All 24 Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries Books In Order at Book DNA

1
A Test of Wills

Inspector Rutledge left a brilliant career in Scotland Yard to fight in the Great War. It is now 1919, shell shocked and trying to salvage his sanity and fight off the colleagues jealous of his prewar successes he is drawn into the investigation of the murdered Colonel Harris, in a…

Ann's list on the best wwi love stories
James's list on the best books that capture struggling war veterans returning to civilian life

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

2
Wings of Fire

Two years after World War I in Cornwall, England, an influential relative of three murdered family members convinces Scotland Yard to send Inspector Rutledge to investigate, unaware that Ian suffers shell shock from his own participation in the war effort. Mystery Guild Feat. Tour.

3
Search the Dark

Scotland Yard's most intrepid inspector is sent to Dorset with strict orders to coordinate the search for two missing children, but his investigation is complicated by his growing feelings for a potential suspect.

4
Legacy of the Dead

In Ian Rutledge, Charles Todd has created a classic literary figure. A survivor of World War I, Rutledge is a man walking on the edge of insanity, finding both relief and more madness in his work as a Scotland Yard investigator. Now this series, praised by The New York Times…

5
Watchers of Time

In his latest novel, bestselling author Charles Todd brings his classic mystery series to a new level of intensity and intrigue. The year is 1919, and Ian Rutledge is a fragile yet courageous former soldier searching for his place in a postwar world. Now a Scotland Yard investigator, Rutledge is…

6
A Fearsome Doubt

Bestselling author Charles Todd has earned a special place among mystery’s elite writers with his acclaimed series featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge, a former soldier seeking to lay to rest the demons of his past in the aftermath of World War I. But that past bleeds into the present…

7
A Cold Treachery

Charles Todd returns to the world of Scotland Yard’s Inspector Ian Rutledge in a series that the New York Times Book Review called “harrowing psychological drama” and the Washington Post Book World hailed as “among the most intelligent and affecting being written these days.” This time the embattled Inspector has…

8
A Long Shadow

New Year's Eve, 1919. Called away from dinner at the home of friends, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge finds a brass cartridge casing on the steps outside. While it looks identical to the countless others he'd seen during the war, this one has a mysterious engraving. Curious, he pockets it.…

9
A False Mirror

A love triangle turned deadly sends Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge to Hampton Regis, a small harbor town on the southern coast of England simmering with secrets. Accused of attacking a former lover's husband, an old trenchmate has taken the woman and her injured husband hostage. Proclaiming his innocence, he…

10
A Pale Horse

Late on a spring night in 1920, five boys cross the Yorkshire dales to the ruins of Fountains Abbey, intent on raising the Devil. Instead, they stumble over the Devil himself, sitting there watching them. Terrified, they run for their lives, leaving behind a book on alchemy stolen from their…

11
A Matter of Justice

“Charles Todd hasn’t made a misstep yet in his elegant series featuring Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge, and A Matter of Justice keeps the streak going.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer

The Washington Post calls the Ian Rutledge novels by Charles Todd, “one of the best historical series being written today.” A…

12
The Red Door

At the end of a terrible war, a woman painted the door to her house red to welcome her husband home from the Front, but he never returned. Two years later, in the English summer of 1920, she lies lifeless behind that door, savagely bludgeoned to death. In London, a…

13
A Lonely Death

A breathtaking blend of psychological complexity, haunting atmosphere, compelling twists, and impressive detail, the novels in the Ian Rutledge mystery series have at their heart the compelling Scotland Yard detective inspector, a veteran of the Great War who understands all too well the darkness that lies within men's souls. Now…

14
The Confession

Claiming he needs to clear his conscience, a dying man walks into Scotland Yard and confesses that he killed his cousin years ago during the war. When Inspector Ian Rutledge presses for details, the man dodges the questions, revealing only that he hails from the north of London in Essex.…

15
Proof of Guilt

An unidentified body appears to have been run down by a motorcar and Ian Rutledge is leading the investigation to uncover what happened. While signs point to murder, vital questions remain. Who is the victim? And where, exactly, was he killed? One small clue leads the Inspector to a firm…

16
Hunting Shadows

A dangerous case with ties leading back to the battlefields of World War I dredges up dark memories for Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge in Hunting Shadows, a gripping and atmospheric historical mystery set in 1920s England, from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd. A society wedding at…

17
A Fine Summer's Day

New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd takes readers on a trip to Ian Rutledge's past, with the story of the last case the Scotland Yard detective tackles before he goes off to fight in World War I. New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd takes readers into Scotland Yard…

18
No Shred of Evidence

In this absorbing new entry in the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series, Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge is caught up in a twisted web of vengeance and murder. On the north coast of Cornwall, an apparent act of mercy is repaid by an arrest for murder. Four young women have…

19
Racing the Devil

Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge finds himself caught in a twisted web of vengeance, old grievances, and secrets that lead back to World War I in the nineteenth installment of the acclaimed bestselling series. On the eve of the bloody Battle of the Somme, a group of English officers having a…

20
The Gate Keeper

Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge is a witness to murder in the twentieth installement of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series

Rutledge gives the bride away at his sister's wedding, filling the role of his late parents. And when the evening ends, he's too restless to sleep. Changing his clothes,…

21
The Black Ascot

Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge seeks a killer who has eluded Scotland Yard for years in this next installment of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series.

An astonishing tip from a grateful ex-convict seems implausible-but Inspector Ian Rutledge is intrigued and brings it to his superior at Scotland Yard. Alan…

22
A Divided Loyalty

"Todd's astute character studies . . . offer a fascinating cross section of postwar life. . . . A satisfying puzzle-mystery." - The New York Times Book Review

Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge is assigned one of the most baffling investigations of his career: an unsolved murder case with an…

23
A Fatal Lie

"If there's ever been a more complex and compelling hero in crime fiction than Inspector Rutledge, I can't think of one." -Jeffery Deaver

In one of his most puzzling cases, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge must delve deep into a dead man's life and his past to find a killer…

24
A Game of Fear

USA Today Bestseller

In this newest installment of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series, Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge is faced with his most perplexing case yet: a murder with no body, and a killer who can only be a ghost.

Spring, 1921. Scotland Yard sends Inspector Ian Rutledge to…

24 Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries books in order

1 A Test of Wills

Ann's list on the best wwi love stories

James's list on the best books that capture struggling war veterans returning to civilian life

2 Wings of Fire

3 Search the Dark

4 Legacy of the Dead

5 Watchers of Time

6 A Fearsome Doubt

7 A Cold Treachery

8 A Long Shadow

9 A False Mirror

10 A Pale Horse

11 A Matter of Justice

12 The Red Door

13 A Lonely Death

14 The Confession

15 Proof of Guilt

16 Hunting Shadows

17 A Fine Summer's Day

18 No Shred of Evidence

19 Racing the Devil

20 The Gate Keeper

21 The Black Ascot

22 A Divided Loyalty

23 A Fatal Lie

24 A Game of Fear