A Matter of Justice

Inspector Ian Rutledge #11

by Charles Todd

Book #11 from the series: Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries
Listening Length = 10 hours and 41 minutes

At the turn of the century, in a war taking place far from England, two soldiers chance upon an opportunity that will change their lives forever. To take advantage of it, they will be required to do the unthinkable, and then to put the past behind them. But not all memories are so short.

Twenty years later, a successful London businessman is found savagely and bizarrely murdered in a medieval tithe barn on his estate in Somerset. Called upon to investigate, Scotland Yard inspector Ian Rutledge soon discovers that the victim was universally despised. Even the man's wife—who appears to be his wife in name only—and the town's police inspector are suspect. But who, among the many, hated him enough to kill?

Rutledge tenaciously follows a well-concealed trail reaching back to an act so barbarous and with consequences so devastating that even the innocent are enveloped by the murderous tide of events. As he summons all his skills to break through a wall of silence in time to stem this tide, others are eager to twist the truth for their own ends. When justice takes a malevolent turn, can Rutledge's own career survive?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Audiobook, British Literature

336 pages, Hardcover

First published December 24, 2008

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

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot line has its fascinations and complexity. I felt Inspector Rutledge's frustrations as he pursued one dead end after another.

However, the tension was seriously diminished by the disclosures in the beginning of the book. The reader always knows more than the detective, which eliminates the opportunity to guess "who done it."

A more serious problem, at least for me, was that I really didn't come to care about any of the characters. None of them are developed enough to become whole people.

I think these two points are connected. Since I knew who the culprit(s) were, I couldn't get worked up about someone being unfairly accused, knowing Rutledge would figure it our sooner or later. Maybe that's the same reason the author(s) didn't make the effort to create more sympathetic characters.

[Julie Durnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine mystery-my first acquaintance with Inspector Ian Rutledge, and why I chose this book, #11 in the series, instead of #1 I don't know! Once I got past the disconcerting voice of Hamish in Ian's head I thoroughly enjoyed his dogged pursuit of justice in the murder of a man that so many people wished dead. The two authored mother/son writing is extremely well done and their styles compliment and mesh perfectly. I look forward to reading more in this series!

[eyes.2c · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vengeance, a bizarre death and a community that despised and feared the victim.

[Gretchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ordinarly I love this series, but this one was disappointing. The writers (mother and son) seemed to be hard pressed to fit Hamish in, and Rutlege moved for place to place to place looking for evidence. The other characters felt squeezed in. Plot: An unloved son seeks revenge for the death of his older brother in the Boer War. His mother has begged him to do so on her deathbed. The we skip to a grotesque murder of a well-to-do business man in his country estate. Enter Rutledge, who appears to be in worse World War I after-trauma. So it goes. Who murdered this guy? What does the unloved son have to do with it, if anything? Why was the wife of the murder vic repelled by him? This novel is not up to the Todd's usual standard.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A London financial advisor named Quarles is respected and admired by his compatriots in the City, but he lives a different life altogether in the small village where he maintains a second home where he can "rusticate" to get away from business. There, he is known as a man who pursues women against their wishes, often married women or very young girls. He is just about universally hated by his neighbors there and so when he turns up dead in rather appalling circumstances, most of them will freely admit that they are glad he is dead and would have been happy to kill him themselves. All of which does not make the work of the police investigating the crime any easier.

The man was very important in the business world and lived as the local squire in the village and so when he is murdered the local constable calls on Scotland Yard for assistance. If it means a trip to the provinces, it's another chance for his superior to get Inspector Ian Rutledge out of his hair and his sight for a while. Rutledge is therefore dispatched to deal with the crime.

There is a bit of a twist in the telling of this story. At the beginning of the book, we meet Quarles and his later business partner Penrith as they are serving in South Africa during the Boer War at the turn of the twentieth century. Something happens at that time which will be the precipitant of later events. We also meet the brother of the lieutenant with whom Quarles and Penrith served. The lieutenant and all the others under his command, except for Quarles and Penrith, had died in a Boer ambush. Knowing all of these facts in advance, we are far ahead of Rutledge and the local police in determining motive for the murder and seeing how it was planned and executed.

