A Test of Wills Audiobook By Charles Todd cover art

A Test of Wills

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A Test of Wills

By: Charles Todd
Narrated by: Samuel Giles
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Ian Rutledge returns to his career at Scotland Yard after years fighting in the First World War. Unknown to his colleagues he is still suffering from shell shock, and is burdened with the guilt of having had executed a young soldier on the battlefield for refusing to fight. A jealous colleague has learned of his secret and has managed to have Rutledge assigned to a difficult case which could spell disaster for Rutledge whatever the outcome.

A retired officer has been murdered, and Rutledge, fighting the torment of his illness, goes to investigate. As he digs into the lives of the villagers, the witness who disturbs him most is a war-ravaged ex-soldier who chills Rutledge with the realization that he could become like this man.

©1996 Charles Todd (P)1999 W.F. Howes Historical Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives
Intriguing Mystery • Complex Characters • Good Accents • Historical Backdrop • Unexpected Twists • Compelling Storyline
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Inspector Rutledge returns to his position at Scotland Yard after long and horrendous combat service as an officer in World War I. He has been damaged in soul and psyche, and in ways that make him one of the most fascinating detectives in the genre. This first book in the series is truly special, well written, compelling, and different.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend listening to this narration. Even though I've read the book (albeit a number of years ago), I found myself totally confused almost from the beginning as to which character was speaking. We become so used to narrators who handle multiple-character dialog well (even if they don't always sound like we think a beloved character should) that it's a shock to listen to someone with this little skill at voice differentiation. In scenes where Rutledge is conducting interviews, it's almost impossible to follow the flow of questions and answers and the vital information (the plot is fairly complicated) that emerges from these interviews.

There's nothing "wrong" with Giles's voice, he just doesn't use it well. Read the book, skip this audio.

Difficult to follow the narrator

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A Teat of Wills is Ian Rutledge Book 1. I've just written a 3 star review for Book 10 in the series. Charles Todd is an outstanding author of police thrillers and teamed with narrator Simon Prebble his novels are usually outstanding.

This book is really special. Rutledge has just returned from fighting in WWI where he had to execute a man for refusing to fight. He is assigned a case that is likely to turn out bad for him.

I listened to this book 2 years ago.

Charles Todd at his best!

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Charles Todd is a superlative writer. I'm already on my next Ian Rutledge novel. Terrific plots and character studies. Buy it.

Great Mystery

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The first in the Inspector Ian Rutledge series gives us the background of the Scotland Yard detective, who has returned to his post at the yard, following service in WWI on the battlefields of France. He is constantly accompanied by Corporal Hamish MacLeod, long dead, whom Rutledge had ordered shot by firing squad in France, because of his desertion. Following the war, Rutledge was hospitalized for wounds sustained in the War to End all Wars, and also treated for shell shock. Learning to deal with the voice in his head (Hamish), who it seems had come to be part of his conscience as well as a guide in his work as a Scotland Yard detective, was a battle that Rutledge fought daily. Trying to quell his urge to speak out loud to Hamish when in the company of others was difficult. Yet the wounds left by the war made Ian Rutledge a much better detective in many ways, much to the dismay of his superiors at the Yard . . . who were expecting him to fail. His insight into the case of murder of the retired officer and the accused shell-shocked ex-soldier and his manner of conducting the investigation wasn’t what many expected . . . but it made for a most excellent story. . . and conclusion. Bravo! Great first in the series!

Shell Shock and Murder

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ok but some unnecessay dialogue. A little confusing at times. Names were confusing and relationships odd until the end.

ok

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Wonderful all around! Enjoyed it from beginning to end. Will listen to the others in the series.

Great listening

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I had read this book several years ago, and wanted to read more in the series, so I listened to this one to get reintroduced to the main character. I found the narrator to not be great at differentiating multiple characters' voices,and sometime I just couldn't tell who the speaker was, unless the name of the speaker was revealed. I found the solution to the mystery to be a complete surprise; there is nothing in the book that even hinted at the identity of the murderer. I'm not sure what I thought about that technique; I'll see if that continues in later books

A good start to a series

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I'm not sure where this book falls in the Ian Rutledge series, but I feel it must be near the beginning. The reader sounds like "old school" England, very proper. Not everyone would find his style enjoyable. The story weaves in and out through characters in the village looking for a murderer, but finally, Rutledge's former wit and skills return to him to find the most unusual killer. Afterwards, he and Hamish stand up to one another each vowing to be the stronger. Worth listening to.

One of the First in the Series

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i read/listened three Ian Rutledge books by Charles Todd and found them interesting, challenging and compelling. Inspector Rutledge Ian returns to the Scotland Yard after WWI and a harrowing experience. He finds himself thrown into cases by a superior with some deep seated desire to ruin the inspector. Add to the mix a haunting voice in his head from his war experience you have the potential for some great stories. While I enjoyed the actual stories It was difficult to make my way through them because of the reader. His voice is grating to my ears but worse is the completely unconvincing accents and the tone of his voice. It did not live up to the different characters. Mostly I was not convinced I was hearing Inspector Rutledge. It just was not there for me.

Good book, unconvincing reader!

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The story was intricate enough to keep me guessing until the very end. Compelling and thoughtful--a great read/listen

Kept me guessing!

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