The Gate Keeper Presented by Partners in Crime Writing The Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery Series! Out Today!

Bestseller Todd's "dramatically intense" mystery explores "sleuth's inner torments" post-WWI in THE GATE KEEPER (2/6/18)
In this landmark installment of the series, Rutledge is tormented by a very present Hamish—the Watson to his Sherlock—the echo in his mind of a young soldier he was forced to execute on the battlefield for refusing a direct order.
The Gate Keeper features one of Todd’s cleverest plots to date and showcases the intriguing village of Wolf Pit—which has the notorious history of the place where the last wolf in England was killed in Medieval times. This setting gave the writers the inspiration to include a unique calling card for a cunning killer. And at the center of the story is a quiet bookshop, its essence belying a horrific crime. Amid a tangle of jealousy, greed, and a vicious hatred, the truth hinges on one man’s persistence and courage, a chance encounter, and three words: THE GATE KEEPER.
Booklist calls THE GATE KEEPER, “tightly plotted, gracefully written, and dramatically intense,” while Publishers Weekly adds in a starred review of THE GATE KEEPER, “As always, Todd deepens their crafty whodunit with a moving exploration of their astute sleuth’s inner torments.”
Charles Todd is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother-and-son writing team, they live on the East Coast.

The Gate Keeper

An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

By Charles Todd

Too many memories...

Tired now, having to blink his eyes to keep them from closing, he knew he'd have to find somewhere to sleep, and soon, if he wasn't to run off the road into a ditch. And that, he told himself, he could not do. Nothing must cloud Frances's happiness.

Hamish had--blessedly--been silent all day. As Rutledge was getting dressed, driving to the house to meet his sister, then to the wedding, the reception, it was the one thing he'd feared, that the war would come back and shame him, frighten Frances and her guests, and expose his nightmare for all the world to see. Somehow, he'd held the past at bay. It had taken all the will he possessed, but somehow it had worked.

Now, tired as he was, lonely as he felt, he was vulnerable, and suddenly Hamish was there in the motorcar with him, sitting in the seat behind him, a voice in his ear. Corporal Hamish MacLeon was dead, buried in France. Rutledge was as sure of that as any man could be. After all, he'd shot Hamish, and watched the light fade from his eyes as he died. He'd heard the young Scot's last whisper before he'd pulled the trigger in the coup de grace: Fiona. The woman Hamish loved and wanted more than his life itself to come home to. And yet, knowing the cost, Hamish had refused to lean any more men into the teeth of the machine-gun nest that had already killed too many of them. And Rutledge had had no choice but to make an example of him. It had to be done, or none of the men in his command would have followed him over the top again. What's more, they would have faced court-martial and, most certainly, another firing squad. Sacrifice one man to save many. Send them over the top to silence the machine gun, before it killed more men tomorrow when the big push began.

He shook his head, trying to shove those memories back into the shadows. Trying to stop Hamish while he could, but it was too late, and the brightness of the headlamps became the flashes of artillery fire, followed by the machine guns. 

And the war was back.

He fought it, and never knew how many miles he'd driven by rote, unaware of where he was and what he was doing, his hands gripping the wheel as he'd gripped his revolver and his whistle.

The screams of the wounded and dying filled his mind, and he shouted to his men, encouraging them, urging them on, and all the while he cursed himself as one by one they fell.

Without warning, the sounds began to recede and the darkness in his mind once more became the bright beams of his leadlamps probing the night.

And almost too late he saw what they picked out just ahead of him.

A motorcar was stopped in the middle of the road, its doors standing wide. He'd hardly taken that in when he realized there was a woman in the road too, bending over the body of someone--a man--lying haphazardly at her feet.

Rutledge was already pulling hard on the brake, bringing the heavy motorcar to a skidding halt not twenty feet from the rear of the other vehicle. It was then he saw one more piece of the tableau in front of him.

There was blood on the woman's hands.

