A Guid Soldier

Inspector Ian Rutledge #0.6

by Charles Todd

Set during Inspector Rutledge's time in the Great War, Charles Todd's short story introduces a born killer.
It's World War I, and young Glaswegian Dougal Kerr is a new recruit in the British army. Dougal has no family and no past, but his easygoing demeanor belies his cheerless upbringing. There's only one thing that gives Ian Rutledge pause: Dougal is very good at killing, and he doesn't seem to mind it at all—in fact, he seems to relish it. In wartime, how does one tell the difference between a remorseless killer and "a guid soldier"?
"A Guid Soldier" by Charles Todd is one of 20 short stories within Mulholland Books's Strand Originals series, featuring thrilling stories by the biggest names in mystery from the Strand Magazine archives. View the full series list at mulhollandbooks.com and read them all!

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Short Stories, Historical, Audiobook

16 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 8, 2015

About the author

Charles 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.

Reviews

[TXGAL1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story in the Ian Rutledge detective series. This story takes place in the trenches of World War II with Rutledge and Hamish following a soldier’s movements under their watch.

[Patsyann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read FOURTH.
A short story from the Ian Rutledge mystery series. The story is about Rutledge and Hamish before the event in their lives that changed everything.
Why do men love war? Is it because some men are born killers? This short story reflects on this idea. Ian Rutledge needs to know why one of his men loves to kill. Killing Germans is one thing, killing one of your own men is another. War.
BEST USE OF: snipers
Rating
10 - because it is an Ian Rutledge story
HOLLYWOOD CALLING: This story should be in the Ian Rutledge TV series or should be a movie.

[Minnesinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very ‘guid’ for a short story. This is not a novella, btw, despite what the author or publisher say. it is far too short for that. It’s even short for a short story. Nevertheless, it’s one of their better minuscule stories, because it focuses on one of the imponderables of human existence, the nature of war and what it does to a person, especially one unaccustomed to killing/new to war.

How does a human being differentiate morality in war from morality in peacetime? what is a human being supposed to feel about the morality of killing in war-time? Why is it ok to kill if one calls it war? Where does one draw the line between killing another human out of duty vs. killing for fun? What if an otherwise “good soldier” enjoys killing? (Or if not pleasure, then rage or whatever other emotion it may involve?) What are his fellow soldiers supposed to think?

Is the difference the part of the brain that decides to take the shot? Primitive limbic brain vs. more highly evolved rational brain?

Add to this nightmare scenario the discovery that a soldier is only 14 years old. How did he even pass? He was shorter than most, and childlike in his comments. Did no one even think to question or verify his age? I admit that this is a modern outlook; in past wars, 16-year-old boys were considered men. But 14? Can we judge a boy as harshly as a man? Perhaps this is a situation better decided by child psychologists. But that would never happen. At what age is a child considered responsible for knowing right from wrong?

Aren’t all soldiers supposed to be held to the same standard, especially in wartime? All armies held to the same standards? (E.g., Geneva Convention)

I think this is a question that will remain unanswerable as long as human beings are put in the impossible situation of killing fellow humans.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Fine Ian Rutledge Sory

The more I read this series the better I like Ian Rutledge. This short story reveals more of the mind and nature of the man, his respect for life and his distaste for the taking of life. I'm glad I read it.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short story

[Natasha M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a short story, emphasis on short! Maybe this was intended as an addition to an anthology or as a character study or some combination of the both. It doesn't move the plot, so much as show us Rutledge in the trenches in the capacity of officer, rather than police inspector. That being said his policeman's instinct still leads him to meditate on an errant soldier's trait. Is it a product of war, or being too young when introduced into bloodshed or perhaps a bloodlust that has always been present within the young man himself. Age old question of nature vs nuture.

Anyway for my part I'm chasing down all the short stories I can get my hands on from local libraries while I wait for the mother-son team to write the next installment.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story depicts Ian as a Lieutenant leading men in France. He is joined by Hamish MacLeod, a character who will have a major impact in the series later on.
In this outing, Rutledge encounters a young soldier who seems to have an unnatural enjoyment of killing. We are shown briefly how Rutledge's ability to delve in to people's characters gave him insights into his work at Scotland Yard--and now serves him well in the trenches.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short short story

I liked this because it featured Ian Rutledge. It was too short so it ended too quickly. It was still interesting to read something about Rutledge from the war.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second novella I have read in the series and I am ready for the first full book. I look forward to seeing how Rutledge adapts to life after the War.

[Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough to it to get involved in the story.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Guid Soldier by Charles Todd is book #0.6 of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery series. Brief and compelling, set in the trenches of WWI, this prequel to the peacetime series explains a portion of the "moral baggage" Rutledge carries with him long after Armistice.

