Racing the Devil (Inspector Ian Rutledge Series #19)

by Charles Todd Narrated by Simon Prebble

Overview

Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge finds himself caught in a twisted web of vengeance, old grievances, and secrets that lead back to World War I in the nineteenth installment of the acclaimed bestselling series.

On the eve of the bloody Battle of the Somme, a group of English officers having a last drink before returning to the Front make a promise to each other: if they survive the battle ahead-and make it through the war-they will meet in Paris a year after the fighting ends. They will celebrate their good fortune by racing motorcars they beg, borrow, or own from Paris to Nice.

In November 1919, the officers all meet as planned, and though their motorcars are not designed for racing, they set out for Nice. But a serious mishap mars the reunion. In the mountains just north of their destination, two vehicles are nearly run off the road, and one man is badly injured. No one knows-or will admit to knowing-which driver was at the wheel of the rogue motorcar.

Back in England one year later, during a heavy rainstorm, a driver loses control on a twisting road and is killed in the crash. Was it an accident due to the hazardous conditions? Or premeditated murder? Is the crash connected in some way to the unfortunate events in the mountains above Nice the year before? The dead driver wasn't in France-although the motorcar he drove was. If it was foul play, was it a case of mistaken identity? Or was the dead man the intended victim after all?

Investigating this perplexing case, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge discovers that the truth is elusive-and that the villages on the South Downs, where the accident happened, are adept at keeping secrets, frustrating his search. Determined to remain in the shadows this faceless killer is willing to strike again to stop Rutledge from finding him. This time, the victim he chooses is a child, and it will take all of Rutledge's skill to stop him before an innocent young life is sacrificed.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio

Todd writes a rich mystery, but in investigating the murder Rutledge also probes the psychic wounds of the village and tries to minister to the collective survivor guilt of the living.

Publishers Weekly

12/19/2016
In the first chapter of bestseller Todd’s suspenseful 19th whodunit featuring Scotland Yard inspector Ian Rutledge (after 2016’s No Shred of Evidence), Andrew Brothers, a veteran of WWI, is nearly run off the road by another car while driving in the South of France in 1919. A year later in East Sussex, Rector Wright, the rector of St. Simon’s church, borrows a motorcar belonging to another WWI veteran, Captain Standish, without the officer’s permission. In a heavy rainstorm at night, Wright is killed instantly in a crash. The local constable, troubled by evidence of another vehicle at the scene of the tragedy, sends for Rutledge; he finds traces of paint on the captain’s car, which suggests that the crash was no accident. Given that the dead man appeared to have no enemies and the collision occurred in the dark, Rutledge pursues the notion that Standish was the intended victim. As always, Todd (the mother-and-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd) maintains a high degree of tension throughout and populates the story with vivid characters bearing the external and internal scars of war. Agent: Jane Chelius, Jane Chelius Literary. (Feb.)This review has been corrected to remove an incorrect word and add a missing one.

From the Publisher

A superb entry in a superb series: an exquisite sense of time and place, a satisfying mystery with a breathless conclusion, and above all the complex, haunted, charismatic Inspector Ian Rutledge himself-truly one of crime fiction’s most absorbing characters.” — Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Praise for No Shred of Evidence: “It’s that melancholy tone, the legacy of the trenches, that gives Todd’s polite rural mystery such uncommon depth.” — Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

“Poirot was one name, Holmes was another, and Rutledge deserves to be in that classic pack of crime solvers.” — Suspense Magazine on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

“Fans already mourning the end of “Downton Abbey” can easily get their English fix by following Rutledge and Hamish on their rounds.” — Wilmington Star News on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

“The mother and son team, who write as Charles Todd, deftly capture the atmosphere of post World War I England in this complex mystery which will appeal to fans of British mysteries.” — Iron Mountain Daily News on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

Praise for the Ian Rutledge series: “I love series that follow particular characters over time and through their experiences, so I automatically read the latest installments from ... Charles Todd.” — Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Times Book Review

“Todd writes a rich mystery, but in investigating the murder Rutledge also probes the psychic wounds of the village and tries to minister to the collective survivor guilt of the living. ‘The dead,’ as the voice in his head tells him, ‘still believe it was worth dying for.’” — Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review on RACING THE DEVIL

“Charles Todd (actually a mother-son writing team) pulls off the voice-in-the-head device exquisitely. Moreover, the series is populated with highly nuanced characters, and the historical research is spot on. In “Racing the Devil,” the pacing is compelling.” — Newark Star Ledger

“Todd’s rich storytelling shines in “Racing the Devil,” showing an England forever changed by The Great War, yet determined to survive.” — South Florida Sun Sentinel

Iron Mountain Daily News on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

The mother and son team, who write as Charles Todd, deftly capture the atmosphere of post World War I England in this complex mystery which will appeal to fans of British mysteries.

Suspense Magazine on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

Poirot was one name, Holmes was another, and Rutledge deserves to be in that classic pack of crime solvers.

South Florida Sun Sentinel

Todd’s rich storytelling shines in “Racing the Devil,” showing an England forever changed by The Great War, yet determined to survive.

Newark Star Ledger

Charles Todd (actually a mother-son writing team) pulls off the voice-in-the-head device exquisitely. Moreover, the series is populated with highly nuanced characters, and the historical research is spot on. In “Racing the Devil,” the pacing is compelling.

Wilmington Star News on NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE

Fans already mourning the end of “Downton Abbey” can easily get their English fix by following Rutledge and Hamish on their rounds.

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Praise for the Ian Rutledge series: “I love series that follow particular characters over time and through their experiences, so I automatically read the latest installments from ... Charles Todd.

Marilyn Stasio

Praise for No Shred of Evidence: “It’s that melancholy tone, the legacy of the trenches, that gives Todd’s polite rural mystery such uncommon depth.

Lee Child

A superb entry in a superb series: an exquisite sense of time and place, a satisfying mystery with a breathless conclusion, and above all the complex, haunted, charismatic Inspector Ian Rutledge himself-truly one of crime fiction’s most absorbing characters.

Library Journal

09/15/2016
In 1919, several English officers are racing from Paris to Nice—which they'd sworn to do if they survived the war—when two are run off the road and one seriously injured. Back home, a car that was also in the race is involved in a fatal crash, and Inspector Ian Rutledge is finally called in. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

FEBRUARY 2017 - AudioFile

Narrator Simon Prebble slips comfortably into Inspector Ian Rutledge’s persona in the 19th installment in the series. Having survived the French battlefields of WWI and a disastrous automobile race in 1919, Rutledge investigates a car crash in the South Downs. Was the man who caused the crash in Nice the same man responsible for the fatal accident in the Downs? Hamish, Rutledge’s ghostly assistant, who is portrayed with a light Scottish brogue, helps the inspector track down the culprit. The close-knit members of the small town in South Downs are portrayed in a variety of soft-toned accents, with each character subtly differentiated. Prebble torques up the tension as Rutledge and Hamish follow elusive clues, determined to solve this convoluted mystery despite the rain and reluctant villagers. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170095001
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/14/2017
Series:	Inspector Ian Rutledge Series , #19
Edition description:	Unabridged

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