Charles Todd Books in Order (Ian Rutledge, Bess Crawford)

Charles Todd is a pen name used by the American authors Caroline and Charles Todd, a mother-and-son writing team. They published together more than 40 books, all of them set in rural England just after World War I, and received the Mary Higgins Clark, Agatha, and Barry awards.

Charles and Caroline Todd traveled every year in Britain to do extensive research, spending time, and spending time independently in the countryside to explore history. On their writing process, a system was developed after their first book where they collaborated closely on the first chapter, then took turns, never writing together, for focus reasons. They worked in different cities, and if they were in the same place, they didn’t work in the same room (preferably on different floors).

How to read Charles Todd’s Series in Order?

Reading the Inspector Ian Rutledge Book Series in Order

Beginning in 1919, the series follows Scotland Yard inspector Ian Rutledge after he returned from the war front. Suffering from what is now called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Rutledge lives the voice of the soldier named Hamish inside his head, all while solving murders. For more details, go to Inspector Ian Rutledge reading order.

Prequel Novellas

1. Cold Comfort (2013) – Novella collected in Tales.
2. A Guid Soldier (2015)
3. The Piper (2017)

The main series

1. A Test of Wills (1996)
2. Wings of Fire (1998)
3. Search the Dark (1999)
4. Legacy of the Dead (2000)
5. Watchers of Time (2001)
6. A Fearsome Doubt (2002)
7. A Cold Treachery (2005)
8. A Long Shadow (2006)
9. A False Mirror (2007)
10. A Pale Horse (2008)
11. A Matter of Justice (2009)
12. The Red Door (2010)
13. The Kidnapping (2010) – A short story collected in Tales.
14. A Lonely Death (2011)
15. The Confession (2012)
16. Proof of Guilt (2013)
17. Hunting Shadows (2014)
18. A Fine Summer’s Day (2015)
19. No Shred of Evidence (2016)
20. Racing the Devil (2017)
21. The Gate Keeper (2018)
22. The Black Ascot (2019)
23. A Divided Loyalty (2020)
24. A Fatal Lie (2021)
25. A Game of Fear (2022)

Reading the Bess Crawford Book Series in Order

Bess Crawford is not the usual upper-middle-class British gentlewoman. Independent-minded, she grew up in India where she learned the importance of responsibility, honor, and duty from her officer father. Now, she is determined to help as many wounded as possible. For more details, go to Bess Crawford reading order.

1. A Duty to the Dead (2009)
2. The Girl on the Beach – A short story collected in Tales.
3. An Impartial Witness (2010)
4. A Bitter Truth (2011)
5. An Unmarked Grave (2012)
6. The Walnut Tree (2012) – An holiday short story.
7. A Question of Honor (2013)
8. An Unwilling Accomplice (2014)
9. The Maharani’s Pearls (short story) – A short story collected in Tales.
10. A Pattern of Lies (2015)
11. The Shattered Tree (2016)
12. A Casualty of War (2017)
13. A Forgotten Place (2018)
14. A Cruel Deception (2019)
15. A Hanging at Dawn (2020) – A short story.
16. An Irish Hostage (2021)
17. The Cliff’s Edge (2023)

Reading the Stand-alone Novel and Collection by Charles Todd

• The Murder Stone (2003) – The Great War is still raging when Francesca Hatton’s adored grandfather dies on the family estate in England’s isolated Exe Valley. Among his effects, Francesca is stunned to find an unsigned letter cursing the Hattons and their descendants. Then a stranger appears, accusing her grandfather of murder. Was the loving protector Francesca remembers really a vindictive man who cultivated dangerous enemies? At the center of the intrigue is an unusual white stone hidden in a garden where Francesca once played with her five male cousins-all dead now on France’s battlefields. According to Hatton’s will, the Murder Stone must be dug up, transported to Scotland, and buried forever. But before Francesca can begin the journey, a series of ominous “accidents” occur. As Francesca sets out to pursue the truth, she also sets herself in the sights of someone determined to exact a revenge too long overdue.
• Tales (2015) – Published together for the first time: Charles Todd’s absorbing short stories-“The Kidnapping,” “The Girl on the Beach,” “Cold Comfort,” and “The Maharani’s Pearls”-featuring everyone’s favorite Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge and intrepid battlefield nurse Bess Crawford.

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