When successful London businessman is found savagely and bizarrely murdered in a medieval tithe barn on his estate in Somerset, Scotland Yard inspector Ian Rutledge is called upon to investigate and soon discovers that the victim was universally despised.

"New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd brings back Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge, who must unravel an unsolved, old case before he can bring a murderer to justice"--

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 Barrington, who has evaded capture for ten years, is the suspect in an appalling murder during Black Ascot, the famous 1910 royal horse race meet honoring the late King Edward VII. His disappearance began a manhunt that consumed Britain for a decade. Now it appears that Barrington has returned...

Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge is assigned one of the most baffling investigations of his career-a cold murder case with an unidentified victim and a cold trail with few clues to follow.

"On the eve of the bloody Battle of the Somme, a group of English officers having a last drink before returning to the Front make a promise to each other: if they survive the battle ahead--and make it through the war--they will meet in Paris a year after the fighting ends. They will celebrate their good fortune by racing motorcars they beg, borrow, or own from Paris to Nice. In November 1919, the officers all meet as planned, and though their motorcars...

Publisher Annotation: 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 determined to keep dark secrets buried. Inspector Ian Rutledge novels series, 352pp., 100K