Charles Todd, author of Proof of Guilt, the latest entry in the bestselling Ian Rutledge series, comes to the Ivy Bookshop Tuesday, February 5 at 7 p.m. to discuss his latest thriller, in which the Scotland Yard inspector must contend with two dangerous enemies!
London, summer 1920. An unidentified body appears to have been run down by a motorcar, and Ian Rutledge is leading the investigation. While the signs point to murder, vital questions remain: Who is the victim? And where, exactly, was he killed?
One small clue leads Rutledge to a firm famous for producing and selling the world’s best Madeira wine. Lewis French, the current head of the enterprise, is missing, but is he the dead man? And does either his fiancee or his jilted former lover have anything to do with his disapperance? What about his sister? Or his office clerk? Is Matthew Traynor, French’s cousin and partner, somehow involved?
Rutledge knows that suspicion and circumstantial evidence are not proof of guilt, and he’s going to keep digging for answers. But that perseverance will pit him against his supervisor, who is determined to place the blame on one of French’s women despite Rutledge’s objections. Alone in a no-man’s-land rife with mystery and danger, Rutledge must tread very carefully, for someone has decided that he, too, must die so that cruel “justice” can take its course.
About the Author:
Charles and Caroline Todd are a mother and son writing team who share a rich storytelling heritage. Both spent many evenings on the porch listening to their fathers and grandfathers reminisce, and a maternal grandmother told marvelous ghost stories. Their many trips to England gave them the opportunity to spend time in villages and the countryside. Their travels are at the heart of the series they began ten years ago. Writing together is a challenge, and each enjoys giving the other a hard time. In revenge, Charles crashes Caroline’s computer and she crashes his parties. Will they survive to write more novels together? Stay tuned!
