A Divided Loyalty by Charles Todd

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing A Divided Loyalty by Charles Todd the 22nd instalment in the " Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery" series.  I won a copy from a Goodreads giveaway in 2019. Even though this is the 22nd instalment in the series, the authors did an excellent job in not letting you feel lost so it can quite easily be read as a stand-alone. 

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.

Chief Inspector Brian Leslie, a respected colleague of Ian Rutledge’s, is sent to Avebury, a village set inside a great prehistoric stone circle not far from Stonehenge.

A young woman has been murdered next to a mysterious, hooded, figure-like stone, but no one recognizes her—or admits to it. And how did she get there? Despite a thorough investigation, it appears that her killer has simply vanished.

Rutledge, returning from the conclusion of a case involving another apparently unknown woman, is asked to take a second look at Leslie’s inquiry, to see if he can identify this victim. But Rutledge is convinced Chief Superintendent Jameson only hopes to tarnish his earlier success once he also fails.

Where to begin? He too finds very little to go on in Avebury, slowly widening his search beyond the village—only to discover that unlikely—possibly even unreliable—clues are pointing him toward an impossible solution, one that will draw the wrath of the Yard down on him, and very likely see him dismissed if he pursues it. But what about the victim—what does he owe this tragic woman? Where must his loyalty lie?

I have read a few of the earlier books years ago but nothing recent.  I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it over a weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. It made me wish I had kept up with the series especially the most recent ones to find out what happened.

The setting of Avebury Henge and the historical details that were woven into the story brought it to life in my mind. I could picture myself there which I personally always think is a good thing. I appreciated all the research that the authors must of had to do for this series to ensure everything is accurate. I googled some of the sites etc. and liked that I good see photos of Avebury Henge.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing to the end.

I highly recommend this series to all my British Crime Mystery loving friends.

I won this novel from a giveaway on GoodReads and was asked for an honest review

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