Inspector Ian Rutledge is on the case again, though not the case he wanted. Rutledge is off to a difficult start. Scheduled to give evidence in another case, he is unable to go to the village of Avebury, where the body of a young woman has been found in the center of a stone circle. A reluctant Inspector Leslie is sent in his place.
When another victim is found stabbed to death and thrown into an open grave in the Shopshire village of Tern Bridge, Rutledge is sent to investigate her murder. The victim is eventually identified as Bath schoolmistress Serena Palmer. When a witness’s sharp eye and detailed memory put Rutledge on a trail that leads to Serena Palmer’s killer, he is quickly able to solve the murder.
Meanwhile, Inspector Brian Leslie's inquiries have not identified the killer in the Avebury case. Even the name of the victim eludes Leslie and, much to his chagrin, Rutledge. In Avebury, Rutledge finds himself bogged down in the case, needled by the ghost of Corporal Hamish McLeod, and threatened by his nemesis, Chief Superintendent Markham. Rutledge fears that he may not be able to solve the case or even add any new information to Leslie's report. It seems that every clue he discovers leads to more sadness heaped on his shoulders.
Sharp readers may guess what's coming in the final twist, but if you love history Todd doesn't disappoint.
Like many of the Inspector Rutledge books, this one delves into the shadows of the trenches. Todd's grasp of the grief that followed World War I and the devastating loss of a generation of young men across Europe makes it well worth the read.
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