Review: The Red Door by Charles Todd

Title: The Red Door

Author: Charles Todd

# pages: 344

Date published: 2010

Genres: mystery, historical fiction

Rating:

 (Good)

First sentence(s):

"She stood in front of the cheval glass, the long mirror that Peter had given her on their second anniversary, and considered herself."

What’s it about? The Red Door, set in post World-War I England, is the twelfth mystery starring Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard. This intricately plotted mystery begins when William Teller, the son of a prominent London family, falls ill and goes missing. When he suddenly reappears he cannot, or will not, explain where he was. In the meantime, a woman with possible ties to the family is found bludgeoned to death. Is her death somehow connected to the man's disappearance or is it just a coincidence?

Random thoughts: This is the first Ian Rutledge mystery I've read and I felt like I was missing a lot in this story by not starting at the beginning of the series. However, this is not really the type of mystery that appeals to me so I doubt I'll go back and read the others. Not that it isn't a good mystery. It is. Its plot is, for the most part, plausible. The characters are interesting. But, for me, it was a little too gentle, for lack of a better word. It reminds me of the Agatha Christie mysteries staring Hercule Poirot. So if you like those, you might want to give the Ian Rutledge mysteries a try, but I'd recommend you start with book #1 in the series, A Test of Wills.

About the Author: Charles Todd is a mother-and-son writing team and live in Delaware and North Carolina, respectively.

Fun tidbits:

• Interested in learning more about this mother and son writing team? Check out Charles Todd's web site.

Recommended for: anyone who enjoys the Agatha Christie mysteries staring Hercule Poirot, cozy mystery readers (even though the main character isn't really an "amateur" detective), or fans of historical fiction.