A Matter of Justice (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries, 11)

"The author (s) is at his best in this murder mystery involving Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard that takes place in post WWI. England is still ever so slowly recovering from the ravages of the war. And Ian is still not yet fully recovered from his four years of war in France. This novel is a continuation of a series of Ian Rutledge novels and each one takes place in a time and place that one imagines England to be but only for the moment because England is under extreme social and economic stress that is rapidly changing from pre WWI days. And Ian, as a policeman continually must adapt in dealing with high society and the new moneyed class where policeman are not ranked very high in the social order. So far the "murders" are taking place in the English countryside where villages have constables who ride bicycles, where manners dictate tea and cake for every occasion and where the authors sow interesting bits of English history into every novel. Ian at least has a motorcar that he has to crank to get started and does not carry a firearm. The authors description of the villages and the countryside are utterly delightful as well as Ian's though process into the process of solving a murder mystery. You sometimes need a flowchart to keep track of "suspects" but as the investigation unfolds suspects are eliminated one by one. The author leaves you in the dark as to the actual murderer until the very end but key suspects always had good reason to do the deed if they had wanted to. The writing is beautiful, and developed and always suspenseful....."
느린 이야기 전개지만 작품의 끝까지 독자들의 흥미를 끌게 만드는 매력을 가진 작품이다. 특히 반전이나 결말을 이끌어내는 과정이 흥미롭다. 개인적 복수나 이익을 위해서 법을 사용하는 경찰, 돈을 위해서 사람을 죽이고 양심의 가책을 느끼지 못하는 소위 상류층, 복수를 위해서 질투와 열등감을 이용하는 사람, 편하게 살기보다는 복수를 선택하는 여자, 자식들의 미래를 생각해야 하는 부모들 등 다양한 이야기가 등장한다. 문장이나 표현의 난이도는 전작들과 비슷하다.