Friday, May 16, 2014

New Mystery from Great Mother and Son Writing Team





In the flat, low-lying, marshy Fen region of Cambridgeshire, two men are murdered; one at Ely Cathedral, the other in the small village of Wriston. Unable to come up with any conclusions, the local police turn the case over the Scotland Yard. Enter our old friend, Inspector Ian Rutledge still battling his traumatic memories from the front lines of WWI, which often manifest themselves in conversations with the phantom-like psychological voice of Hamish--his dead comrade killed in the war.

 “Hunting Shadows” is the third novel I’ve read by the writing “team” of Charles Todd. Although I liked the other two, this is by far the best in both plotting and setting. It has loads of tension and the end of every chapter compels the reader to keep turning pages.

This low-lying, sometimes foggy area of eastern England lends itself beautifully to the suspense surrounding the death of these two men and the attempted murder of a third. There are not many clues and some of them seem pretty far-fetched.  There are a great many characters introduced in the course of his investigation and most of them are very well drawn and quite likeable. Even the one suspect that the inspector narrows in on has a great deal of charm and as you read along, you find yourself routing for the fellow.

The interviews of the villagers by the inspector and the clues given make for a fascinating escape  and the reader feels compelled to stay the course even if it means sitting up until the wee hours of the night. Definitely a page-turner and worthy of five stars. 




"Derek Harper  via Wikimedia Commons" A Fenland near Purl's Bridge -_geograph.org.uk_-_Fenland near Purl's Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 634869

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