Rating: 
Summary: LEGACY OF THE DEAD
Review: Charles Todd's writing offers a whole new perspective to the horrors and the great losses endured in WWI. Ian Rutledge, the Scotland Yard Inspector exhibits the ability to continue on, no matter his personal suffering. The spirit to overcome roadblocks and succeed at finding truth has been present in all the Ian Rutledge series. The characterizations of individuals in another time and place give further appeal. All in all, I can't wait for the next opportunity to enter the Inspector's world.
Rating: 
Summary: Legacy Of The Dead
Review: Fiona MacDonald came to live with her aunt in Duncarrick as a young war widow with a baby. At first, she is accepted by the villagers. But after her aunt's death, Fiona becomes the victim of a vicious smear campaign. Someone has been circulating annonymous letters, accusing her of wantoness. And soon, she is effectively shunned by nearly everyone in the community . Not content with the misery he or she has caused Fiona, her unseen enemy soon ups the stakes and accuses her of having committed murder in order to steal the baby for herself. Fiona is unable to refute the charges or to prove that the child living with her is her's. And when a few months later the police uncover the remains of a young woman, Fiona is arrested and charged with murder based on the circumstancial evidence.Ian Rutledge is sent north to placate Lady Maude Gray. The police believe that the remains they found may be those of her missing daughter's, Eleanor, and that the child Fiona had been rearing could be Eleanor's baby. However Lady Maude is outraged at such a notion and refuses to help in the investigation. She is unwilling to believe that Eleanor is dead or that she could have borne a child out of wedlock. Rutledge has been sent in to soft soap her, and to see if he can gain her trust and cooperation. He has very little success with the harsh and proud lady. And when Rutledge goes to Duncarrick to meet the woman who is at the center of all this mystery, he is stunned to find that he recognises Fiona as Hamish MacLeod's fiance. MacLeod is the young man he executed for refusing to fight, and whose ghost is currently haunting him. Rutledge feels that he must help Fiona, but he faces the distrust and anger of a community bent on punishing her for imagined misdeeds. He tries to get her to confide in him, but she refuses. Fiona is full of secrets that are not her's to divulge, and she seems to have chosen death over breaking faith with whomever she made the promises to. Rutledge realises that he must discover what happened to Eleanor Grey in order to save Fiona from the hangman's noose. But the harder he digs, the more evidence he seems to find that points to Fiona's guilt. This seemingly simple plot posseses many intriguingly complex subplots -- whose child is Fiona raising? Whatever did become of Eleanor Grey? Why was no one interested or curious about what had become of her since 1916? And who is Fiona's deadly enemy and what is the cause of all this fury he or she feels towards her? Charles Todd spins quite an intricate web, that draws you in and keeps you guessing. And he paints a wonderfully vivid picture of a small Scottish community just after WW1: cold and narrow, dour and humourless, grounded in a Knox-like righteouness that has very little room for compassion and understanding. Todd also paints a vivid portrait of two brave and courageous women: Fiona and Eleanor. Fiona who puts her loyalty and frienship for another above her own well-being; and Eleanor who had the courage to leave her previleged life behind in order to do something worthwhile with her life. A very intricate and interesting novel that is also rich in atmosphere. A wonderful read.
Rating: 
Summary: This is terrible!
Review: I just can't believe that the same man who wrote the earlier works in this series wrote this! It is disjointed, poorly conceived and ridiculous as far as even having a murder plot; more like just a nasty smear campaign involving a damsel in distress. The warring encounters between Hamish and Rutledge is rarely evident and ,also, missing are the many anguishing flashbacks of the Great War that distinguished the earlier works.
Rating:
Summary: I love Ian
Review: I love Ian and I love this series. Anne Perry should watch her back.
Rating:
Summary: Incomparable
Review: I recently learned in one of the trade magazines that Charles Todd is actually a mother-son writing team. No problem. From the outset, I've found this to be one of the most well-conceived, historically accurate series ever. The idea of a WW1 veteran tormented by the Scottish burring of comments and observations (inside his own head) of a solider he admired and respected, yet had to condemn to death on the battlefield shouldn't work. But it does. It's no small accomplishment; neither is the circuitous plotting and stunning characterizations-of even the most minor characters. Each book deals less with who-did-it and far more with why-did-s/he-do it; and the convoluted rationales of the central characters are never short of fascinating. What I found particularly enjoyable about Legacy Of The Dead was the meticulous detailing of the search for Eleanor Gray, missing for three years; as well as the identity of the child in possession of the heroine, Fiona MacDonald, who is imprisoned on a charge of murdering the nameless skeletal remains of a woman (who might or might not be Eleanor Gray). This is sleuthing at its best. I've loved each book in this series, and this latest met my every expectation. I recommend the series wholeheartedly.