The woman looked up, staring toward him in dismay, fright filling her eyes as she stood there like stone, all color washed out of her face, and the blood on her hands black in the brightness bridging the gap between them.

~~~

http://www.letstalk24.co.uk/articles/tales-of-village-lives/

Wow! If you are looking for a solid mystery, you've found it in The Gate Keeper! In a 1920s historical setting, when there were few automobiles and even fewer telephones, readers are in for a treat to see police investigative activities without much assistance. Using only his mind, his observation skills, and making copious notes, Ian Rutledge proves to be an exceptional member of Scotland Yard.

But Ian is not without problems...namely, he has a voice in his head that is present at all times, including some that are inconvenient! Readers will learn how that came about, but I was not quite sure whether he was haunted or allowed the voice to continue due to guilt. You see, sometimes Hamish saw things before Ian did and sometimes he would begin to talk while Ian was interviewing a witness, so as to disrupt the conversation.  I found it haunting to listen to and couldn't help but see the effects of PTSD happening... I was overwhelmed with great sympathy for what this man had gone through in the war... and yet I was angry at what he did...as his duty...

"Constable Penny, sir," he said. What's
this about a body?"
Rutledge took him to see where
Wentworth was lying, and heard the
low whistle as Penny recognized the
dead man...
"He lives in Wolfpit. Owns a bookshop
there. But who shot him?"
..."That was wrong of you, sir. Meddling
with the crime scene."
"Yes, well, we don't know where the
shooter went, and I'd rather be in
possession of his firearm than find it
pointed at me when my back was
turned."
~~~

Ian had taken vacation to attend his sister's wedding. He was so happy for her, but, realizing she was the only family member he had, he was already feeling lonely and decided to go ahead and drive on into the night. But as often happened, flashbacks into his time during the war came, leaving a corner of his mind to drive while he was tortured by memories...

It was bright lights that brought him back to the present, especially when he saw a car in front of him and a woman standing over what appeared to be a body.

Needless to say, he claimed the case for himself, even though his superiors thought he was more a witness and should not become involved. Rutledge persisted... Readers will see that Inspector Rutledge is a persistent, driving officer who moves quickly and relentlessly to solve a crime...

Besides, if he took the case, he wouldn't need to immediately return to London and his empty new quarters...

The murder(s) is unusual. An individual comes face-to-face with the victim, shoots him in the heart, and melts away before anybody realizes it. The first shot was the owner of a local bookshop. The second murder was of another Wolfpit resident, a local farmer... There seemed to be nothing that tied these two men in any way.

Readers become involved in helping to solve the case. There are no clues, even though two gems are provided: A note from the first victim with "The Gate Keeper" written a number of times. A small carved animal, a wolf, that had been left at the two murders and Ian had been fortunate to find them. In essence, this solidified that both murders were surely by one person. But who and why were the real problems!

Rutledge takes a room at a local Inn and from there, he walks or drives to various sites where potential witnesses live... What happens, if the individual lets him in is that he begins to gather information about the two deceased men. But don't expect to even get close to solving the mystery before he does at the climax... I love it when I can't solve a mystery! Don't you?!

In addition to Rutledge and Hamish who readers will recognize as two different characters carrying on discussions, even if one only lives in Rutledge's mind. most of the village people were interesting to meet and learn of the town's activities and knowledge of the bookshop owner and farmer. Both had been well-liked and important members of their village and would be missed...

But the parents of Stephen Wentworth present a picture of childhood that is not easily forgotten...or forgiven...even in reading the story. At least for me. Indeed, both of the victims had sad back stories, which served to pull this reader even further into the novel... The tedious investigation makes the pace slower, as Ian travels from place to place and must wait for responses from the one telephone before he can followup on some of the people. But that does not allow attention of the reader to stray. The Gate Keeper is a solid intriguing mystery. The characters easily fill in time between actual advancement of the investigation and discovering how everything falls together or is clarified before the end makes for an extremely fulfilling novel. This is the 20th in the series and I certainly recommend it to you, while I will probably start looking backward to find what other cases Ian gets himself into! Do check it out!


GABixlerReviews

See Also A Fine Summer's Day

By Charles Todd

Another Ian Rutledge Mystery!

A Fine Summer's Day by Charles Todd - The Ian Rutledge Series Just Before WWI

June – December 1914 – A FINE SUMMER’S DAY

The long-awaited story of Inspector Ian Rutledge’s last case as the shadows of World War I close in on a summer memorable for its glorious weather. And of the woman he loved and wanted to marry. A must for Rutledge fans.

 Sarajevo was a Serbian town in the Balkans, a place of no particular importane to the rest of the world. A part of the Ottoman Empire for generations, it had been annexed to the Austrian Empire through the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. Not everyone was happy about that. There had been more than a little trouble over it, and the Servs had been behind a number of bloody assassinations.

