Search the Dark

By: Charles Todd

Narrated by: Samuel Gillies

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Dorset is the latest setting for the talents of Inspector Ian Rutledge, a veteran of the First World War still haunted, literally, by his actions. Indeed, his personal ghost only serves to complicate things as his inner doubts blend into the trauma of the case. The disappearance of two children, the murder of a woman supposed to be their mother, and an unstable suspect who may or may not be guilty form the bones of Todd's latest psychological thriller, augmented by the in-depth and impressive character analysis that distinguishes his novels.

©2000 Charles Todd (P)1999 Recorded Books

Not worth the time

I’ve listened to several Charles Todd Books and truly enjoyed them. Not this one. Way to much character development of miscellaneous characters. It was like if he kept writing he’d figure out the ending. I was actually peeved, wanting to say....just get on with it.

Twists and Turns

Lots of twists make this a dark murder mystery to be solved by Ian Rutledge and Hamis

To many characters for me, few normal women.

Just like all novels in this series, many towns and characters makes it hard to keep everything in order. Detective Rutledge runs back and forth. I should make notes from the beginning. 1 complaint: woman are often described as weak to almost fainting, sometimes wanting to put off bad news “until tomorrow “

Tenacity wins the day!

Inspector Ian Rutledge is presented with a mystery that could result in an innocent man's death by hanging if he doesn't find out the true story. A casualty of WWI, the man thinks he spies his wife and children on a railway platform and sets about to find them. The woman turns up dead and all assume that he is the guilty party. But where are the children? Where is the other man that was with the woman? Rutledge sees a man haunted by his experience in WWI, much as Rutledge himself is. He'll set about to find the truth and, in doing so, unearths a more complicated mystery. His superiors throw roadblocks in his way, but Rutledge is tenacious at the least. What I love most about Rutledge is his tenacity. He never gives up, always going one more time to this witness, or one more time to that witness. He is a wonderful exercise in analysis. Of course, he has some help from his ghostly nemesis, Hamish, who at times harangues him to the point of near insanity and at other times provides him with the direction he needs. I missed Simon Prebble's narration in this installment. Samuel Gillies was quite good, and I would enjoy his narration again. But Prebble is the absolute best.

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 book is the 3rd in the seriers. 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.)

Good story in spite of narration

The story is the usual Ian Rutledge mystery, full of twists, turns and moments of his own doubts. Rich descriptions and clear characters add to the enjoyment. The only downside is the narrator. It is read with an unnecessary flourish that brings odd sentence inflections and difficulty discerning who is saying what. A great voice, but miscast in these early Rutledge stories. Later narrator much better.

Story could have been told in fewer chapters.

Plot jumped around. Too many suspects with final suspect not believable. The motive of the murders was not revealed until the very end which made it seem fake.

Another winner!

This is my favorite series - I am rationing myself to one a month. As usual, this one has a very intricate, intriguing plot with some real surprises at the end.

I enjoy Samuel Gillies's narration - perhaps, as someone said, he is a bit stiff, but I find that style appealing. I know some prefer Simon Prebble but both are fine in my opinion.

I'm looking forward to my next credit and my next Inspector Rutledge novel!

Not as bad as others say

Okay, I agree that Gilles is not Simon Prebble who is probably my favorite narrator of any book (I will listen to books in genres I wouldn’t otherwise consider if he is the narrator) but Gilles is not nearly as bad as most of the reviewers make him out to be. The book itself is classic Rutledge. If you are an Inspector Rutledge fan don’t skip this one just because Simon Prebble doesn’t narrate it.

Another Winner but...

I admire the complex plots of the duo known as Charles Todd. Often, I have to resort to pen and paper to keep track of the characters and the relationships. But, there is too much flotsam and jetsam in this novel. I sense an effort to make it long rather than the detritus contributing to the plot. The intricacies of the interweaving plot is more than worth the effort to listen. But be prepared to want to skim over a real page in a real book.