We get to watch as Rutledge wades through all the false trails and possible suspects, including those who are all too willing to admit to the crime for reasons of their own. It's easy to feel his frustration as it becomes clear that no one is really telling him the whole story, including the obviously not grieving widow. It's hard for him to hold on to his temper as he has to deal with their obstructionism, as well as the lack of support from his superiors in London. But he is tenacious in his quest for the truth and for justice, even for a victim who was an odious example of humanity.

Once again, Rutledge is hounded and in some instances aided by the presence in his mind of the Scottish soldier Hamish whom he had had to execute during his time in the trenches in World War I. Hamish's voice is much more active in this book than in the most recent one of the series that I read, and he helps to explicate what Rutledge is thinking and why his mind works the way that it does.

All in all, this was an interesting and enjoyable read. There was one incident that seemed entirely anomalous and unnecessary to me and I never really figured out why it was a part of the story. During the investigation, Rutledge, lacking sleep, had made a late-night run from the village to London and he had an accident in which he received an almighty bump on the head and possible concussion. But it really played no part in the plot. What was the purpose? That part of the mystery remains a mystery to me.

This, by the way, was the eleventh entry in the series. I accidentally read it out of sequence. Now, at some point, I'll need to go back and pick up number ten, obsessive reader that I am.

[Astraia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Until about page 280, I was totally engrossed. I loved the way the suspects were presented and enjoyed the detective(s.) The ending was what killed it- meandering and uninteresting.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Around the World of Crime and Mystery
Todd's best I've read?*
Hook/Pace - 5 stars: Rockets off the first few pages and never stops. Brilliant flashbacks.
Cast - 5 stars: This Ian/Hamish duo has always been fascinating, but the authors have now perfected the art of who is saying what to who. We know more and more about a certain past event, perhaps that's part of it. And Hamish is often right on the money when Ian refuses to listen. Hamish: "You canna' expect to escape unscathed." None of us ever can when something horrible happens. We just don't recover, we can't. A universal truth, happens to every person on the planet. Then there is Ronald Evering, seeking justice for his murdered brother. Then the brother's killers. And more.
Atmosphere - 4 stars: A small English village, done many times before. But it's the events that occurred 20 years in the past. in Africa, that are superb here. And there is a barn Christmas pageant we the readers never 'see', but what we know is very ugly, very painful. And the key to everything. It's great, also, that Todd doesn't let us 'see' the village murder.
Investigation - 5 stars: It's the villagers responses that stun. "There's some say that vengence is a dish better taken cold." I've never heard that flipped around to point to the person that may receive vengence. I've only heard it as, "Revenge is a dish served cold", therefore pointing to the person seeking justice. Authors have a contract with readers: to deliver on the title (sometimes), to deliver on the genre (always), and in a series to up the game. Todd delivers, in this 11th installment, in spades.
Resolution - 5: Perfect in every way for everyone involved. All strings tied up...and up and up and over.
SUMMARY - 4.8 stars. *This is indeed my favorite in the series so far. It's true that most readers will arrive at some conclusions relatively early in the book. But not all of them. Todd saves the very best, the heart of the novel, for the end. One of my favorite mystery/who-did-it ever. A novel to rival Agatha Christie or Elizabeth George at the top of their games.

[Thomas Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts in the Boer War (11 October 1899 – 31 May 1902). Good story.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Round two for me, reading this series again. Good story, but annoying, frustrating. The murder revolves around an evil man, Harold Quarles, who reminded me forcibly of Simeon Lee in Hercule Poirot's Christmas. Similar to Christie’s classic, the motivation for murder goes back to ghastly treachery in the past, when British soldiers died in South Africa during the Boer War, 1900. The British Army was comprised of men and boys from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England.

I would have liked to see Quarles suffer. He died too easily. Also, ditto, Penrith. I got soo annoyed with Rutledge, blaming only Evering, failing to see that this current murder began in the Boer War in 1900, with the actions of these two men. They set everything in motion, not Evering. He reacted to their deeds— their evil acts in 1900 and recently their despicable Cumberline deal. And he tried to tell the police what they’d done, but no one would listen. Throughout the book I was disgusted with Rutledge’s judgmental attitude towards Evering, saying he’s as guilty of murder as if he’d done the deed himself. Bull!

What a piece of work was Inspector Padgett. I was disgusted with Rutledge for telling him so much, in ch 24, despite knowing he’s a nasty rat. And then leaving him free to meddle some more!! Padgett broke the law on numerous counts, so why not arrest the arse? What happened next is on Rutledge, totally. Rutledge flapped his big mouth and left a man known for vengefulness free. Rutledge meets a lot of nasty policemen, and he should deal with them without pause.