His police instinct (from Scotland Yard detective experience) alerts wartime officer Ian Rutledge that his eager new recruit, excellent sharpshooter Dougal Kerr, enjoys killing too much. All men in the unit agree "He's a Guid Soldier". But did he kill a fellow officer as an act of mercy, or for sport? What will happen when he returns to peacetime?

[Kimberly Thorpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a VERY short (16 pages) story about Ian & Hamish during their time at the Battle of the Somme. You get to see their interation and their trusted bond which explains so much about Ian's torment of Hamish's death.

This story surrounds the whole idea of "are people just born to be killers". There is a young soldier in the unit who "likes" to kill, not just Germans, but anyone. Ian wonders why that is and what will become of the young man when the war is over. Events of the story resolve that issue, but it is an interesting theme and speaks to the nature of Ian Ruthledge as a character and how he hates killing no matter the circumstances.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice tight short story about Ian Rutledge's wartime experience. Considerably benefits from the lack of constant driving hither and thither that populates the full length novels about the character.

[Garth Mailman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prequel Novel introducing Inspector Rutledge of Scotland Yard among the trenches of WW#1. Here he has his eye on a young soldier who appears to enjoy killing the enemy for the sake of killing. He gets off on it.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughtful snippet of war... and of a young soldier who enjoys killing too much... and Inspector Ian Rutledge's dissection of the psychology and potential future for this soldier - using his investigative mind.

[Nyssy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a short story this was a bit distributing, can't say it left a "bad taste".

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

a very short prequel to the Ian Rutledge series

[David Allen White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started and finished in about half an hour. It was really a short story, not a novel.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a book. This is more like a paragraph. I think it took me 15 minutes to read. I am disillusioned.

[SFrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

well adobe digital is junk but the book was excellent

[Christin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t get over how well they write

Only a few brief pages but I was sucked in. How do they do it?! It was almost startling to read Hamish alive. Startling, but nice.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very short. Not much to this except the story of a boy who plays soldier too well and seems to take glee in killing.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

$2 instead of the usual 1 for this short. Enough thought and twist here to be worth it, perhaps.

[Caryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHOA! A Guild Soldier is a chilling short story.

I borrowed a copy from my local library. I've expressed my honest opinion.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is the difference between a killer and a soldier? A very interesting read about the differences.
Recommend

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a short story. Gives a sense of the trenches, the shooting, the mayhem. Poses a question about what constitutes “good.”

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of a possible psychopathy in the ranks.

[Gaele · Rating 4 out of 5]

AudioBook Review
Stars: 4 Narration 4 Story 4

World War I, and Ian Rutledge has a new recruit from Glasgow, Dougal Kerr No discernable family, no mentioned past, the young man appears to be good-natured and easy going. But Rutledge wonders about the distinctions between the generally regarded ‘guid soldier’ and a man with a deep-seated enjoyment of killing

The first I’ve ever encountered from Charles Todd, Ian Rutledge is a thoughtful man, perhaps more than slightly torn with the requirements of his position. It’s war time, and the battles are fought up close and personal, and he very rightly believes that some sort of aftereffect should appear for men of conscience. Yet, Dougal has few or no aftereffects, and he only wishes to be a guid soldier.

Just what does make a soldier guid, and is this a failure in men – that they enjoy the challenges of war, including the killing? Does this make him, Ian Rutledge, the odd man out in having these thoughts, or is it Dougal, with his apparent enjoyment of killing the one who isn’t right.

A wonderful short story that provides a look at the conundrums that surround war: the moral ambiguity rooted in taking a life, yet being under orders to do so in a situation that is often a you or me quandary. Then, as you remember the stories of WW(, the close contact fighting, the now-primitive technology and weapons, and the questions are more disturbing. When you look another man in the eye as you deliver that killing blow, SHOULD you remember his face later?

Narration for this story was provided by Graham Halstead and his delivery and presentation of a story, full of complex emotions, was wonderful. No overreach in terms of voices, Halstead lets the story speak for itself, treating each of the author’s words as special. This allowed the impact of words and delivery to make the statement without outside influence.

Very different from the norm, the story provides a wonderful listen that spurs introspection, this short story did everything I could hope for in terms of delivering a memorable, impactful,, and well-written listen that encourages interest in further work by this author.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Hachette Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

This review was originally posted on I am, Indeed

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 18-page story is rather like a character sketch or idea for a possible Ian Rutledge book, or flashback or prologue to a book, that the author realized would just be a one-note plot and should remain a short story, although there is not a lot of plot to it. Still, as a way-station on the path to the next full-fledged Ian Rutledge story, it satisfies a bit of one's hunger for all things Charles Todd. Not essential but good enough.