The Confession: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery

Charles Todd

HarperCollins, Jan 3, 2012 - Fiction - 352 pages

Claiming he needs to clear his conscience, a dying man walks into Scotland Yard and confesses that he killed his cousin years ago during the war. When Inspector Ian Rutledge presses for details, the man dodges the questions, revealing only that he hails from the north of London in Essex. With little information and no body to open an official inquiry, Rutledge begins to look into the case on his own. But less than two weeks later, the would-be killer's body is found floating in the Thames, a bullet hole in the back of his head. Searching for answers, Rutledge discovers that the dead man was not who he claimed to be. So what was his real name - and who put a bullet in his head? Was the confession and his own death related? Or was there something else in the victim's past that had led to his murder? The inspector's only clue is a gold locket - found around the dead man's neck-that leads back to Essex, an insular village that will do anything to protect itself from notoriety. For notoriety brings the curious, and with the curious comes change and an unwelcome spotlight on a centuries' old act of evil that even now can damn them all.

What people are saying

Review: The Confession (Inspector Ian Rutledge #14)

User Review  - Amy - Goodreads

A nicely paced story, with few real clues and the need to go back into past. Slightly unsatisfying ending, with some frustrating loose ends, but a good book, as usual from the Charles Todd team.

Review: The Confession (Inspector Ian Rutledge #14)

User Review  - Elizabeth - Goodreads

not nearly as good as I hoped. I found this book to be somewhat slow-paced although the story of "who did it" was intriguing.

About the author

Charles Todd is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and one stand-alone novel. A mother-and-son writing team, they live in Delaware and North Carolina, respectively.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Confession: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery; Ian Rutledge Mysteries; Volume 14 of Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery Series, Charles Todd
• Author: Charles Todd
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: HarperCollins, 2012
• ISBN: 0062015664, 9780062015662
• Length: 352 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General; Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Historical; Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Traditional British