Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard returned from World War I suffering from shell shock (PTSD) exacerbated by guilt. In addition to being traumatized by the horrors of war, Rutledge killed an insubordinate soldier in his own company. The dead man, named Hamish, now haunts Rutledge, constantly whispering in his head - usually about criminal cases.
In this 12th book in the series, Inspector Rutledge investigates a very baffling murder. The book can be read as a standalone.
****
As the story opens World War I has just ended and Florence Teller, who lives in Hobson (a few hours north of London), is anxiously awaiting the return of her beloved husband Peter, who fought with the British army.
Florence paints the front door red and waits, day after day, and week after week. However Peter doesn't come home, and heartbroken Florence doesn't know what happened to him.
Skip ahead a couple of years and another family named Teller is having troubles of its own. These Tellers, who live in London, consists of four siblings: Leticia, Edwin, Walter, and Peter....
…..as well as Edwin's wife Amy, Walter's wife Jenny, and Peter's wife Susannah.
The Tellers are in an uproar because Walter has disappeared. Since the Tellers are wealthy and influential, Scotland Yard is called in, and Inspector Rutledge is put on the case. Rutledge institutes a police search for Walter, and the other Tellers race off to look for Walter also.
After a few days Walter returns on his own, with a disjointed and unsatisfactory explanation of where he was.
As it happens, Florence Teller of Hobson was murdered while Walter and his family were running around England, and Rutledge suspects a connection between these events.
Rutledge cooperates with the Hobson police to investigate Florence's death. He examines the crime scene, interviews Florence's friends and neighbors, unearths possible motives, and so on. Rutledge also interviews the Tellers who live in London, all of whom claim they never heard of Florence, but the detective is skeptical.
Meanwhile, there have been a rash of muggings in London, and Rutledge himself was almost robbed.
The perpetrator has now escalated to murder, and Scotland Yard hatches up a 'decoy' scheme, involving Rutledge, to catch the killer.
As the story unfolds there are more deaths, and Rutledge has his hands full trying to resolve all the unfortunate incidents.
The story is engaging but Rutledge spends too much time driving back and forth between London and Hobson, and questioning the same people again and again.
This is a common plot device in this series, and it gets old. On the upside, Hamish's murmurings are helpful, and steer Rutledge in the right direction as he pursues his investigations.
As always, Rutledge's boss - nasty Superintendent Bowles - hassles Rutledge and tries to make his life miserable. Other series regulars also make an appearance, including Rutledge's sister and godfather, and a woman Rutledge pines for.....but seems unable to ask for a date.
The story is engaging, but the abundance of characters is confusing and the plot is overly contrived. Still, fans of Inspector Rutledge would probably enjoy the book.
Rating: 3 stars
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