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A Test of Wills
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A Test of Wills Paperback - 2011

by Charles Todd

"An excellent new mystery, and one hopes, the first of a series", raves "The Chicago Tribune" about this "New York Times" Notable Book. In 1919, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge remains haunted by World War I, where he was forced to have a soldier executed for refusing to fight. When Rutledge is assigned to investigate a murder involving the military, his emotional war wounds flare. It is a case that strikes dangerously close to home--one that will test Rutledge's precarious grip on his own sanity. A "Publishers Weekly" Best Book selection. Martin's Press.


From the publisher

"Todd has written a first novel that speaks out, urgently and compassionately, for a long-dead generation....A meticulously wrought puzzle."
--New York Times Book Review

"An intricately plotted mystery. With this remarkable debut, Charles Todd breaks new ground in the historical crime novel."
--Peter Lovesey, author of The Circle

"You're going to love Todd."
--Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

The first novel to feature war-damaged Scotland Yard inspector Ian Rutledge, A Test of Wills is the book that brought author Charles Todd into the spotlight. This Edgar(R) and Anthony Award-nominated, New York Times Notable mystery brilliantly evokes post-World War I Great Britain and introduces readers to one of crime fiction's most compelling series protagonists. Here the shell-shocked Rutledge struggles to retain his fragile grip on sanity while investigating the death of a popular army colonel, murdered, it appears, by a decorated war hero with ties to the Royal Family. A phenomenal writer, a twisting puzzle, a character-rich re-creation of an extraordinary time and place...it all adds up to one exceptional read that will delight fans of Elizabeth George, Martha Grimes, Jacqueline Winspear, Ruth Rendell, and other masters of the British procedural.

From the rear cover

It's 1919, and the War to End All Wars has been won. But for Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge, recently returned from the battlefields of France, there is no peace. Suffering from shell shock, tormented by the mocking, ever-present voice of the young Scot he had executed for refusing to fight, Rutledge plunges into his work to save his sanity. But his first assignment is a case certain to spell disaster, personally and professionally.
In Warwickshire, a popular colonel has been murdered, and the main suspect is a decorated war hero and close friend of the Prince of Wales. The case is a political minefield, and no matter what the outcome, Rutledge may not escape with his career intact. But, win or lose, the cost could be even higher: the one witness who could break the case is himself a shell shock victim, teetering on the edge of reality. And in this war-ravaged man, Rutledge sees his own possible future, should he lose grip on his mind....

From the jacket flap

It's 1919, and the War to End All Wars has been won. But for Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge, recently returned from the battlefields of France, there is no peace. Suffering from shell shock, tormented by the mocking, ever-present voice of the young Scot he had executed for refusing to fight, Rutledge plunges into his work to save his sanity. But his first assignment is a case certain to spell disaster, personally and professionally.
In Warwickshire, a popular colonel has been murdered, and the main suspect is a decorated war hero and close friend of the Prince of Wales. The case is a political minefield, and no matter what the outcome, Rutledge may not escape with his career intact. But, win or lose, the cost could be even higher: the one witness who could break the case is himself a shell shock victim, teetering on the edge of reality. And in this war-ravaged man, Rutledge sees his own possible future, should he lose grip on his mind....

Details

  • Title A Test of Wills
  • Author Charles Todd
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher William Morrow & Company, U.S.A.
  • Date 2011-08-16
  • ISBN 9780062091611 / 0062091611
  • Weight 0.53 lbs (0.24 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.98 x 5.34 x 0.83 in (20.27 x 13.56 x 2.11 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1920's
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Library of Congress subjects Historical fiction, Psychological fiction
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC
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A Test of Wills : The First Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

A Test of Wills : The First Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

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A Test of Wills

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A Test of Wills : The First Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

A Test of Wills : The First Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

by Charles Todd

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A Test of Wills: The First Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries, 1)
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A Test of Wills: The First Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries, 1)

by Todd, Charles

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A Test of Wills : The First Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery
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A Test of Wills : The First Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

by Todd, Charles

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