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Inspector Ian Rutledge #25
A Day of Judgment
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Expected 10 Mar 26Win a free print copy of this book!
12 days and 21:07:11
15 copies available
U.S. only
Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard travels to England’s windswept coastline to investigate a murder in a place where, several years after the end of WWI, the memory of the war still runs strong . . .
July, 1921: England is suffering a heatwave and the coast of Northumberland, just across the border from Scotland, is filled with holiday-makers bird watching and enjoying the beaches. Pilgrims also come to visit the home of Saints Cuthbert and Aiden—the founders of Christianity in England—located on the “Holy Island” of Lindisfarne, accessible by a causeway at low tide.
When the murdered body of a local man washes ashore just south of Lindisfarne, the government and the Church of England are concerned about protecting both the reputation of the Church and the sacred sites that are a destination for hundreds of pilgrims at this time of year. With his ability to move in the highest social and political circles, Rutledge is sent by Scotland Yard to solve this crime and dispel any association with the Church.
Upon arrival, Rutledge finds himself pulled between two coastal fishing villages, scarred by home front battles and coastal bombardment from the German Navy, where animosity towards Germany still runs high even years after the war. This, combined with a constabulary in the process of being consolidated to form a countywide police force, with local militias still wielding a great deal of power, means Rutledge must tread with care.
Facing a puzzling case and a cast of locals that don’t take kindly to outsiders, the newly promoted Rutledge meets one of the most challenging cases of his career. To solve it, he’ll also have to confront his own demons left over from his time in the war.
July, 1921: England is suffering a heatwave and the coast of Northumberland, just across the border from Scotland, is filled with holiday-makers bird watching and enjoying the beaches. Pilgrims also come to visit the home of Saints Cuthbert and Aiden—the founders of Christianity in England—located on the “Holy Island” of Lindisfarne, accessible by a causeway at low tide.
When the murdered body of a local man washes ashore just south of Lindisfarne, the government and the Church of England are concerned about protecting both the reputation of the Church and the sacred sites that are a destination for hundreds of pilgrims at this time of year. With his ability to move in the highest social and political circles, Rutledge is sent by Scotland Yard to solve this crime and dispel any association with the Church.
Upon arrival, Rutledge finds himself pulled between two coastal fishing villages, scarred by home front battles and coastal bombardment from the German Navy, where animosity towards Germany still runs high even years after the war. This, combined with a constabulary in the process of being consolidated to form a countywide police force, with local militias still wielding a great deal of power, means Rutledge must tread with care.
Facing a puzzling case and a cast of locals that don’t take kindly to outsiders, the newly promoted Rutledge meets one of the most challenging cases of his career. To solve it, he’ll also have to confront his own demons left over from his time in the war.
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 10, 2026
3 people are currently reading
2574 people want to read
About the author
Charles Todd
112 books3,501 followersCharles Todd was the pen name used by the mother-and-son writing team, Caroline Todd and Charles Todd. Now, Charles writes the Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford Series. Charles Todd ha spublished three standalone mystery novels and many short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 25, 2025
The author used to be two people, now it is just one, and while he can keep cranking these out, I'm not sure how much longer I will be reading them.
I am tired of Hamish,and why does every
meal Rutledge eats have to be cataloged?
I am tired of Hamish,and why does every
meal Rutledge eats have to be cataloged?
Read
September 27, 2025I felt like I was reading a novel written specifically for elderly women. It was just a little tedious. I enjoyed this book because I liked the mystery and found the characters interesting, but there was just too much extraneous information about settings, architectural details and foods which the English are inclined to somehow eat. I mean seriously, I didn't need to know what the inspector had for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday! Too many details all around. The mystery was a good one, just mired down in the unnecessary details which did not add to the story.
January 2, 2026
3.5 stars
The latest offering from Charles Todd is an enjoyable installment of Chief Inspector Rutledge of Scotland Yard. I’ve always enjoyed Rutledge, and learning more about him and the trauma he deals with from WWI, but felt the character had kind of stalled a bit. This time I was happy to see more development in his situation and perhaps in perspective a bit. I’m always looking for characters who behave more like humans, not robots, if in multiple books. This helps me to want to continue to read about them. It didn’t catch my attention as much as some books have, but I ended up enjoying it over several weeks time.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
The latest offering from Charles Todd is an enjoyable installment of Chief Inspector Rutledge of Scotland Yard. I’ve always enjoyed Rutledge, and learning more about him and the trauma he deals with from WWI, but felt the character had kind of stalled a bit. This time I was happy to see more development in his situation and perhaps in perspective a bit. I’m always looking for characters who behave more like humans, not robots, if in multiple books. This helps me to want to continue to read about them. It didn’t catch my attention as much as some books have, but I ended up enjoying it over several weeks time.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
September 27, 2025
My second read in this beloved series kept me rapt and made me admire author Charles Todd even more. I love their Bess Crawford series and am new to the Ian Rutledge stories, but plan to go back and read them all. Recommended!
