For once, out of sight as well as out of mind; Rutledge is off to Wales and its environs to determine what happened to one of Britain's WW1 Bantams. In the early days of the Great War; England would not accept men shorter than 5' 3" into their army. As losses mounted, they changed their minds and created the Bantam Regiments. The victim served in one of the regiments until wounded and as is not unusual in a Rutledge book the crime has a WW1 connection. Connecting the dots is tedious but the inspector is dogged as well as intrepid so he eventually sorts it out. ( )

What can I say? I love Ian Rutledge. He's probably not particularly handsome nor blessed with charm, but his mind...I love his mind! It's always quite the adventure to go on a case with him. In this book he is sent to determine if a body pulled from the river was an accidental death or murder. It was murder and it involved a missing child and a few more murders as well. I enjoy reading about all the cities he travels through and the scenery as well. Well done! ( )

first book that I've read from the series. It was okay. Drawn out far too long and the characters seemed far to dumb to be believable. ( )

This is the first book that I've read in this long running series but not my first book by this author. I've read and enjoyed a couple books in the Bess Crawford series so I jumped at the chance to read this one even though it's book #23. It honestly didn't affect my enjoyment in the slightest as I really enjoyed my time with this book. This book was a slow burn in the best of ways. I love a good historical mystery that just pulls me into both the story and the time period that it is set in. I found myself following along with Inspector Ian Rutledge as he struggled to figure out the identity of the dead man and then to also find the killer. I loved the quiet suspense that was present throughout this book. This isn't a mystery or book that is meant to be rushed through. Instead, it is one to immerse yourself in and get lost within the pages. I found it interesting reading and learning about Ian Rutledge. There are some obvious things in his past that I was missing out on that I'm guessing that we would have learned more about in previous books. I definitely plan on going back to the beginning of this series at some point in the very near future.

Overall, this is a book that I think that historical mystery fans and mystery readers in general will enjoy. Just make sure that you go in with the correct expectations that this is a mystery and not a thriller that you will fly through. Readers that enjoy slow burns and detective (inspector) focused stories should definitely give this book or series a try! Recommended.

Bottom Line: A slow burning mystery that pulled me into its pages.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher. Honest thoughts are my own. ( )

Rutledge is sent to investigate a battered and unidentified body in a remote area. When he identifies the man and begins to track his movements to find the killer other people are killed. He then learns of a missing child and the urgency of the case increases, save other witnesses and find and save the child. Tensions left behind at Scotland Yard are referred to but not resolved