This is one of several books in this series that features corrupt policeman, along with A Pale Horse, A Fine Summer’s Day, The Confession, etc.

This is also one of several books in this series wherein the lack of a mother’s love plays an underlying role. In this book, Ronald Everling was the unloved second son. His mother practically worshipped her eldest boy, and treated the spare without care. When her beloved firstborn died, she constantly urged Ronald to seek his body, and perhaps gain answers, revenge for his death in the Boer War. His mother again begged Ronald to do so on her deathbed. And so it began…see chapter 1.

Ps. This “horrible mother” plot is also seen in The Gatekeeper (horrible mother), The Red Door, A Fatal Lie, and especially in A Fine Summer’s Day.

Characters
In Cambury, near Glastonbury :
Inspector Padgett and Constable Daniels
Dr. O’Neil
Samuel Heller, local rector
Mr Hunter runs the Unicorn, local inn and restaurant
Stephenson — owns the Bookstore Nemesis. His wife?
Brunswick — church organist
Jones and his wife own the Welsh bakery. They have a teenager daughter, Gwyneth.
Mrs O’Hara — refugee from Irish Easter Rebellion
At Hallowfields Manor House outside Cambury - Mrs. Quarles, elated widow of Harold Quarles, her housekeeper, the maid Betty, her cousin Charles Archer
Tom Masters — manages the Home Farm

THE SCILLY ISLES — southwest of Cornwall — Ronald Evering

[Lawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Todd's Ian Rutledge returns in his eleventh outing, this time investigating the death of a man so hated that almost any person who had dealings with him wished him dead. But, for Rutledge, it is a matter of justice, "even for an ogre."

The old saying "Revenge is a dish best served cold" drives the plot in "A Matter of Justice." In a riveting departure from previous plotting devices, we know exactly who the murder victim is and the reason for his death. It's a matter of Rutledge putting the pieces together, when the reader already knows the reason behind the crime.

In London,Mr. Quarles is a respectable financial adviser and investments counselor. However, twenty years prior, serving as a Private in the British Army during the Boer War, Quarles finds the opportunity to make himself rich when he finds his wounded Lieutenant in possession of a large sum of money. Their transport train has been ambushed. The Boers were crack shots and masters of guerrilla warfare. Quarles and one other soldier have escaped unscathed, hiding under the train seats during the ambush. Quarles companion, David Penrith, becomes a conspirator in the plot to steal the money and become rich by seeking out help, reporting the ambush and not reporting that Quarles kills the wounded himself, including his Lieutenant. Quarles sets the train on fire, plunging his hands into the fire to appear that he was attempting to rescue his Lieutenant that he actually burned alive.

Quarles and Penrith return to England, conceal their wealth and gradually become respectable members of the London financial community, working their way up through the ranks of an old investment firm.

Now, twenty years later, Ronald Evering, the younger brother of the murdered Lieutenant will wreak his revenge on Quarles and Penrith. It took him years to discover those responsible for his brother's murder. It has taken longer to devise the plan to take his revenge. Evering won't even have to wield the murder weapon. Someone else will do it for him. All it takes is patience and simple manipulation of human nature.

For Evering, it is a matter of justice for his brother. And so it is for Rutledge who has told the reader that he became an Inspector to speak for the dead. He will speak for the dead--for an ogre, even if it costs him his career.

"A Matter of Justice" is perfect.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t care for mysteries of this type as I found this boring, uninspired and predictable. No stars for this story. 0

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six-word Review: slow-moving slog with rushed ending.

Longer Review later

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I believe this is one of the books my mum had gotten when she was given free books and passed it along to me.

Set between 1900 and 1920, this story follows a murder of a man, whose identity is hidden under lies that need to be unravelled in a small town.

I'll be honest, period pieces aren't my strong suit. I always attempt to give them a go, but they are my kryptonite.

I struggled to latch onto this murder mystery. There is plenty of characters to follow and names coming and going from the paragraphs that you need to follow very carefully, including jumps between a horrific train murder and a small town murder.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MATTER OF JUSTICE (Pol. Proc-Ian Rutledge-England-1920) - Ex
Todd, Charles (Charles and Mary Todd) – 11th in series
HarperCollins, 2009, ARC – ISBN: 9780061233593

First Sentence: Ronald Evering was in his study, watching a mechanical toy bank go through its motions, when the idea first came to him.

