A Cold Treachery

About the book

Essential to most crime stories is the discovery of hidden and unfavorable information about suspected wrongdoers. However, the duo known as "Charles Todd," who consist of a mother and son, excel in using painful secrets to develop character and plot in their historical novels featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge. It is rare in a Todd story for even the innocent to remain untouched. In their latest work, A Cold Treachery, the authors once again showcase their skills as they send Rutledge, still haunted by the ghost of Hamish MacLeod, to investigate the brutal murder of a sheep-farming family in northern England in the winter.

The violence in December 1919 near Urskdale, where Gerald and Grace Elcott and three of their children were killed, is described as incomprehensible. Their son, Josh Robinson, is missing and feared to have perished in a blizzard. Rutledge must determine if the killer was a stranger passing through or a local with a hidden capacity for cruelty. Possible suspects include Gerald's brother, Paul, who stands to inherit the farm, and Grace's sister, Janet Ashton, who arrives with a gun, claiming it's for protection. Another chilling theory emerges that young Josh, troubled by his parents' separation, committed the murders. Rutledge, desperate for leads and under pressure from his impatient superior, struggles to uncover the truth behind the slaughter.

After a less successful standalone book, The Murder Stone, readers will welcome the return of Todd's depiction of postwar England through Rutledge's eyes. A Cold Treachery is filled with period details, characters burdened by their past, and a protagonist haunted by his own demons. As the specter of Hamish fades into the background, Rutledge begins to find solace in human companionship. --J. Kingston Pierce