A Game of Fear: A Novel (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries, 24) Paperback – February 21, 2023

It was so good to be back on the hunt with Inspector Rutledge! I haven't missed an adventure and love the suspense and the insight into a brave veteran of WWI. Ian Rutledge is a fictional character but brought to life by Charles Todd. The characters are so well written it feels like I've been there and know the people and the villages. This may be my favorite, but I feel that after each book. .

Book #24 in this highly entertaining series is a fine example of a police procedural set in England in 1921. I am always amazed at how my attention is focused so firmly on a crime that seems to have almost no clues for Inspector Rutledge to home in on. Charles Todd seems to specialize in presenting readers with a crime where Rutledge has to begin with absolutely no information to go on. I am a rather restless reader, I want things to happen at a pretty smart pace under most circumstances, but with the Rutledge books I willingly sit back and enjoy watching the investigation proceed slowly. The Rutledge stories always seem to have a feel of otherworldliness about them because of the presence of Hamish in the mind of Rutledge, but this time that eerie sensation is carried even further because of the presence of a ghost. Or was it just imagination on the part of the witness?

In this latest installment of the series, Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent to the Essex coast to investigate a supposed murder, though there's no body and the murderer is a man long dead. However, Lady Benton is a credible witness, and there seem to be more mysteries tied to the nearby abandoned air base.Ian Rutledge is such a fascinating detective. A victim of PTSD from WWI, he is 'accompanied' by his former Sargeant Hamish, who he was forced to shoot when the man refused orders and then was buried with when a bomb exploded. Hamish doesn't seem to hold a grudge; the two were friends, but Hamish couldn't obey the orders from a superior that were massacring their men.The mystery takes a while to unfold, but each step is fascinating as the case builds. It's another good book in this historical mystery series.

One half of the “Charles Todd” mother and son writing team died in 2019 (2020?) This is the first book written by the son alone and, to me, it is by far the best of the series. Much as the other books were written well, they were often bogged down by too much verbiage, too much description. This one was tightly written, and, from the beginning, very suspenseful. A blameless aristocratic widow sees the ghost of a dead flyer killing a stranger out her window. Inspector Rutledge is sent from London to Essex to see what it’s all about as the widow has influence in Scotland Yard. The mystery deepens, Rutledge puts the case together carefully while another sad murder occurs.I was riveted by the story. I began by listening to it on Libby but then bought it on Kindle because I couldn’t listen to enough of it to satisfy myself. A great read.

Read this series in order. You will not be disappointed. Great writing and characters.

I read "A Game of Fear" in one day, which should tell you how much it held my interest. I thought it moved at a faster pace than the last few books, even though some of the story seemed to be "fill" as if the author wanted to review Rutledge's life story so far. But even though I liked reading one reviewer's thoughts on the book, I didn't agree the secondary characters were flat. The important characters received their due, and the secondary characters, including the woman Rutledge loved and his old friend, were filled in just enough to give us a sense of who they were as people. I have a few thoughts on the end of the book, but they would be spoilers so I'll keep them to myself and let the readers be surprised by what happens. However, I did feel as if this book "cleared the deck" to allow Rutledge wider scope in his next story. Todd's fans will be waiting to see what happens next.

Charles Todd mysteries are not the kind where the reader can easily determine the criminal before the author wishes to reveal the identity. To be fair, Ian Rutledge doesn’t have all the clues either. You can only work along side him, but never a step ahead. The character list is long, the scene shifting from an isolated manor house, to France, and back. Add some some villages, and often, a strong woman, a lonely man, a benevolent rector. All the ingredients of another cozy, you say. But no, they don’t add up to that. Of course, I am now waiting for the next Bess Crawford and hope that Charles will continue with out his beloved writing partner.

I have read all of Charles Todd's books and never been disappointed. Though they each stand alone, his books are most enjoyable read in order. (The ones that are on going series.) I've read several of the books more than once because it is always like seeing old friends to read the books. I so enjoyed "A Game of Fear".

I've enjoyed the whole series as well as learned a lot of the times. The characters are excellent

Once more Ian Rutledge outwits a criminal & infuses his technique with kindness & cleverness & a small dusting of humour.I highly recommend this book.

I was so glad to find Rutledge mostly staying in one place without the mad and implausible chases up and down the countryside. Thus I had high hopes for a lot of character development and tension rising moments as we had in the earlier books and in some stand-out stories like Hunting Shadows but somehow that never happened. The solution fell flat. The reader feels cheated when they couldn’t have figured it out themselves through clues throughout the book but are being presented with a tidy wrap-up outside the box of characters. Had the killer been introduced earlier on the story would have gained a lot. I’ll keep reading these because Rutledge as a character is intriguing and the spirit of post WWI Britain is wonderfully captured but I hope the next one will be better once again. Oh, and please, stop making up these constant bumping-into-characters by chance in a city of millions moments!

Interesting