A Long Shadow: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery 8

" I enjoyed this novel, as I do all of Charles Todd's books about Inspector Ian Rutledge. The Rutledge novels are well-written, are replete with minutely researched post-Great War period details, and delineate a type of character - the psychologically wounded war veteran trying to adjust - not seen often in literature these days. All these things are to the good, and Todd has marked out an almost virgin territory that has me hooked as a fan. But, what for many may be part of the appeal of these books has become a liability for me. I'm talking about the voice of Hamish MacLeod that resides inside Rutledge's head. If Hamish in life was as bitter, abusive, and censorious as he is in Rutledge's mind, then little wonder he died friendless and alone. After eight times out with this unyielding and unfriendly presence, I find his running commentary tedious, irritating, and extraneous to the mystery...."

Ian Rutledge 시리즈의 8번째 작품이다. 이야기가 느리긴 하지만 전작에 비해서는 빠른 편이다. 경찰관에 대한 공격으로 시작된 조사가 실종사건으로 확대되면서 어두운 과거의 사건들이 드러난다. 그리고 주인공의 목숨을 노리는 의문의 존재 등이 재밌는 요소이다. 문장이나 표현등의 난이도는 이전 시리즈와 비슷하다.