During the Boar War, Harold Quarles committed a heinous act of cowardice, brutality and, along with a partner, greed. Twenty years’ later, Inspector Ian Rutledge has been call to the town of Cambury. The local constable found Quarles dead and hanging in his barn in a Christmas pageant rigging with angel wings.

In the local town, Rutledge finds a multitude of people who had no love of Quarles and are happy to see him dead. In London, where Quarles did business, he seemed to have been liked and respected and liked. Rutledge finds he needs to understand the victim to find the killer.

Ian Rutledge is such a strong character. He is prideful yet dedicated to justice while still dealing with his internal scars from WWI. The secondary characters are numerous but strong and distinctive. It is a story of characters and the damage one person can do to so many others.

The sense of time and place is so well drawn, you feel you are there. The dialogue is well done and appropriate to the time. The story is so well plotted with an abundance of trails down which Rutledge is taken in his pursuit of truth. Even our knowing Quarles history doesn’t does not detract from the quest.

Once again, Todd has delivered a complex, excellent book. There is something about Todd’s writing that takes it a step above. Whatever it is, I’m happy to keep reading their books.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this Rutledge story. It's a little different than the others in that we learn from the beginning what is happening. The story starts in South Africa during the Boer War. Two soldiers do a very bad thing and one of their victim's brothers learns about it. He plots his own secret revenge, Count of Monte Cristo style.

I really do love a good revenge story. I like to see people getting their comeuppance.

A man is found murdered, hanging up high in bizarre angel style. Rutledge learns this man was not well liked and something of a scoundrel. But, he can't seem to make a local connection, even with all the people who didn't care if he died. Rutledge starts to wonder if there is something in his past.

I liked how all the threads tied together and how Rutledge followed the steps.

I'm still enjoying these stories and I still love Rutledge but there are a couple things that might make me have to discontinue with this series, some repetitive annoyances. All the woman fly into a rage at Rutledge for asking questions, Mrs. Channing is annoying, we don't get to know the conclusion of subplots started in previous books, the local police always hate Rutledge....all these things seem to be happening with more frequency. I hope maybe the authors will surprise me and improve these things.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Simon Prebble and he did a great job!

[Larraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the early Charles Todd books. I've been reading them out of order and catching up with some of the earlier ones that I missed. It's interesting to see how the character of Ian Rutledge progresses. In this book it hasn't been long since Rutledge has come back to police work. He hasn't learned how to control the voice of Hamish in his mind.

When a well known businessman who is also despised by the residents of the village where he has his country home is found murdered the police call in Scotland Yard. The local detective in charge makes no bones about the fact that he despised the murdered man as much as anyone else. On the other hand, he is well liked by his business associates in London and also well respected.

The book opens with a horrendous crime committed by the murdered man during the Boer War. However, it's now post WWI England, so that war is already a distant memory.

The way the murdered man is discovered is the worse thing at all: he is found trussed up in angel wings, hanging from the ceiling of the tithe barn where the annual Christmas pageant is held. The irony is compelling.

This is so typical of this series in the turns and twists and surprises at the end. It's definitely well worth reading.

[Marie Fouhey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mystery weaves a brutal murder committed 20 years previously, several threads of revenge, and the undercurrents of village gossip into a really riveting investigation. The characters are well drawn. I have read that the author is a mother and son team who alternate chapters, but the writing appeared seamless to me. The chief inspector is a man suffering from shell shock from his WWI experiences. His mental problems take the form of a former Scottish soldier, killed in action, who he thinks accompanies him everywhere and comments ironically on whatever the inspector has just done or decided. It took me a while to get used to this, but the authors use the device well to present alternate possibilities.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an incredibly reliable series and I hope that they continue in the same vein now that one member of the writing team has died. The general scenario is that this WWI Scotland Yard Inspector travels to where crimes have occurred, so the people and venue changes and he is very much the same. In this one a very unpleasant man is murdered--there are countless people who would happily see him dead, including his wife, so the suspects are numerous. Very enjoyable installment.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Inspector Rutledge is presented with a challenging case that he must solve. There are so many suspects in the small village where a wealthy & hated man is murdered, that it's difficult for him to sift the truth from the lies. As he gets deeper & deeper into the murky waters, he discovers the impetus for this crime goes back more than 20 years to another English war. Such good storytelling here with this flawed but engaging character.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting a book with a horrific crime and a relative bent on revenge might make it seem like the reader will know the solution in advance, but this book is sufficiently twisty to keep you guessing. The ending is a bit convoluted and I'm not sure I found Hamish consistent enough as a facet of Rutledge's mind this time.