October 12, 2025
EXCELLENT!!
I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Written by Charles Todd and published by Mysterious Press, an imprint of Penzler Publishers in 2026, this is the latest in the series about a Scotland Yard detective in the era of World War I.
Charles Todd is the pen name of a mother & son writing team based in the United States. Sadly, the mother passed away several years ago, so the son has continued the writing tradition. The stories by this author are characterized by intense and accurate research that makes the stories very realistic, not to mention a brilliant degree of creativity. They wrote primarily about two different protagonists. The first of these is Detective Inspector (now Detective Chief Inspector) Ian Rutledge. Although this book is set in 1921, the very first time period described in one of the novels is 1914, at the start of the War. Rutledge has a brilliant, but troubled, mind, and he drives a 1914 Rolls Royce, making him a unique policeman. The second protagonist is Bess Crawford, a British army nurse, who is aboard the HMHS (His Majesty’s Hospital Ship) Brittanic, sister ship of the RMS Olympic and the RMS Titanic of historical and movie fame. The Brittanic was struck by a German U-Boat torpedo near Greece after dropping off wounded British soldiers, and Bess survives with an injury, even though the ship sank. Both the Ian Rutledge and the Bess Crawford novels are excellent reads, and I highly recommend them.
In this story, Ian Rutledge, now a Detective Chief Inspector, is dispatched by his new boss, a man named Markum (a new Chief Superintendent who disrespects Rutledge just as much as his predecessor) to Northumbria, an area of Northeast England that was comprised of Northumberland, Durham, and Tyne and Wear. A body has washed ashore on the Ross Sands near the Hamlet of Ross near Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island. A monk had founded the seat of English Christianity there in 634 AD and had achieved sainthood because of it. Scotland Yard is very concerned about the reaction of the death on pilgrimage to the island by worshipers and Rutledge was instructed to keep the local Archdeacon of Lindisfarne well informed so that he, in turn, could keep the Diocese of Newcastle informed. It was clear to Rutledge that his bosses cared more about the attitude of the Church than to the solution to a potential crime of murder.
Rutledge stays at The Ship Inn in a village called Seahouses, and then he moves to another village called Beadston, nearer to where the body had been found, and where the victim had lived. He hires a fisherman to take him out to the islands where the murdered body might have been put into the water. There he finds a gravesite that appeared to have a German Cross made with stones at its head. This fisherman is later found murdered, probably by the same hand that murdered the first body that had washed ashore. While in Seahouses, Rutledge finds access to a telephone across the street from the Ship Inn at another, larger Inn called the Bamburgh Castle Inn. He uses this telephone regularly to maintain his communication with Scotland Yard, and his very good friend Melinda Crawford.
Rutledge soon determines that the murders are somehow related to the hidden gravesite he had found, and to the torpedo sinking of the HMS Ascot by a German submarine the day before the armistice that had ended World War I had been signed. His investigation is very thorough, and it has apparently made a few of the locals, members of an unofficial militia, very nervous. It is clear to him that his presence there is resented by most of the local populace. That populace is made up primarily of fishermen and workers at a local lime kiln, where quick lime is produced. Universally, they hate Germans, whom they refer to as “The Hun.”
Rutledge takes care to try to work as closely as possible with the local police forces, including an over-enthusiastic Inspector named Taylor, and a Constable who had served in the War. The Inspector has his own vehicle, a small Crossley, but the Constable rides a bicycle. While staying at the inn in Beadston, Rutledge takes a nighttime opportunity to overhear a conversation between two of the local militiamen, and it greatly advances his investigation. He does, of course, solve the murders, and the killer will probably come as a surprise to readers. The story is relatively fast paced. This author’s works seems to always be historically and geographically accurate, and I found the facts that he shares to be quite interesting. He also is careful to accurately portray the accented speech of the locals whenever he is near Scotland.
There are very few loose ends left dangling at the end of this story, although I did wonder why the local inspector did not follow Rutledge’s instructions and remain hidden from the man he was assigned to follow. All in all, this is an excellent detective story set in 1921. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and recommend it highly to others. I award all five of the five available stars.
