Legacy of the Dead is the fourth in Charles Todd's Inspector Ian Rutledge series. This is an intelligently written, literate series about a veteran of the trench warfare in France during World War I who, after the war, is trying to pick up the pieces of his life and his career at Scotland Yard. But he carries the burden of a dark secret - namely, that he still suffers from the effects of shell-shock, as it was then known, post-traumatic stress disorder as we call it today. He carries with him the persona of a young Scots soldier named Hamish McLeod, whom he had to have executed on the battlefield for his refusal to obey an order. Hamish's cynical, taunting voice is a constant presence in his mind. One of the strengths of these books is that they deal with the issue of PTSD in a very sensitive fashion.Ian Rutledge's superior at Scotland Yard is a very jealous man and he prefers to keep the skilled investigator Rutledge as far away as he can, so he always sends him out of town on cases at every opportunity.This time, he is sent to Scotland which is where many of the ghosts that haunt Rutledge rest uneasily. This will not be a comfortable assignment for him.The case that he is sent to investigate involves the weathered remains of a woman that have been discovered on a Scottish mountainside. The police believe they may be those of Eleanor Gray, a young woman from high society who has not been heard from in three years. Her mother, Lady Maude Gray, a woman of imperious bearing and ties to the British crown, professes not to believe that the bones are those of her daughter, and her objections must be handled delicately. Just the sort of thing that Inspector Rutledge excels at! The real problem is that there is a young woman in jail who is accused of having killed the woman whose body was found and that young woman turns out to be a shocking surprise to both Rutledge and his mental companion Hamish. We follow Rutledge through his examination of the evidence and his interviewing of many potential witnesses in the small and very insular Scottish town. He perceives early on that the accused woman, who has been enduring a campaign of slanderous anonymous letters sent to her neighbors, has become a scapegoat. He is sure that she is innocent and he hopes to be able to prove it and save her from the hangman.There are several surprising turns in this well-written book and perhaps the most surprising is saved for the last. The plot is intricately planned and executed and it keeps the reader guessing and turning those pages right up to the end. It's easy to see why this was a "best novel" nominee for the Anthony Award when it was published in 2001."Charles Todd" is actually two people, Caroline and Charles Todd, a mother and son writing team. They have been very prolific. They actually have two series going, as well as stand-alone books. The Ian Rutledge series has at least ten more books, and counting, which just means lots of good reading ahead for me!
Rating 4.5 (1/2 demerit because .... %#@#$asdfjkl cliffhanger)A beautifully written, character-driven mystery. Bravo!I have a soft spot for World War I veteran, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge. There, I said it. There is no rational explanation of my love for this series or Rutledge as a character. After the first installment I usually picked up the next novel "just to see what is the next mystery", I read the first chapter or two and then dived in full force leaving the book (or books) I was reading at the moment, to wait till I finish with with my favorite inspector.Rutledge is not a dangerous bastard (like Jorg from the Broken Empire "GO, JORG!"), not a *sigh* great book-boyfriend or sexy supernatural (like ... oh there are too many), he does not go shirtless, we don't see his well sculpted muscles, he doesn't send shivers down ladies spines and doesn't make me snigger at his witty comments .... but I love him all the same and sometimes a little more. Actually sometimes I feel even a little possessive, there were a few times in the novels when his battered heart stirred a little for some damsel accused (or suspected) of some crime ... I was glad for him, but there wasn't one good enough for him, yet. Ha ha ha ha (crazy laugh) I'm going "mother hen" fangirling over Ian Rutledge.This novel takes the reluctant Rutledge (and his tormentor, Hamish) to Scotland. Including Hamish, almost every soldier that fought and died in France under his command was Scottish, and the case threatens to become a torment of epic proportions for our war scarred veteran.This was maybe the best novel so far, but also the most frustrating. Dear authors,... a cliffhanger? Really? Personally I like my mysteries tied up at the end in a perfect little bow, this one especially for more than one reason. I just hope everything is explained in the next novel, and that the cliffhanger business is a one time deal.
What do You think about Legacy Of The Dead (2001)?
#4 in the series and the best yet. Shell-shocked detective Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard is sent from London up to Scotland by Chief Superintendent Bowles who doesn't enjoy having him around. With Rutledge is the usual accompanying voice of the late Hamish MacLeod, who was executed by Ian in World War I on the front.Rutledge's first interview is with Lady Maude Grey who is trying to find what happened to her daughter Eleanor who seems to have died on a desolate Scottish mountainside. Ian is ready to give up on that case, but he gets involved with a murder suspect, the former Fiona MacDonald who now calls herself Fiona MacLeod. Fiona was the lover of the late Hamish Macleod and she had with her a 3-year old boy whom she has called Ian Hamish MacLeod. The child is not actually her own, but she has named him after Ian Rutledge and Hamish MacLeod. Fiona is accused of the murder of the possible Eleanor Grey.Ian is determined to prove Fiona's innocence. He has to find out not only who killed Eleanor Grey but who are the parents of Ian Hamish MacLeod.
—Richard Stueber
This read confirms that this is a series to read in order. The book ends with a cliff-hanger (always annoying, IMHO). I've already read the next in the series, but to the extent it might have answered any questions about the principal character in this story (Fiona), I don't remember them, because at the time they had no significance for me. Not the author's fault, of course!As to the book on its own merits, it certainly points out the advances in forensic science since 1919! The police find a body of a woman, figure it must be X since X is missing (from England, and they find the body in Scotland, but what the heck?!) and the body is about the same height. And then they jump to another conclusion: since they are looking for the mother of a mystery child, this dead woman must have been the mother. Finally, without knowing how she died, they figure she was murdered. Rutledge, trying to find out what happened to the missing woman, gets in on the case and wants to stay there once he realizes he has a personal interest in the accused. Not sure why I stick with the series, since the detection seems like dumb luck most of the time, and I find the recurring and inconsistent presence of the dead soldier Hamish really annoying. But the writing keeps me coming back and I find Rutledge good company (the non-hallucinating-Hamish aspects, anyway).
—Mary Ellen
This book kept me turning the pages and when it got to the end I was never so disappointed in the author for not wrapping up the story. I Believe the reader knows that everything was wrapped up, but it would've been nice to read that Fiona was freed, what happened to the boy, Ian, now that both of his parents are now dead,did he get introduced to his grandfather? what about Ellen Gray's corpse and her mother knowing how her daughter died? I can't believe I read 356 pages and have all these quest
—Deb
