Watchers of Time

De: Charles Todd

Narrado por: Samuel Gillies

Charles Todd brings his classic mystery series to a new level of intensity and intrigue. The year is 1919, and Ian Rutledge is a fragile yet courageous former soldier searching for his place in a post-war world. Now a Scotland Yard detective, Rutledge is called upon to probe a murder in the small Norfolk town of Osterley - but he soon discovers that the crime may be connected to one of the greatest disasters of all time…

©2001 Charles Todd (P)2002 W. F. Howes

Pretty Good

A nice travel back in time. Rutledge continues to be an interesting character. There were some bits that seemed too far fetched but still a good read. Excellent narration.

Don't like narrator for earlier books in series

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this series, however, would suggest the listener start at the beginning of the series. I started at the end and worked my way back. When I got to this narrator I was not willing to listen. The latter books had been performed by Simon Prebble but this narrator's performance was ...well, just frustrating to listen to. It seemed choppy and the narration interfered with the story. However, if I had started listening to this narrator in the beginning and then moved on to Prebble, I would not have had a better narrator to compare this one too. Of course, it is very probably I would not have moved forward to enjoy the rest of the series.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have changed nothing about the story.

How could the performance have been better?

I don't often complain about a narrator, and I feel I might be unfair in my complaints here. However, if the narration had been slower in places, not as 'excited' or 'animated' in others it would have helped with the flow.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

I love this series and am forcing myself to go on with this book. I may yet abandon it. I have over 400 books in my library and have abandoned only two others -- neither because of the narrator.

Terrific mystery

Excellent plot, well-crafted characters, lots of twists and turns. I enjoy this series and found this particular book one of the best.

Narrator is awful.

Good story but narrator is awful. Too bad for the listener as this series turned out to be great.

Wonderfully unpredictable

It is always interesting to watch the part that Hamish plays. Another wonderful set of conflicts

A sophisticated thriller that's worth the wait

I takes time for Inspector Rutledge to uncover multiple murders that started before the war, but it's worth the wait to see him unravel a deadly plot by a noble family.

Another mystery solved

I enjoy these mysteries. each one seems to get better than the last. I'll keep on.

lords, priests, and vicar dress up this story.

plots are always a surprise and different. like how he has a priest a nd a vicar entwined in this one. also enjoy multiple characters of both sexes.

Flipping a coin on the stars.

I am wavering between 3 and 4 stars on the story and ultimately decided to be generous.
I like this series and I like Rutledge and Hamish.

I liked this book more than I disliked it, but there were issues aplenty. First, this is the second book in a row that just ended. No denouement, no reactions by the characters, just reveal the killer(s) and let the reader assume what happens. It worked slightly better in this book than the last, but it is getting old.

Secondly, there is an historical inaccuracy that bugged me because it was SO easy to check and showed laziness on writers and editors. The victims of the Titanic were not buried in Ireland, they were buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Thirdly, there was (to me, anyway) a serious plot hole regarding the mental state of one of the victims. I won't elaborate since it would be spoiler-ish, but it did reduce my enjoyment of this installment quite a bit.

All in all, I will keep up with the series. I am just not the biggest fan of this one.

Love the psychology but a little slow

The story gets “complicated” & not much “happens” but Rutledge & Hamish are such interesting characters you keep listening.