Archduke Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, had come to Sarajevo on a state visit to review troops and open a museum, for God's sake, a duty hardly worthy of the honor of having a Habsburg present for the occasion. But he loved his wife, Sophie, and only in these lackluster outposts of Empire was she given the status of an equal with him. In Vienna, in the eyes of the court, a Czech countess had no standing, and so she walked well behind him, sat far from him at table, and would never be crowned Empress when he succeeded to the throne of this uncle. He'd been forced to accept a galling morganatic marriage, which branded her as unworthy of his high estate. It was only on those terms that the Emperor would permit him to choose Sophie.

And so they were together here in in Sarajevo, she in an elegant hat and gown, he in uniform, feathers in his helmet blowing in the soft breeze, to be honored and feted side by side. Only it didn't quite work out as planned...the youngest, most zealous assassin had continued to shadow the royal couple. And now he saw his chance...

The Archduke, a smile pinned to his face despite the lack of interest along the street in this part of town, froze as someone darted out toward the carriage, a dark young man in dark clothes. Almost in slow motion he saw the raised pistol in the assassin's hand...

~~~

A Fine Summer's Day:

An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

By Charles Todd

I am always thrilled to be asked by the publisher to read and review a new, for me, author--Charles Todd. Actually, the name represents a mother/son duo who has been writing for many years with world-wide fans...

Although the time is months before WWI, and includes the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, as the kickoff to the rumblings that started at that time. Readers are gently led through the possible pending war, just as any of us would learn...through the characters of the book and how the war might affect their lives...and only when it actually begins is there more as individual characters consider whether family members might join and fight...

"My dear," he began, and then
with a smile, he added simply,
"will you marry me, Jean?"
She put her hand to her throat.
For an instant he thought she
was going to stay no. Or ask
if she could have a few days
to think about her answer.
In the silence, all he could hear
was the murmur of bees busy
among the flowers by the steps
and the soft movement of water
among the reeds.
And then she whispered, "Yes."
~~~

In the meantime, the lead character, Ian Rutledge is both professionally and personally taking a major role as he's considering whether and when he will ask his sweetheart to marry. Then begins to realize how many issues there will be if he does... I thought of Illya--Some of you may remember the young David McCallum who played in UNCLE many years ago and now played Ducky on NCIS... who would have done a great job as Inspector Rutledge...

Especially when he is given a case that takes a totally unexpected path leading back historically while at the same time murders are happening one right after the other in the present. And it is only Ian Rutledge that even begins to see what is actually happening...

"You've been running a quiet campaign with
an eye to discrediting Simmons," Rutledge
told him then. "You personal affairs are none
of my business, but ruining the man's chances
with Miss Barclay is abuse of your authority."
Rutledge was curt. "In my view, you and Miss
Barclay deserve each other, but what you've
also done is muddy the evidence regarding
Tattersall's death. I'm going back there now,
to do what I can to sort out truth from fallacy.
Any further use of your position for personal
gain and you'll find yourself reduced to rank
of constable, if not dismissed from the police
altogether."
~~~

There is an early clue for readers, but you'll probably miss it as I did...LOL... But don't worry, Rutledge goes through the mystery step by step and you will be able to watch each light-bulb go off in his thinking...

I must say that following Rutledge's thinking is a full-time job for the reader, However, the most amazing fact that sunk in at each turn was that absolutely no forensics was being done! So when a man's footprint is found outside of a window...nothing else is done...

If Rutledge's visited the scene of a crime, there was nobody calling for a CSI team to come in, take prints, search for DNA, etc.

Even more of an issue, since Rutledge is a top Scotland Yard investigator who goes in to help when local police ask for it, is that Ian had to travel from place to place without much communication--telephones were not readily available! At least Rutledge was fortunate to have an up-to-date car for his use!

"Usually an inquiry
such as this can be
closed in the first few
days. But there appear
to be no leads in your
father's death, and
Inspector Farraday
rightly saw that the
sooner the Yard was
brought in, the better."
~~~

