• A Lonely Death

  • An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery
  • By: Charles Todd
  • Narrated by: Simon Prebble
  • Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,304 ratings)

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A Lonely Death

By: Charles Todd
Narrated by: Simon Prebble
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Publisher's summary

Three men have been murdered in a Sussex village, and Scotland Yard has been called in. It's a baffling case. The victims are soldiers who survived the horrors of the Great War only to meet a ghastly end in the quiet English countryside two years later. Each had been garroted, with small ID disks left in their mouths.

But even Scotland Yard's presence doesn't deter this vicious and clever killer. Shortly after Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives, a fourth soldier is found dead. With few clues to go on and the pressure building, Rutledge must gamble everything to find answers - his job, his reputation, and even his life.

©2011 Charles Todd. All rights reserved. (P)2011 AudioGO

What listeners say about A Lonely Death

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Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Performance
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Story
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The best in the series

Inspector Ian Rutledge races against time to solve a series of murders, the victims all being men who had fought together in the Great War. This killer is particularly sinister, much more sinister than any one that Rutledge had yet come up against. Clues left by the killer send Rutledge on wild-goose chases across the English countryside. Meanwhile, his own experience in the Great War continues to haunt him and come between him and his love for a woman who understands him too well. Margaret has her own ghosts to deal with and the reader's heart aches for them both. For me, this was a particularly sad novel, not just because of the deaths, but because of the lives that try to go on in spite of the deaths, because of the post-war weariness, the sense that it will be years before lives can be normal again, and the idea that for some, life will never be normal again.
But the mystery abides and once Rutledge figures out who the killer really is, there's no turning back; only a relentless struggle to stop him from killing again. For me, this installment is the best in the series. The characters are fully fleshed out now, and Todd's writing is often at times poetic, making me wish I had the book so I could underline some of the passages. I hope I don't have to wait too long for another installment.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

This series, this narrator!

What made the experience of listening to A Lonely Death the most enjoyable?

The combination of believable, multi-dimensional characters, a well conceived plot and outstanding narration would make any story enjoyable.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Ian Rutledge. Todd has created a relate-able, yet torn and tortured protagonist who's life and trials resonate as clearly now as in the setting of the series, following WWI. ,

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

Simon Prebble could read the freakin' phone book and make it spell binding.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A Lonely Death - It's ... lonely.

Any additional comments?

Nope

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

It's Very British. It's Very Nice In A Nasty Way

Okay, this was my first visit to Inspector Ian Rutledge's mystery world. Here's my simple conclusion having finished this trip back to the early 1900s... I shall return to the series and recommend that any of you interested in a well told mystery story start with A Lonely Death, then follow me on. It's as much a visit to a vanished culture (one very self aware of its vanishing) as it is to a story puzzle. Nicely done Todd.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Grim but gripping

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Although the story is dark and rather sad, the narrator was convincing and largely invisible (a good quality, as opposed to a narrator who is distracting).

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, a good "Whodunnit?" murder mystery.

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, I bought this title because I loved Mr Prebble's performances in the Detective Kubu books by Michael Stanley. This one is almost as good as those.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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 13th 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.)

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I liked it.

I was a little hesitant to buy this thinking I might have already see it on PBS. But I had not. What a a great writer. I love writers like Todd, Tony Hilllerman, JamesLee Burke and Jacqueline Winspear that can take little visual things that are totally unrelated to story and with that description put you in the exact place that the character is at that point. I was so moved when Todd took us back to WWI battle field both as it happened and then when grass was growing there. Wonderful. A rare 5 from me.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen..

What made the experience of listening to A Lonely Death the most enjoyable?

My husband and I take long road trips and we enjoy listening to books when we are on the road.. The narator was a joy to listen too. If you enjoy a who done it novel this was awsome... Alot of twists and turns keeps you interested... I would call it a page turner..

Who was your favorite character and why?

Inspector Ian Rutledge... He was the main character .

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Not sure

Any additional comments?

I'm not used to writing reviews but hope this is helpful..

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Very good audiobook!

This is the first book I've read by this author. I'm glad I discovered him. The Rutledge detective is a troubled, but effective officer. There is a story (the detective's) within the story (the murder) and it takes different twists and turns pointing to possible suspects. The narrator does a great job in the telling.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WONDERFUL

If you could sum up A Lonely Death in three words, what would they be?

KEEPS YOU UP

What other book might you compare A Lonely Death to and why?

NONE

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

NO THIS THE FIRST OF MANY

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

THE DOG LOOKING FOR IT'S OWENER

Any additional comments?

JUST THAT I WILL LISTEN TO THIS AGAIN.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Everybody's picking on Rutledge

I really wanted to like this one better than I did. The central mystery was intriguing and the lineup of potential perpetrators interesting. Unfortunately the story bogged down in unseemly police department politics in which Rutledge was being persecuted or obstructed by every inspector and beat cop in three different towns. This became a device to disrupt the investigation sufficiently for more mayhem to occur, ostensibly to heighten the tension, but too often just added frustration. Development of several potentially interesting characters was sacrificed to this feud. And the injection of a cold case on the side served as a distraction that did not further the central story.

On the positive side, followers of the series learn more about Rutledge’s ordeal in WW1 France, and about the mysterious Meredith Channing. That was fine, but I wanted more mystery than soap opera. Simon Prebble, as always, was spot on with the reading.

I think I will take a break from Rutledge for a while. I still enjoy him as a character very much, but I’m sensing too much of a formula to the series at this point that has made the thoughtfulness of the mysteries go a bit stale.

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2 people found this helpful