The Gate Keeper: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery (Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries, 20) Paperback – November 20, 2018

Charles Todd's books are an excellent read. Well thought out and believable with setting in the first 20 years of the 20th century. Not one of his books have been disappointing. However both the Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford book need to be read in order. This book sees Hamish MacLeod return as a voice in his head more prominently and the story is so involving that it is almost impossible not to read the book without interruption. Possibly one of his more engaging stories but I would rate all his books 5 star.

I love that I was able to get this book in large print! There are 24 in this series but not all of them are available in large print and some of them one just cannot get. Pricing a bit high but my wife got it for me anyway to have to read on the trip. Good read!

It's hard to believe this is book twenty in this most excellent series about a Scotland Yard Inspector struggling to maintain his career while secretly suffering from shell shock. What happened on the battlefield in World War I literally haunts Ian Rutledge. At times it seems the character hasn't made many advances in recovering from his mental trauma and yet when I look back on the series it is surprising to find that only a few years have passed since Rutledge returned from France and began to pick up the pieces of his life. In this story Rutledge has just seen his sister Frances married and off on her wedding trip. Even though he is happy for her he also knows the stability he has found in relying on her will change when Frances and her husband return to London. All the changes soon to take place in his life keep him from settling for the night so he puts some clothes in a bag and begins to drive through the night with no destination in mind. What he comes upon in the dark hours is a mystery that will demand his full attention so he can keep other deaths from happening.The Todd writing team have developed the Rutledge character to such a degree that I find myself thinking of him as a person, not simply as a fictional character. Maybe that is why the seemingly slow progress Rutledge is making in dealing with his shell shock doesn't bother me so much any more. In the past I've wanted him to be mentally healthy quickly. But that would mean that the character would be totally changed and that's not really what I want. In December 1920, with Christmas just around the corner, this addition to the series shows the residents of small English towns and villages making their slow progress toward what is now normal, working out how life can be lived without all the men who never came back from the fighting. These are stories I enjoy for the mystery set down by the authors. I enjoy the way they build this story from Rutledge having absolutely no clue about what is happening to him finding tiny crumbs of information and building the picture up over time. This story can definitely be read as a standalone novel because a generous portion of the backstory is given to help readers new to the series understand a lot of what has happened previously. There is a generously portioned appearance by Melinda Crawford which readers of the second Charles Todd series (Bess Crawford) will enjoy. The mystery in this story is not solved until almost the final pages. The twist in the story was quite enjoyable and had me fooled. Another top-notch addition to the series.

This my be the best Ian Rutledge yet! Definetely a page-turner for me.. I finished it at 2:00 this morning. Lucky I didn't have to get up to be anywhere at sunrise. It starts right after Ian's sisters wedding. Ian is very happy for her, of course, but unsettled about the changes her marriage will bring to his relationship to her. So he jumps into his motorcar thinking a long drive will give him time to settle his angst. Nothing like a dead body in the middle of a deserted road to take his mind off himself. Two more deaths later, Ian finally manages to put two and two together. He does come up with four, but not in the way he expected. Todd played this one very close to the chest, so I didn't see this one coming either until the very end. All of the victims were very nice people who didn't deserve to die. Many of the characters surrounding them were not nice people and I, at least, would not have been sorry if they would have been the victims. No such luck. My only regret is that Todd didn't include an epilogue to let us know how things turned out for a woman named Vivian Moss, who had been badly used and abused by one of the unsavory characters. This book was intriguing from beginning to end. Todd deserves major kudos for coming up with such a clever plot device. It certainly kept me enthralled till the very end.

Best Rutledge mystery of the past several, and I've loved them all. Agree with another reviewer that this was a page-turner. Rutledge seemed more confident, really seemed to find his voice in this volume. Excellent, large and intriguing supporting cast as well. Seriously didn't want this one to end. I would love a stand alone book (no "mystery" necessarily needed) for a time when Inspector Rutledge over-comes his demon and horrific past. Maybe a love interest? He's a sympathetic wounded character - I'd like to see him get to heal a bit. Thanks to the authors for this wonderful series - highly recommended.

Although I loved the premise of the mystery, the reason I loved this book so well as well all those in the series before this one - is the writing. I love the cadence of the words, the emotions of calm, or sympathy, or tension and frustration evoked by the words. I love way the words transport me so completely into Rutledges’ life and post war Europe. I wait now, for the next.

Würdige und spannende Fortsetzung einer großartigen Serie. Das Autoren-Duo zeigt jedesmal auf's neue, wie sehr eine wohldurchdachte Story alle Nebeneffekte mehr als ersetzen kann. Sehr empfohlen!

'The Gate Keeper' is an excellent addition to the series of Ian Rutledge stories. I sincerely hope that there will be many more.

Really good story. I think this has to be one of my favourites and I have read all but the first two or three that I can't get ahold of. Highly recommend this.

The writing is excellent. I wish the personal life would advance. It feels frozen as if the books may go on without knowing Rutledge any more. The plot twisted and turned and was impossible to guess, I do like both Charles Todd series.