I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Written by Charles Todd and published by Mysterious Press, an imprint of Penzler Publishers in 2026, this is the latest in the series about a Scotland Yard detective in the era of World War I.
Charles Todd is the pen name of a mother & son writing team based in the United States. Sadly, the mother passed away several years ago, so the son has continued the writing tradition. The stories by this author are characterized by intense and accurate research that makes the stories very realistic, not to mention a brilliant degree of creativity. They wrote primarily about two different protagonists. The first of these is Detective Inspector (now Detective Chief Inspector) Ian Rutledge. Although this book is set in 1921, the very first time period described in one of the novels is 1914, at the start of the War. Rutledge has a brilliant, but troubled, mind, and he drives a 1914 Rolls Royce, making him a unique policeman. The second protagonist is Bess Crawford, a British army nurse, who is aboard the HMHS (His Majesty’s Hospital Ship) Brittanic, sister ship of the RMS Olympic and the RMS Titanic of historical and movie fame. The Brittanic was struck by a German U-Boat torpedo near Greece after dropping off wounded British soldiers, and Bess survives with an injury, even though the ship sank. Both the Ian Rutledge and the Bess Crawford novels are excellent reads, and I highly recommend them.
In this story, Ian Rutledge, now a Detective Chief Inspector, is dispatched by his new boss, a man named Markum (a new Chief Superintendent who disrespects Rutledge just as much as his predecessor) to Northumbria, an area of Northeast England that was comprised of Northumberland, Durham, and Tyne and Wear. A body has washed ashore on the Ross Sands near the Hamlet of Ross near Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island. A monk had founded the seat of English Christianity there in 634 AD and had achieved sainthood because of it. Scotland Yard is very concerned about the reaction of the death on pilgrimage to the island by worshipers and Rutledge was instructed to keep the local Archdeacon of Lindisfarne well informed so that he, in turn, could keep the Diocese of Newcastle informed. It was clear to Rutledge that his bosses cared more about the attitude of the Church than to the solution to a potential crime of murder.
Rutledge stays at The Ship Inn in a village called Seahouses, and then he moves to another village called Beadston, nearer to where the body had been found, and where the victim had lived. He hires a fisherman to take him out to the islands where the murdered body might have been put into the water. There he finds a gravesite that appeared to have a German Cross made with stones at its head. This fisherman is later found murdered, probably by the same hand that murdered the first body that had washed ashore. While in Seahouses, Rutledge finds access to a telephone across the street from the Ship Inn at another, larger Inn called the Bamburgh Castle Inn. He uses this telephone regularly to maintain his communication with Scotland Yard, and his very good friend Melinda Crawford.
Rutledge soon determines that the murders are somehow related to the hidden gravesite he had found, and to the torpedo sinking of the HMS Ascot by a German submarine the day before the armistice that had ended World War I had been signed. His investigation is very thorough, and it has apparently made a few of the locals, members of an unofficial militia, very nervous. It is clear to him that his presence there is resented by most of the local populace. That populace is made up primarily of fishermen and workers at a local lime kiln, where quick lime is produced. Universally, they hate Germans, whom they refer to as “The Hun.”
Rutledge takes care to try to work as closely as possible with the local police forces, including an over-enthusiastic Inspector named Taylor, and a Constable who had served in the War. The Inspector has his own vehicle, a small Crossley, but the Constable rides a bicycle. While staying at the inn in Beadston, Rutledge takes a nighttime opportunity to overhear a conversation between two of the local militiamen, and it greatly advances his investigation. He does, of course, solve the murders, and the killer will probably come as a surprise to readers. The story is relatively fast paced. This author’s works seems to always be historically and geographically accurate, and I found the facts that he shares to be quite interesting. He also is careful to accurately portray the accented speech of the locals whenever he is near Scotland.
There are very few loose ends left dangling at the end of this story, although I did wonder why the local inspector did not follow Rutledge’s instructions and remain hidden from the man he was assigned to follow. All in all, this is an excellent detective story set in 1921. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and recommend it highly to others. I award all five of the five available stars.
October 17, 2025
Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard is back for his 24th outing in Charles Todd’s “A Day of Judgment”, another mystery set in post -WWI England.
We are in the midst of a heatwave in July, 1921. Rutledge, newly promoted but still disliked by his boss, is sent on a mission to Northumberland to investigate the murder of a local fisherman that was found washed up on the shore. He needs to solve the murder to assure the Church of England that the pilgrims visiting the “Holy Island” of Lindisfarne nearby, along with all of the tourists in the area, are safe and that the murder has nothing to do with the Church. It seems that the authorities are more concerned with reputation than actually finding the real culprit, putting Rutledge in a pressured no-win situation.