Rating:
Summary: Best so far of the Ian Rutledge series
Review: I strongly disagree with other reviewers who think Legacy of the Dead is the weakest of this series. I thought it was the most consistently interesting of them all. In this book, each secondary character has a purpose, there aren't too many red herrings, and the story moves very quickly. In the other books, I've found myself peeking ahead impatiently to see where the story is going. Here I stayed right with it all the way through to the end. I also think Todd does a good job in this novel of presenting the post-WWI world more convincingly. In some of the other books, the WWI aspect seemed tacked on, and the story really could have taken place at any time. In this book, Todd does a better job of showing how, for almost all the characters, the world of 1919 is vastly different than it had been merely a few years ago. Todd accomplishes this with the constant and casual mention of men who've died, by showing how the deaths of so many men changed the roles and expectations of women, especially young women, and how the war changed even fashions in clothing. Todd also nicely shows the disparity between what people at home were told officially and wanted to believe about the experience in the trenches and what the soldiers actually did experience. Having recently visiting the stunnng WWI exhibit at the Imperial War Museum in London, I am glad to see that Todd made Rutledge's memories of the trenches more realistic and bit more graphic in this book. I do think that Hamish is getting a little benign for a mental demon. In this novel, he is more of a partner than a tormentor. He doesn't seem to get in Rutledge's way much anymore, which is not too convincing. Each of the Rutledge books stands on its own, and I don't think there's any particular value to reading them in order. If you are considering this series, this is a good title to start with.
Rating:
Summary: A superior series
Review: In 1919 Scotland, World War I veteran, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge investigates the death of Eleanor Gray, last seen three years ago. Apparently, the remains of a person, probably Eleanor, have been found on a mountainside near Duncarrick. The local police arrest Fiona MacDonald for murdering Eleanor. Ian knows he must carefully conduct his investigation so as not to affront the victim's mother Lady Maude Gray. At the same time, Ian feels stifled because the accused declines any defense even if it means her execution. With the ghost of Hamish MacLeod haunting his every step, Ian asks questions of anyone associated with the two women especially during the year of Eleanor's disappearance. Each step forward seems to lead to detours from the truth as an unknown puppet master manipulates behind the scenes. In his fourth appearance, Rutledge has become a complete character so that readers can fully understand him and through his mind MacLeod. In turn, the audience also obtains a feel for the impact of World War I especially on the immediate decade that followed. LEGACY OF DEAD is a powerful entry in a strong series as Charles Todd continues his intelligent writing that assumes his followers are shrewd and perceptive individuals. This novel is a dazzling historical police procedural that will send new fans searching for the three antecedent books. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Contrived...Cute
Review: Oh, what a disappointment! It seemed like a good idea, clever, in theory. the reality was that I tried to get through the book several times, but just couldn't. Found it contrived, dull, and the writing mediocre. Admittedly, however, I am VERY fussy about my Brit mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: The Dead leave their Legacy
Review: The dead leave their legacy in many forms after a war. Charles Todd's writes about post WWI England in Legacy of the Dead. Ian Rutledge makes another appearance as the twisted, wounded Scotland Yard Inspector haunted by the great war. In this novel Ian has a chance to atone for the past by investigating the murder charges of widow Fiona McDonald the fiance of Hamish McLeod the man who haunts Ian. After a smear campaign Fiona is charged with the murder of Eleanor Gray, the woman who the villagers believe is the real mother of Fiona's child. Ian Rutledge is a man walking a tight rope - poised on the precipice between the realms of sanity and insanity. He carries with him as a complaining companion Hamish McLeod, a man who was executed for cowardice during the war. Charles Todd presents an England in which war has left a mark and ravaged the culture from average man to the great. The people are beginning to pick up the pieces and put the normalcy back in their lives. Todd shows how many people have continuing difficulty with this, after having big portions of their lives torn from them. The heroes and villains of his work are all distorted by the War. Legacy of the Dead like other works of Todd's has a dark and gloomy setting, which some readers may not appreciate. Within this gloominess, there appears the edges of a glow of the sun. Readers can appreciate the strength of the human spirit. Ian Rutledge does seem to persevere and follow the right and decent human path. It seems that with each book the complexities of Rutledge character becomes more defined. This book adds a needed chapter to his life. I look forward to reading additional Charles Todd books.
Rating:
Summary: The Dead leave their Legacy
Review: The dead leave their legacy in many forms after a war. Charles Todd's writes about post WWI England in Legacy of the Dead. Ian Rutledge makes another appearance as the twisted, wounded Scotland Yard Inspector haunted by the great war. In this novel Ian has a chance to atone for the past by investigating the murder charges of widow Fiona McDonald the fiance of Hamish McLeod the man who haunts Ian. After a smear campaign Fiona is charged with the murder of Eleanor Gray, the woman who the villagers believe is the real mother of Fiona's child. Ian Rutledge is a man walking a tight rope - poised on the precipice between the realms of sanity and insanity. He carries with him as a complaining companion Hamish McLeod, a man who was executed for cowardice during the war. Charles Todd presents an England in which war has left a mark and ravaged the culture from average man to the great. The people are beginning to pick up the pieces and put the normalcy back in their lives. Todd shows how many people have continuing difficulty with this, after having big portions of their lives torn from them. The heroes and villains of his work are all distorted by the War. Legacy of the Dead like other works of Todd's has a dark and gloomy setting, which some readers may not appreciate. Within this gloominess, there appears the edges of a glow of the sun. Readers can appreciate the strength of the human spirit. Ian Rutledge does seem to persevere and follow the right and decent human path. It seems that with each book the complexities of Rutledge character becomes more defined. This book adds a needed chapter to his life. I look forward to reading additional Charles Todd books.
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