Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard must contend with two dangerous enemies in New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd's Proof of Guilt.
Can Rutledge solve the apparent murder of a top wine merchant while dealing with interference from his superior, the new Acting Chief Superintendent?
Readers of Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford books and London-based Ian Rutledge mysteries will be thrilled with Proof of Guilt, clue by clue.
Download and start listening now!
"One of my favorite series but this book, in my opinion, is not the strongest of the Inspector Rutledge books. It is probably more of a personal bias on my part. I like the stories that have a closer WWI connection. That is what attracted me to the series in the first place. This became more of a personal family issue and I didn't feel a connection to that. That being said, it is a still an engrossing story and I eagerly await the next."
— Deshay (4 out of 5 stars)
“Thanks to Downton Abbey, post-World War I England couldn’t be a better place to set a novel. And Charles Todd, an American mother-son writing team, has been ahead of the curve for years…It’s a complicated, very complex tale with an ever-expanding cast of characters and missing bodies. By the end you’ll be gnashing your teeth anxiously waiting for the puzzle pieces to fall together and make sense of all that’s come before.”
— USA Today“The mother and son who use the Todd nom de plume continue to impress with their fifteenth Rutledge mystery, coupling a gripping whodunit with their ongoing exploration of the aftereffects of the hell of WWI on the human psyche…As usual, the authors toss a lot of plot balls in the air and manage to juggle them deftly.”
— Publishers Weekly“Fans of the long-running Rutledge series will enjoy this one. It has a good, convoluted story and a few surprises that should keep readers on their toes. A solid entry in this always reliable series.”
— Booklist“Excellent writing, strong characters and a complicated mystery make this book first-rate.”
— RT Reviews (4 stars)“Scotland Yard’s Ian Rutledge strives to solve another gripping post-WWI puzzle. Simon Prebble thoroughly embodies the story’s many leading men, stoically depicting their strong emotions…The shell-shocked Rutledge and his imaginary Scots sidekick, Hamish, are both potently viable as performed by the insightful Prebble.”
— AudioFile" Very poor. Other books in this series were not bad. Awful writing ridiculous plotting. So long chuck "
— Jim, 2/18/2014" Normally I either love or really like the Ian Rutledge books but this one didn't quite live up to expectations. The characters were developed well and the sense of place was good. However, I didn't feel the tension in the plot that is usually there. In fact, the plot seemed weak to me. I would have given it a 3.5 if that were possible as I almost really liked it! "
— Lela, 2/14/2014" Read my review at Between the Covers... "
— Heather, 2/4/2014" Was it the story? Was it the pace? Not a bad plot but I found it getting tedious partway through but managed to hung in and read to the end. I will likely keep the series on my watch for list but if the next doesn't satisfy more I will move on. "
— Elizabeth, 1/21/2014" I am a fan who anxiously awaits each new book. This one was a disappointment - disjointed, with too many characters who were not well-developed and about whom I cared little. And can someone tell me what happened to Lewis French? The ending was too slow to come and yet abysmally abrupt. "
— Mary, 1/19/2014" Not as engaging as previous titles in this series. A little slow and the characters didn't draw me in like they usually do. A little boring :(. Too bad because this has been a favorite series of mine. "
— Marcie, 1/19/2014" I really enjoy Charles Todd mysteries, but this one seemed to be missing the last chapter where the authors neatly tie everything up for the reader. This one left me drawing my own conclusions. Still a great read except for the abrupt ending. "
— Heidi, 1/8/2014" Convoluted plot with incomplete resolution. Still, I like Rutledge. "
— Nell, 1/8/2014" I'm not sure what went wrong with this book. It might be an editing issue. But the result was a completely unsatisfactory ending. This isn't a spoiler alert. There's no resolution to a primary part of the plot. Oversight? Copy dropped in production? Hard to guess, but definitely a problem. "
— Amy, 1/8/2014" I blew hot & cold with this volume in the series. I found myself having to rewind often to gain understanding of the plot & the characters. I agree with Janet, it was hard to keep track of who was who. "
— Julie, 1/5/2014" Pretty standard stuff for Inspector Rutledge. They need to let the man find a little romance or at least a little peace in his life. "
— Julia, 1/1/2014Charles Todd is a pen name used by the American authors Caroline (1934-2021) and Charles Todd, a mother-and-son writing team who write the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries and the Bess Crawford mysteries, as well as stand-alone novels. Their novel Proof of Guilt was a New York Times bestseller, and A Test of Wills was named one of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association’s 100 favorite mysteries of the 20th Century and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year selection. Their novels have won the Agatha Award, the Barry Award, and the Anthony Award, as well as being finalists for several other awards. Charles is continuing the series.