The Red Door

An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

By: Charles Todd

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

June 1920. In a house with a red door lies the body of a woman who has been bludgeoned to death. Rumor has it that two years earlier, she'd painted that door to welcome her husband back from the Front - only he never came home.

Meanwhile, in London, a man suffering from a mysterious illness first goes missing and then just as suddenly reappears. He is unable to explain his recovery.

Inspector Ian Rutledge must solve the cases. Who was the woman who lived and died behind the red door? Who was the man who never came home from the Great War, for the simple reason that he might never have gone? And what have they to do with a man who cannot break the seal of his own guilt without damning those he loves most?

Solve another case with Inspector Ian Rutledge.

©2010 Charles Todd (P)2010 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"One of the strongest entries yet in a series that shows no sign of losing steam. Once again Todd perfectly balances incisive portraits of all the characters, not just the complex and original lead." ( Publishers Weekly)

Kept my interest.

Lots of characters. Well developed. Easy to follow. Lots of smaller stories going on. Suspenseful.

The best one!

The Red Door is my favorite of the Inspector Ian R books. The writers have worked this mystery into many levels and secrets.

Ooooh My

It’s a tortured story. There are enough plot twists and deaths for six books. The narrator valiantly keeps the ear entertained but I must say the story is so convoluted at times it is verrrry tempting to punt it. So many characters have the last name that also makes it extra challenging to follow.

Good Narrator and story but slowwwww

THis novel is just too slow for me - didn't finish. Narrator is excellent it's well written but it's just too slow and quiet of a story.

Tragic

It always saddens me to read of a life that was wasted thru waiting or inattention of a loved one. This was sad, but I couldn’t put it down.

The Yarn Unraveled for Me . . .

The performance was really good . . . the story, though, was like chasing a two year old in a candy store . . . not easy and not very rewarding . . . it got good in the end, but trying to tie up all the unraveled yarn by that time was impossible . . .

Intricate

Glad I didn't pay attention to the negative reviewers on this one! Loved all the ins and outs. For all the Todd/Rutledge lovers, this is a treat.

Excellent Book

I bought this book on a recommendation from Audible. I enjoyed it a lot. Charles Todd did an excellent job creating believable characters and crafting a story that hangs together well. Although I had an idea who the guilty party was I was uncertain until the end. A really excellent book! I look forward to reading and listening to other books by Charles Todd.

Simon Prebble IS Ian Rutledge - A+

My first Charles Todd mystery was not in sequential order. However, after listening to Simon Prebble's excellent acting and narration skills, I got hooked. Yes, good writing is essential and I have marveled at how the combined writing skills of two people, under one pen name, could be so consistently creative. But now, I am a bit of a snob. I admit it. As much as I would like to listen to the rest of the Ian Rutledge books, Simon Prebble's presentation of the Ian Rutledge character is so consistent, so compelling and so authentic (if you can say that about a fictional character), I could not enjoy them in the same way. This is another great mystery narrated by a master.

Best one yet!

Having read all Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge novels I think this may have been his best.