A Pale Horse

In A Pale House, Inspector Ian Rutledge is challenged by seemingly disparate mysteries: the finding of a dead man in an abbey ruin, the disappearance of another man, and, confounding his efforts to solve the first two events, a series of murders and attempted murders that ride the reader to an almost breathless ending. The twists and turns of Todd's Inspector Rutledge series never ceases to amaze me, and I appreciate that Rutledge, like the reader, spends a fair amount of time getting it wrong before he gets it right; although, Rutledge is rarely too far from the truth. This particular installment also brings to light in all its horrifying clarity, that which is Hamish. Readers familiar with this series already know about Hamish, but if you haven't read/listened to this novel, then, finally, you can learn about the whole sad, tragic story, at length, not just in snippets.
I give this novel only 4 stars because I do feel the mysteries were wrapped up a little too easily at the end. But the getting there was very satisfying. As always, Simon Prebble's narration was a joy.

If you like a mystery with interesting charaters this series is very good. The stories are about the people surviving WWI and its aftermath. The reader does an excellant job of seperating the voices.

if I should listen to this story again? I just didn't enjoy it nearly as much at the rest of the series. The story seems to ramble and get caught up in unnecessary, endless details. Hamish, who usually is a nagging helper just becomes a nasty nag. I must suggest skipping this one-sorry.

I got through the first half. I got through about 1/4 of the second half, then I wanted to drive off a bridge. Great narrator, boring story.

This is the third book in the series I've heard, the first being the more recent A Lonely Death. (Audible.com special. It caught my eye.) I thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as the next book in the series, The Confession. That being the most recent one available, I looked at earlier productions but found I had developed a loyalty to Simon Prebble's narration. I downloaded A Pale Horse and was not disappointed. As an author, I can't help but be a little ticked off at Todd's ability to consistently weave a multi-layered, yet highly "readable" story. I wish he'd cut it out. He's making the rest of us look bad. And of course, Simon is simply outstanding as a narrator. One of the best I've heard.

As in all crime / mystery books - The Reveal

Ian Rutledge

It made me chuckle and I may or may not have developed a frog in my throat at one point or another. Quite frankly, it's none of your business. However, my overall opinion is that you can't go wrong with this author/narrator combination if you enjoy a procedural detective story, with a unique protagonist.

Go for it. You'll like it. Really.

top 10

the entire series is worth your time.

Rutledge, Prebble is a great reader and he helps the reader identify with the characters.

Any time Hamish talks

I hope this series will continue. It brings history into the story along with the mystery. Please keep the same reader, he is wonderful.