The scars from the war are still strong here. This coast was harassed by German U-boats during the war, with the locals dealing with the bodies washing up on the shore. It becomes clear that the victim was viewed as a “Kraut lover”, someone with German sympathies, scorned by the villagers, but was that the reason for his murder all of these years later? And is there a connection between the victim and the last sinking of a British vessel at the end of the war? Rutledge must navigate between two villages, both of them with secrets and a hatred of outsiders. A local constable and an overeager inspector seem to be his only two allies in pursuing the murder. And Rutledge also must struggle with his own demons from the war and his feelings about the Germans as he follows his leads. When someone who helped Rutledge is also violently killed, he must now go on the offensive against the town militia, prejudiced locals, and the indifferent officials to stop a killer before he can strike again.
Another fine outing from Charles Todd, although the local geographies, histories, and especially the food descriptions all took away from the pace and storytelling at times.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
We are in the midst of a heatwave in July, 1921. Rutledge, newly promoted but still disliked by his boss, is sent on a mission to Northumberland to investigate the murder of a local fisherman that was found washed up on the shore. He needs to solve the murder to assure the Church of England that the pilgrims visiting the “Holy Island” of Lindisfarne nearby, along with all of the tourists in the area, are safe and that the murder has nothing to do with the Church. It seems that the authorities are more concerned with reputation than actually finding the real culprit, putting Rutledge in a pressured no-win situation.
The scars from the war are still strong here. This coast was harassed by German U-boats during the war, with the locals dealing with the bodies washing up on the shore. It becomes clear that the victim was viewed as a “Kraut lover”, someone with German sympathies, scorned by the villagers, but was that the reason for his murder all of these years later? And is there a connection between the victim and the last sinking of a British vessel at the end of the war? Rutledge must navigate between two villages, both of them with secrets and a hatred of outsiders. A local constable and an overeager inspector seem to be his only two allies in pursuing the murder. And Rutledge also must struggle with his own demons from the war and his feelings about the Germans as he follows his leads. When someone who helped Rutledge is also violently killed, he must now go on the offensive against the town militia, prejudiced locals, and the indifferent officials to stop a killer before he can strike again.
Another fine outing from Charles Todd, although the local geographies, histories, and especially the food descriptions all took away from the pace and storytelling at times.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Penzler Publishers, Mysterious Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
October 18, 2025
When the body of a local man is found off the coast of Northumberland, Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge (newly promoted) is dispatched to investigate, mostly due to the proximity to the ‘Holy Island’ of Lindesfarne and the determination of both the authorities and the Church to avoid any controversy.
Assisted by both the ‘voice’ of Hamish and the too-eager, ingratiating local inspector, Taylor, Ian finds himself, as usual, looked on with suspicion and dislike by the locals after they discover who he is. This is not only because he is an outsider, but because of the overwhelming loathing of the victim, condemned by many as a ‘Hun lover.’ Freshly scarred from WWI and the battering the northern English coast received from the Germans, emotions run high.
This is the 24th in the series and I’ve been a fan since the very first. I must say this wasn’t my favorite. I know Charles Todd is a pseudonym for a mother-son writing duo and sadly the mother passed away, and perhaps this changed the overall feel of the writing somewhat. As a rule I don’t mind all the details, even down to the pub food Ian was served, but there were a lot of details in this book. At times it felt like most of the plot involved Ian driving his Rolls Royce between the villages, using the telephone at the Bamburgh Castle Inn, and having countless cups of tea or breakfasts at one of the two inns he was staying at. Over and over. It also seemed that Hamish, while never my favorite ‘character,’ was much harsher and more mocking in this book. Granted, he is simply an aspect of Ian’s PTSD from the war so he would be less than kind due to the circumstances, but I don’t know - he just seemed such a mean voice. Maybe he’ll fade away as time goes by and Ian finds a bit of peace.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Assisted by both the ‘voice’ of Hamish and the too-eager, ingratiating local inspector, Taylor, Ian finds himself, as usual, looked on with suspicion and dislike by the locals after they discover who he is. This is not only because he is an outsider, but because of the overwhelming loathing of the victim, condemned by many as a ‘Hun lover.’ Freshly scarred from WWI and the battering the northern English coast received from the Germans, emotions run high.
