The Red Door (eBook)

Description

New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd brings back Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge in another riveting mystery set in post–World War I England Lancashire, England, June 1920. In a house with a red door lies the body of a woman who has been bludgeoned to death. Rumor has it that two years earlier, she'd painted that door to welcome her husband back from the Front. Only he never came home.

Meanwhile, in London, a man suffering from a mysterious illness first goes missing and then just as suddenly reappears. He is unable to explain his recovery. His family, supposedly searching for him, give conflicting accounts of where they were and why. What is the secret that nearly drove one man mad and turned his brothers and sister against one another with such unexpected savagery?

Inspector Ian Rutledge, drawn into both cases and facing a wall of silence, must solve two mysteries before he can bring a ruthless killer to justice: Who was the woman who lived and died behind the red door? Who was the man who never came home from the Great War, for the simple reason that he might never have gone? And what have they to do with a man who cannot break the seal of his own guilt without damning those he loves most?

About the Author

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

Praise for The Red Door…

“Compelling.”
-San Jose Mercury News on The Red Door

“Fascinating and compelling.”
-Winston-Salem Journal on The Red Door

“One of the strongest entries yet in a series that shows no sign of losing steam….Once again Todd perfectly balances incisive portraits of all the characters, not just the complex and original lead.”
-Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Red Door

“Engaging and atmospheric.”
-Library Journal on The Red Door

“A complex story with lots of unexpected twists and turns….A fun ride to a surprising conclusion.”
-Mystery Scene on The Red Door

“Superb…haunting tale of love and loss.”
-Globe and Mail (Toronto) on The Red Door

“In The Red Door, Charles Todd shows again that this series about Ian Rutledge, a battle-fatigued World War I veteran and Scotland Yard detective, is as fresh and original as when the shell-shocked detective debuted 12 novels ago.”
-Sun-Sentinel (Florida) on The Red Door

“An intriguing story that’s impossible to put down…reminiscent of Agatha Christie.”
-Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) on The Red Door

“The book is more than a whodunit. Todd’s characters are well-wrought, his settings evocative, and the book a pleasure to read.”
-World magazine on The Red Door