Search the Dark

By: Charles Todd

Narrated by: Samuel Gillies

Dorset is the latest setting for the talents of Inspector Ian Rutledge, a veteran of the First World War still haunted, literally, by his actions. Indeed, his personal ghost only serves to complicate things as his inner doubts blend into the trauma of the case. The disappearance of two children, the murder of a woman supposed to be their mother, and an unstable suspect who may or may not be guilty form the bones of Todd's latest psychological thriller, augmented by the in-depth and impressive character analysis that distinguishes his novels.©2000 Charles Todd (P)1999 Recorded Books

The real costs of war—after it.

Badly damaged minds, souls and bidies of WWI ‘survivors’ in an almost Gothic tale of loss, madness, ambition. Could be faster-paced, sometimes the dialogue is maddeningly obtuse. Great voice reading.

A Different Slant on Things

What made the experience of listening to Search the Dark the most enjoyable?

If you are an actual combat veteran you may read this book with a different perspective. Combat strips a person down existenial essentials of life and death and there is no turning back from what you may learn about yourself. This book describes "Survivor Guilt" very clearly how you don't just get over it and move on.

Really Great Reads

Historically interesting with intriguing, twisty plots. A great series with very engaging main characters. Excellent!

Yeah, It's Dark, Scary, and Perfectly Plotted

Okay... I didn't guess who dunnit. Todd creates so many perfect suspects and so many red herrings. I love this schizzo inspector. It's very British here in its plotting but not so British as to exclude us from chewing along with Ian Rutledge on the clues swirling around like the tiny bugs in a mid-summer swarm. On occasion I sort of wish that Samuel Gillies's characters were just a tad more different to avoid a bit of confusion, but on the whole he's competent.

There's a dark anti-war shadow over this post WWI period when Britain stood between imperial greatness and modern-age coping. And Todd explores that cultural crack wonderfully in this series. So well, I've just downloaded another Ian Rutledge mystery.

In Rutledge's shoes

with Rutledge, I never can guess more than he. So, it stays a mystery till the end. The reader I had to get used to. He can often, but not always, make distinctions between the figures. All in all, I liked it.