This is the 24th in the series and I’ve been a fan since the very first. I must say this wasn’t my favorite. I know Charles Todd is a pseudonym for a mother-son writing duo and sadly the mother passed away, and perhaps this changed the overall feel of the writing somewhat. As a rule I don’t mind all the details, even down to the pub food Ian was served, but there were a lot of details in this book. At times it felt like most of the plot involved Ian driving his Rolls Royce between the villages, using the telephone at the Bamburgh Castle Inn, and having countless cups of tea or breakfasts at one of the two inns he was staying at. Over and over. It also seemed that Hamish, while never my favorite ‘character,’ was much harsher and more mocking in this book. Granted, he is simply an aspect of Ian’s PTSD from the war so he would be less than kind due to the circumstances, but I don’t know - he just seemed such a mean voice. Maybe he’ll fade away as time goes by and Ian finds a bit of peace.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars
Any long running series waxes and wanes. This was a worthwhile read, but felt a bit off to me. The series premise is that (newly-promoted) Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard is sent out on a potentially touchy death in Northumbria that might bring the wrath of the Church. This thread is not fleshed out and the possible awkwardness is a dead end plot element.
Rutledge is Great War veteran with a lot of baggage. The voice of a man he had shot for refusing to carry out an order is constantly with him as a potent symbol of his guilt and shell shock. Hamish's voice is very present in this one, as the local murder has tie-ins to World War I and brings back Rutledge's nightmares.
The plot started out to be interesting but sort of petered out in the end. Some of the writing feels repetitive -- we are told and shown dozens of times that the locals don't appreciate the Yard's presence or strangers in their midst. The long narrative descriptions sometimes ramble a bit.
There are some interactions with the local clergy that are nicely drawn and reflective. And there's a bit of hope in the ending that Rutledge will someday be able to have normal relationships and move away from his war trauma. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Any long running series waxes and wanes. This was a worthwhile read, but felt a bit off to me. The series premise is that (newly-promoted) Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard is sent out on a potentially touchy death in Northumbria that might bring the wrath of the Church. This thread is not fleshed out and the possible awkwardness is a dead end plot element.
Rutledge is Great War veteran with a lot of baggage. The voice of a man he had shot for refusing to carry out an order is constantly with him as a potent symbol of his guilt and shell shock. Hamish's voice is very present in this one, as the local murder has tie-ins to World War I and brings back Rutledge's nightmares.
The plot started out to be interesting but sort of petered out in the end. Some of the writing feels repetitive -- we are told and shown dozens of times that the locals don't appreciate the Yard's presence or strangers in their midst. The long narrative descriptions sometimes ramble a bit.
There are some interactions with the local clergy that are nicely drawn and reflective. And there's a bit of hope in the ending that Rutledge will someday be able to have normal relationships and move away from his war trauma. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I enjoyed this book and felt like Ian Rutledge was finally moving forward a little in his life! He has a promotion, but also seems to be moving forward a little emotionally, which changed the way this story was told. I appreciated focusing more on some of the action instead of it mostly being in his head. I did not see the ending/resolution of the mystery coming at all, yet it wasn't so obscure that you couldn't necessarily figure it out on your own.
Giving this book 4 stars as it was a great read with lots of action.
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review
Giving this book 4 stars as it was a great read with lots of action.
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review
September 18, 2025
I’m a bit behind in my reading of this series but you can read them as stand alone . Rutledge is sent to look into the death a coastal map maker found dead on the beach. No one likes him because they believe he was a hun lover during the war. The town residents aren’t happy to have Rutledge asking questions of them or their neighbors. Rutledge begins to find answers by questioning the law officers on local towns , the vicar and looking back in old newspapers. There is a second murder that relates to the first.
November 30, 2025
This is an excellent entry in the Ian Rutledge series, A recently promoted Ian Rutledge travels to the coast of Northumberland. A body washed up and may not be a simple drowning. It is not. So Rutledge begins a complex investigation with roots in the war and the submarines that cruised the local waters.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eGalley of this title.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eGalley of this title.
October 9, 2025
An excellent execution of the telling of one village’s WWI
experiences and of its’ people afterwards. He deftly incorporates
Inspector Ian Rutledge’s PTSD caused by the war in the storyline
of solving the two murders.
Thank you Netgalley and Penzler Publishers for the eArc to review.
experiences and of its’ people afterwards. He deftly incorporates
Inspector Ian Rutledge’s PTSD caused by the war in the storyline
of solving the two murders.
Thank you Netgalley and Penzler Publishers for the eArc to review.
October 22, 2025
Thank you to netgalley for an advance copy of this book. I enjoyed reading about Ian as always. Some parts were slow, but the ending was great. I recommend this to other fans of Charles Todd.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews