Art Scene

Mystery, They Wrote

By Lynn Kaczmarek , August 21st, 2008

I first heard of Charles Todd in 1996 when I received a galley of his first book, A Test of Wills, for review. Having recently come to the reviewing business, I felt an obligation to read the darn thing although I made a mental note to tell my editor that I really disliked historical mysteries. Twenty pages in, however, I crumpled the note and tossed it. A Test of Wills, set in 1919 England, changed my entire view of this sub-genre and historical novels in general. Characters and setting were carefully and thoughtfully portrayed, the plot was challenging enough to keep me interested, and the time period was fascinating – imagine my surprise!

Fast forward to early 1998 – Chris Aldrich and I owned Mystery News and Charles Todd had just written his second book, Wings of Fire. I figured this was a fine opportunity to discover more about the author who prompted my interest in history. And, following on the tail end of odd rumors hypothesizing the pseudonymous author worked for the CIA, an interesting interview was likely. I learned a lot that day on the phone (He didn’t work for the CIA, but a big corporation that thought employees shouldn’t have a life), but not the entire story…

Move ahead to November 2001, Arlington Virginia. Mystery News has a table in the Bouchercon Mystery Convention book room, but this year we’ve invited some authors to come and chat with fans – and sign books, of course. It’s Saturday afternoon and a young fan hands his book over for signature. An attractive, soft-spoken grey-haired grandmother of a woman smiles sweetly and signs “Charles Todd” at the bottom of the title page. Then she hands the open book to a good-looking younger man seated next to her. Somewhere around the middle of the title page he signs “Charles Todd.” That’s how Charles Todd handles book signings these days – by getting his mom in on the act.

Back in 2000, upon the publication of the fourth book, Legacy of the Dead, Bantam let the cat out of the bag – every one of the acclaimed Inspector Ian Rutledge books was written in collaboration between Charles Todd and his mother, Caroline. As Caroline once told me, “Charles and Caroline have the same Latin root.” After an interview with them where I listened for 90 minutes to the two authors talking of shared experiences, completing each other’s thoughts and gently chiding each other, I realized that they had far more in common than a name. I have yet to discover whether “Todd” is their real surname, or whether “Charles” or “Caroline” belong to them either. What I do know, and what really matters, in my mind, is that together they write some of today’s best historical mysteries.

Set in WWI England, Charles Todd’s books feature Inspector Ian Rutledge. Having left a promising career in Scotland Yard, Rutledge comes back from the war invisibly damaged, carrying with him the voice of Hamish MacLeod, a young soldier he ordered executed for refusing to fight. In the hope that work would distract him from the horrors he had seen and the unrelenting voice in his head, Rutledge returns to Scotland Yard to pick up his interrupted career. Unfortunately, there is a hidden enemy at the Yard – Superintendent Bowles, Rutledge’s supervisor.

The series has now stretched to 10 books with the most recent, A Pale Horse, published in December 2007. A Matter of Justice is scheduled for publication in December of this year. Each of the books is set in 1919, one taking place approximately a month after the other. The setting varies with each book and moves from Warwickshire to Cornwall, to Dorset, to the Scottish Highlands…you get the idea. And although Rutledge has healed somewhat over the course of the series, the voice of Hamish remains. And even now, after 10 books, there is still no sense of gimmick here. Caroline explains the creation of Hamish this way:

“Rutledge actually brought Hamish to us. We didn’t decide that we wanted a voice in his head, but as we began to work with the fact that he had been at the Yard before the war and was returning to the Yard shell-shocked, trying to cope with everything, we were looking for a way to express what he brought home from the war. And all of a sudden realized that Rutledge had already worked that out. It was not something that we created and is not something that will fade as if you get tired of it. It will change because in the ream man it would shift and the relationship would warm up and then it would turn cold depending upon what forces are affecting Rutledge at the moment.”

And so it has been. The voice of Hamish is antagonistic or calming or confrontational depending on the moment and offers an insightful counter-point to Rutledge’s own thoughts.

So, if you’re a British history aficionado or even if you’re not, you’re sure to enjoy the collaborative work of Charles and Caroline Todd. Still annoyed that I had totally missed their connection in our first interview, I recently revisited the audiotape I made in 1998. And there was the clue at the very end – we were talking about what a pain it was to receive packages when you travel a lot. And Charles responded, “I have packages delivered to an older retired couple I’ve known for a long time…” I suspect Caroline Todd might just take exception to that today.

The Books of Charles Todd:

A Test of Wills (1996)

Wings of Fire (1998)

Search the Dark (1999)

Legacy of the Dead (2000)

Watchers of Time (2001)

A Fearsome Doubt (2002)

A Cold Treachery (2005)

A Long Shadow (2006)

A False Mirror (2007)

A Pale Horse (2008)

Lynn Kaczmarek is the Managing Editor of the national publication, Mystery News. She lives with her husband Mack, her books, and three new kittens in Egg Harbor.

Door County Tickets