[Meg Ulmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this may be the best novel of the series that I have read. I really enjoyed the ending with the multiple resolutions that truly solved the mystery. I also felt Ian's turning to someone for help is a good sign that the first healing is beginning for him.

[Sienna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three & a half stars. It's comforting to settle in with the familiar characters, including the wonderful small villages of England. Great location, as always.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about Ian Rutledge. I am curious to see how his story goes.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorites in this series! A great mystery to solve with surprising twists and turns.

[Michele Frazier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty years after a tragic war, a man (Quarles) is found dead and hanging from a rafter like an "avenging angel, arms flung out and feathered wings springing from his back". So begins another case for Ian Rutledge to solve. This book went back and forth with so many suspects and I was not sure who done it, until the end. As always, Hamish is forever in Rutledge's head, however, thanks to a friendship with Meredith Channing, will we begin to see a shift in Rutledge's psyche and healing finally in the future? The Inspector Ian Rutledge books are always engaging and spot on!

[Nance Roepke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Rutledge. Love the twists in this book. Give me more!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting! I especially like the little twist at the end. Such a good series!

[P.D.R. Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Todd is an American mother and son writing team. Inspector Ian Rutledge is their Scotland Yard inspector who stars in a series of novels set in the 1920s. ‘A Matter of Justice’ is the latest novel in the series.

I always have reservations about American authors who claim to love England. England is the first error, it’s the United Kingdom, usually shortened to the UK, or Britain please. Saying England insults the Scots, Irish and Welsh who are part of the nation Such authors say they visit frequently to see the places they write about. I sigh and expect all the usual errors, the characters speaking American English, with ‘gotten’ and ‘likely that’, ‘real good’ and ‘ten after two’ thrown in along with other Americanisms which, in reality, in Britain, the always well bred and educated Main Character would not say. Americans never wholly grasp the class system and the absolute horror with which a well educated gentleman would regard certain words, ‘gotten’ being one and ‘likely’ instead of probably being another.

However I hoped I wouldn’t find too many research howlers in this series. Mother and son have quite a following and the books are now available in the British Commonwealth. British readers are not kind to those foreigners who dare to write about ‘their’ country and make a muck up of it. Mercifully there were only a few basic errors, a muddle about British money being one of them. In the 1920s the pound sterling was not decimalised. 100 pennies did not a pound make. The boy asking for ten pence was a 2010 time traveller. Threepence or sixpence he might have asked for because there were coins for those amounts, a threepenny bit and a sixpence, but no coin for ten pennies, pennies not pence. And it is a strange amount to ask for in 1920. Giving him thrupence for bringing a message would be more appropriate, although running a message for the police used to be thought a duty to be done without reward.

The plot is ingenious. There are several threads, the Boer war episode twenty years earlier, the mysterious machinations of Mr. Evering on the Scilly isles in 1920, the shadow which events during the Boer War and the Great War cast over the characters, and of course the death of a wealthy financial advisor who turns out to have been universally hated.

Inspector Rutledge, as is the way of the main character in popular fiction, has a notable foible. His is the result of the Great War where he had to shoot one of his own soldiers. He has not reconciled himself to this and so is ‘haunted’ by the soldier, at times of stress he hears his voice. An interesting take on the more usual alcohol, racial or marriage problems of fictional police inspectors.

Perhaps in other novels Rutledge is more decisive, but here he is not, and I did wonder why he worked alone, without his own team, putting up with the obvious obstructions of the local inspector, Inspector Padgett, as he slowly unravels the history and then the murder. But the plot gallops along and the authors weave all the threads together so that the reader is left with a sense of the horrors past and present and yet to come, a fitting conclusion to the complex plot. On the whole ‘A Matter of Justice’ is a good historical murder mystery and yes, I would read others in the series.

[Volare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever plot but many characters to juggle and track. Another outing with Ian Rutledge and it is very well done including a satisfying ending that does not leave the reader hanging as is usually the case. I hope this is a sign of future improved endings.