A Test of Wills

De: Charles Todd

Narrado por: Samuel Giles

Duración: 10 h y 28 m

Resumen del Editor

Ian Rutledge returns to his career at Scotland Yard after years fighting in the First World War. Unknown to his colleagues he is still suffering from shell shock, and is burdened with the guilt of having had executed a young soldier on the battlefield for refusing to fight. A jealous colleague has learned of his secret and has managed to have Rutledge assigned to a difficult case which could spell disaster for Rutledge whatever the outcome.

A retired officer has been murdered, and Rutledge, fighting the torment of his illness, goes to investigate. As he digs into the lives of the villagers, the witness who disturbs him most is a war-ravaged ex-soldier who chills Rutledge with the realization that he could become like this man.

©1996 Charles Todd (P)1999 W.F. Howes

Not difficult to follow IMO

What made the experience of listening to A Test of Wills the most enjoyable?

This is the third Inspector Rutledge novel I've listened to in a row - I almost feel like Samuel Giles is living in MY head! I have listened to a later book with a different narrator whom I liked, but I love the way Giles talks. He doesn't give a lot of distinction between the voices but does the accents quite well.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Test of Wills?

I really enjoy it when Hamish gets going and lectures Inspector Rutledge.

What does Samuel Giles bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

As I stated earlier, he does a superb job on the various accents.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really - I don't have ten hours at a stretch to listen to a book - however, I did listen to it when ever I got the chance - driving, going for walks, doing household chores.

Very good characters

A good police story. But I don’t like that the ending comes out of the blue totally unrelated to any possible motive discussed earlier.

It went on…and on…and on….

This sounded so interesting: a good murder mystery with a troubled detective, plus a historical backdrop of WWI—all things I love. But this just droned on interminably. The narrator didn’t help; I’ve heard phone books read aloud with more emotion. The solution was good, but felt rushed and contrived after all the too-long-drawn-out red herrings.

Narration is an issue

The Rutledge stories are brilliant, all of them. However the narrator Samuel Giles appears hopelessly ignorant of pace, rhythm and intuitive flow.
Because of careful and relevant backstory details, a reader can jump in to any of these novels and still feel very satisfied. Simon Prebble is a brilliant narrator. His reading is smooth, well paced and word emphasis is always spot on.
These stories bring a small part of the horrors of the First World War to life.
PTSD was cowardice. Loss of a limb meant the man was useless.
I recommend this series wholeheartedly.
I have listened to almost every one in sequence. Each novel gets better.

Captivating

This was really enjoyable. It’s a murder mystery set in post WWI England. The inspector on the case is dealing with his own trauma and shell shock from personal experiences and has a sort of alter ego or internal dialogue. The author is a mix of Agatha Christie and PG Wodehouse, minus the humor. The story itself was engaging, the main characters well developed, and the mystery was captivating. I truly didn’t know how it would end. I will certainly read more from this author.

One of the First in the Series

I'm not sure where this book falls in the Ian Rutledge series, but I feel it must be near the beginning. The reader sounds like "old school" England, very proper. Not everyone would find his style enjoyable. The story weaves in and out through characters in the village looking for a murderer, but finally, Rutledge's former wit and skills return to him to find the most unusual killer. Afterwards, he and Hamish stand up to one another each vowing to be the stronger. Worth listening to.

Good book, unconvincing reader!

i read/listened three Ian Rutledge books by Charles Todd and found them interesting, challenging and compelling. Inspector Rutledge Ian returns to the Scotland Yard after WWI and a harrowing experience. He finds himself thrown into cases by a superior with some deep seated desire to ruin the inspector. Add to the mix a haunting voice in his head from his war experience you have the potential for some great stories. While I enjoyed the actual stories It was difficult to make my way through them because of the reader. His voice is grating to my ears but worse is the completely unconvincing accents and the tone of his voice. It did not live up to the different characters. Mostly I was not convinced I was hearing Inspector Rutledge. It just was not there for me.

Kept me guessing!

The story was intricate enough to keep me guessing until the very end. Compelling and thoughtful--a great read/listen

Great

Loved it
Will read more of Charles Todd books
Love mysteries and clever endings
Great job

Long puzzle

I usually read last chapter first, but it did not help much here. You have to go through the book to find who done it!