"Inspector Rutledge, Scotland Yard. I'm sorry to intrude, but it would be helpful to speak to Miss Clayton as soon as possible, and her brothers as well."
The young man hesitated. "I'm not sure--and they've already spoken to Inspector Farraday."
"Yes, I know. But the inquiry has been turned over to the Yard. May I ask who you are?"
He flushed a little "Joseph Minton, I help out in the shop when Mr. Clayton and his son are making these pieces." He gestured vaugely around.
"Would you ask if the family will see me?" Rutledge persisted. This was one aspect of his work that he disliked, speaking to members of the family before the shock had fully worn off. "If too much time is lost, the changes of apprehending their father's murderer are slim at best."
Minton hesitated and then went back the way he'd come...the first person Rutledge saw was Mrs. Clayton, just sitting down with the awkwardness of late pregnancy, in a chair by the window. A man--clearly her husband--and a younger woman were trying to persuade her to lie down again..."I'm grateful you're here," he said, "although I was surprised that Farraday has sent for the Yard."
..."Did he do that often? Change his mind about going to bed?"
Again Peter spoke for her. "After my mother died, he seemed to miss her most at night, and he had some trouble sleeping. The warm milk was to help him with that."

~~~

Time was much more of a time factor in conducting an investigation, no matter how much Rutledge tried to move ahead. Even then, local police might decide to act on their own and, indeed, one man, with whom Rutledge had talked and dismissed, was arrested anyway. What this did was keep him tied to the decisions made at the local level while he was also investigating other murders...and slowly realizing that there are too many similarities to the murders not to look at them together. But where was the evidence? All of those killed were fine members of their communities, with no enemies known...

Except, all of those murdered had drank a glass of milk, which was later determined to be laced with laudanum... even though none of them had been prescribed it, nor was there any evidence of its being in the home.

Rutledge is tenacious and has a mind that quickly sees patterns, while his experience and expertise allows him to know and seek out individuals who may be able to answer questions to support each hypothesis.

Days and weeks away from home are required... His sister is home alone, since they are living in their parents house who were killed in recent past.  Jean, the one he loves, is the daughter of a military officer who both talk to Ian about joining the service. His sister and Melinda a close friend are both very concerned about his proposing to Jean, thinking that she will not be satisfied being married to someone in his position. I thought the same, frankly, and found her irritating...

But then I began to see the general interaction with men and women at that time! Women were not told anything about "reality" but kept close to home activities, ignored as discussions about work, the possible war, took place!

This is an extraordinary book that will greatly satisfy history lovers, as well as historical mystery lovers. I was fixated on trying to solve the mystery, but got sidetracked with the difficulties faced by police officers in the past! We must surely give those individuals much credit for ever solving a crime!

One individual who was helping Rutledge made a statement that, I thought, was just as important today as it was as the first major war had begun:

Army men see things differently, that's all. You're a thinker, Ian, you work things out in your head, and know where you're going. Military minds rush into action. It's what's leading Europe into war right now. Clearer heads didn't prevail, and now everyone wants to teach the other fellow a damned good lesson. No one has considered the thousands if not millions who are going to die, the miles of good land laid waste, the starvation and disease and cruelty that marches in an Army's wake. For God's sake, the Austrian Emperor didn't even like his heir. Now he's willing to slaughter the Russians to punish the serbs. God help us."

~~~

I wonder if we will ever have thinkers rather than military minds leading our governments across the world...

On the other hand, while I enjoyed the book, I found the overall setting and time period  much too distracting to be able to say I loved it. Guess you might say I'm a person living in the right period of time and enjoying all the methods by which information is acquired, studied, and confirmed to prove guilt or innocence... Still Ian Rutledge is a commanding, authoritative, but wonderfully likable man who certainly pulls you into his life quickly so that we care about him and his future.

I do recommend you take a look and read other reviews. The series is well-loved by many and you just might be one of those or a new fan who would love it too!


GABixlerReviews

http://bookotron.com/agony/audio/2015/2015-interviews/charles_caroline_todd-2015.mp3

Charles and Caroline Todd are a mother-and-son writing team who live on the east coast of the United States. Caroline has a BA in English Literature and History, and a Masters in International Relations. Charles has a BA in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Business Management, and a culinary arts degree that means he can boil more than water. Caroline has been married (to the same man) for umpteen years, and Charles is divorced.

Charles and Caroline have a rich storytelling heritage. Both spent many evenings on the porch listening to their fathers and grandfathers reminisce. And a maternal grandmother told marvelous ghost stories. This tradition allows them to write with passion about events before their own time. And an uncle/great-uncle who served as a flyer in WWI aroused an early interest in the Great War.

Both Caroline and Charles share a love of animals, and family pets have always been rescues. There was once a lizard named Schnickelfritz. Don’t ask.

Writing together is a challenge, and both enjoy giving the other a hard time. The famous quote is that in revenge, Charles crashes Caroline’s computer, and Caroline crashes his parties. Will they survive to write more novels together? Stay tuned! Their father/husband is holding the bets.