details were left untended.

Confused

The end leaves unanswered questions- feels unfinished and I’m confused.
This hasn’t happened before- feels lost

Charles Todd scores again!

If you could sum up Proof of Guilt in three words, what would they be?

Best series ever!

What did you like best about this story?

The excellent quality of the writing, the intriquing story line and the excellent research that goes into each of these novels.

Which character – as performed by Simon Prebble – was your favorite?

No doubt, Ian Ruthledge

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, they just always keep me hanging on and aborbed until the last minute

Any additional comments?

Keep them coming!!!

Another Entertaining Inspector Rutlege Book

Many other reviewers have written good and informative reviews of this series, explaining the series' main characters and Rutledge's relationship with Hamish - his unwanted and hallucinated sidekick - so I won't replicate the efforts of those who have reviewed before me.

What I will say however, is that while I had an unexpectedly difficult time getting into this book, once it "clicked" I was hooked. This wasn't my first experience with this series, and I'm not sure why it took me so long to get interested in this particular chapter of Inspector Rutledge's adventures, but I'm glad that I hung in there as I found it one of the better of the series. I say that however having only picked the series up at the point when Simon Prebble began narrating, which is a significant way in to the series (book 10?). I'm simply not sure that I will enjoy the earlier books having spent so much time listening to Mr. Prebble's outstanding narration through the latter half of the books. He sets the bar high!

Another great read

I loved this one, too. I am enjoying this series so much, hope they keep writing these until Rutledge retires (hope he finds love as well).

Enjoyed this book.

I so enjoy his books. They weave a tale of humanity - joy, sorrow, anger, peace, perseverance, disappointment and sensitively add PTSD to the mix.

Never resolved one of the central mysteries!

I listened to the last chapter twice just to be sure. I don’t want to spoil it, so I won’t say more, but this lack of resolution was extremely confusing and irritating.

Not the strongest of the series

Okay, I love this series, but this book was a weak link. The plotting was not as strong as I've come to expect from these books and the ending (or lack of one ) was a hot mess. They didn't even tie up one of the major sub-plots.

I will keep on with the series since when they are good they are VERY good. This one was just a disappointment.