South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
WWI vet’s murder sends Inspector Rutledge to Wales
‘A Fatal Lie’ by Charles Todd. Morrow, 352 pages, $28.99
Each of Charles Todd’s engrossing novels about Scotland Yard Insp. Ian Rutledge, set post-World War I, puts a spotlight on often forgotten details about the Great War. It’s this minutia that illustrate the war’s effect on the characters and the region.
The heart of the exciting “A Fatal Lie” is the Bantam Battalions, which were squads of soldiers who had not been allowed to enlist because they didn’t meet the height restrictions. Short in stature, but long in the desire to serve their country, a special battalion was established, bringing hundreds of young men who showed their bravery and fighting acumen in myriad WWI battles.
A WWI veteran, Ian feels an affinity for the soldiers who served in the Bantam Battalions. Like those men, Ian is the perpetual outsider both at work and when he is in the British countryside, where he is often referred to as “the man from London.” Ian also must keep hidden that the war left him shell shocked — what we call PTSD today — which was viewed as lacking “moral fiber” or cowardice during that era.
“A Fatal Lie,” the 23rd in this series, takes Ian to Wales where a man’s body surfaced in a canal. Despite no identification, a tattoo suggests to Ian that the man served in the Bantam Battalions. A label in the man’s shirt leads Ian to the tailor who specially made it for a woman, Ruth Milford, who runs a failing pub with her husband, Sam.
Following the scant clues, Ian decides that Sam has been murdered, and that leads to another family tragedy — the Milfords’ toddler disappeared the year before.
The tightly calibrated plot is interwoven with the Wales landscape as Ian travels to various villages, to the Telford Aqueduct where an isolated community of narrowboat men are suspicious of outsiders. Ian meets — and understands — how now-civilians are haunted by those who didn’t make it back from battle.
Caroline and Charles Todd, the mother and son writing team who publish under the name Charles Todd, are experts at subtly drawing parallels to 21st century concerns. The Great War ended more than a century ago but Ian’s personal issues and his investigations are relevant today.
Oline H. Cogdill can be reached at olinecog@aol .com.
Zoom with the author
Join Charles and Caroline Todd discussing their new novel “A Fatal Lie” during an interview with Oline H. Cogdill at 6 p.m. Feb 16 during a Zoom virtual book event sponsored by Murder on the Beach bookstore, 104 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, murderonthebeach.com. Admission to the event is purchase of the book or
$5 that may be credited to future purchase; includes free shipping. Email murdermb@gate.net or
561-279-7790 to purchase and receive link.
The Todds will kick off the return of the Broward Public Library Foundation’s Book with Brunch during a virtual interview with Cogdill at 11 a.m. March 11. Guests are encouraged to bring a cup of coffee and a pastry to this “brunch.” Registration is free to Foundation members;
$10 for all others. Visit bplfoundation.org/ charles-todd-virtual to RSVP now. Dollars raised will benefit expanded virtual programming at Broward County Library. Once registered, guests will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link to the event. For information on future Foundation events, visit bplfoundation.org/ contact-us.