So good to be reading a new Ian Rutledge story! Love the setting! Even better than expected. Was hoping to see his love interest but no mention of her. Did mention Melinda Crawfird which is always a pleasure.

In A CHRISTMAS WITNESS, written by Charles Todd, Inspector Ian Rutledge is called to Scotland Yard by Chief Superintendent Markum. Markum assigns Rutledge a case in Kent involving Lord Braxton, a Colonel who has requested Rutledge and believes he will die after an accident that left him with a concussion. What is the reason for the accident? I want to know more about this case that takes Ian Rutledge away from celebrating Christmas with his sister and brother-in-law.

The Christmas setting is appreciated. I like the inclusion of information about Rutledge’s imaginary friend (voice), Hamish MacLeod. Ian Rutledge’s backstory is as interesting as the mystery in this novella. I want to know more about Ian Rutledge’s relationship with Melinda Crawford. I still enjoy reading the Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery series, even though Caroline has died and her son is on his own to continue the series. Thank you, Penzler Publishers and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of A CHRISTMAS WITNESS.

Inspector Rutledge gets caught up in his own version of A Christmas Carol. There wasn’t much mystery to it. It was very stilted, even Hamish was not at his best.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for this DRC.
#AChristmasWItness #NetGalley

Ian Rutledge is sent on an assignment over Christmas to guard the life of a man he does not like. A long novella, this is not your usual light and fluffy Christmas story but does lead us to a better place

Thank you to NetGalley, the Mysterious Press, and the author, Charles Todd for the eARC of this book in return for my review.

Inspector Rutledge has returned and I'm glad to see him back. In this Christmas outing, he is sent to Kent to investigate an attack on a Lord there. The Lord was part of General Haig's immediate staff during WWI and responsible for sending many of the troops to their death. Rutledge and his PTSD imaginary companion, Hamish need to reconcile what the man has done with looking for who had hurt him. The book is a nod to Dickens, Christmas Carol. 3 out of 5 stars.

I received a free copy of, A Christmas Witness, by Charles Todd, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is part of the Inspector Rutledge series. Inspector has been called to Kent, to help solve a crime at Christmas time. This was a sweet Christmas mystery.

A lighter turn in the Inspector Rutledge series, but not much for the better. A Christmas Witness finds Inspector Ian Rutledge assigned a last minute case right before Christmas. One of Sir Douglas Haig's general staff has been injured under mysterious circumstances at his country estate, and it is up to Rutledge to solve the case quickly and quietly.

It is December 1921 only months removed from A Game of Fear (Book #24) but not much seems changed. Rutledge still lives a lonely life with a few close friends and a sister, but his job is what takes his focus and energy. There is still Hamish, his second in command during the War, who Rutledge was forced to execute as an example moments before the entire firing squad was hit by a shell. As we are told more than once in this novella.

If you like the other books you might like this holiday themed softer story. It makes early allusions to A Christmas Carol and retells that story, but not from an interesting perspective. Will Rutledge ever fully come to terms with the war and what it has done to his psyche? Todd continues to mine the post war struggles of returning to everyday life after the extraordinary trauma of combat.

Recommended to readers of other Inspector Rutledge books or schmaltzy lessons learn holiday tales.

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of Charles Todd’s Inspector Ian Rutledge series, having rad all of the previous novels as well as most of the short stories, so I was excited about getting a copy of “A Christmas Witness”, the latest novella in the series. Unfortunately, this was short on mystery and more of a Christmas story, based heavily on “A Christmas Carol” from Charles Dickens.

It starts out as a typical mystery. It’s Christmastime in 1921, and Rutledge gets sent out to Kent to investigate the attack on a Lord out in the countryside, he was deliberately run down by a horseman and received a severe concussion. The ever-present Hamish (a PTSD voice of his deceased sergeant from WWI) is extremely vocal as the Lord turns out to be one of the Colonels at HQ that was responsible for sending thousands to get slaughtered at the front. Rutledge interviews the victim and people in the village, including those that might have a grudge against the Colonel. But the deeper that Rutledge digs, the more questions that are raised, and the events of that attack keep on getting murkier and murkier. Can Rutledge get to the truth before the killer strikes again?

Without spoiling the story, it does turn into a Dickens Christmas. A nice Christmas gift from Mr. Todd, but I can’t wait to get back to the real mysteries.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Penzler Publishers - Mysterious Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

This story was modeled after Dickens' Christmas Carol, but it fell short of the mark. I felt like this story was written in a hurry, or maybe not edited as well as it could have been. Hopeful that the next Ian Rutledge regular-length mystery will be more along the lines of the books published before.

3.5 stars

This was more a psychological vignette about the after-effects of what we now call PTSD than a mystery. Chief Inspector Ian Rutledge, who is haunted by his part in the Great War, is called to the countryside during Christmas week to investigate a possible assault on a former member of General Haig's command staff - Haig was called the Butcher of the Somme and was much vilified.

Rutledge wonders if the loved one of a fallen soldier is responsible. The case is difficult for multiple reasons: the old colonel got a head injury so he might not be a clear witness, the case is very politically sensitive due to the colonel's title and relationship to power, and Rutledge feels that he is not getting a straight story from anyone.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is my first Ian Rutledge mystery, which I chose because I love the author's Bess Crawford series. Todd sensitively handles Detective Rutledge's WWI PTSD and its ongoing impact on his life. He also creates a lovely historical Christmas setting in snowy England, but slow pace and a so-so mystery hampered my full enjoyment. Still, if you are a true Todd fan, you will gobble this up like a tasty sticky pudding and look forward to more stories on Ian and Bess.

Another good story in this series. It deals a lot with survivor guilt and PTSD. But characters are well written. Surprise ending.

3⭐️ | Atmospheric but a little slow-going 🎄🔍

I wanted to love this—a snowy English countryside, a high-society mystery, and Christmas creeping in around the edges? Sign me up. But A Christmas Witness moved at a slower pace than I expected, and while the writing was strong, the plot felt more like a quiet character study than a twisty mystery.

Inspector Rutledge is dealing with a lot—his past from the war, his feelings about the injured aristocrat, and the odd little clues that don’t quite add up. The setting is richly drawn and perfect for curling up on a cold December day, but I found myself wishing for a bit more tension or urgency behind the case.

If you like a historical slow burn with introspective detectives and old-school charm, this might be for you. For me, it was a moody winter read—but not a standout.

This is my first foray into the Ian Routledge series. Historical mysteries are one of my favourite genres and this had always been on my radar (I’ve read a couple of Bess Crawford books, the other series written by Charles Todd). This features Ian Routledge whose mental health has taken a severe turn for the worse after his fighting in the infantry in World War One. He’s called upon to investigate a threat on the life of a Lord, which throws him into the interwar period in England. Everyone lost something and someone and everyone has a grudge.

This is an atmospheric book with a real sense of time and place but the mystery was the weakest part here for me - too simple, no stakes, but the main character and the setting definitely made me want to read more books in the series.

My endless thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press for this ARC!

I never read a Charles Finch book before.
Is this typical of him?
I found the dialogue stilted, the pacing tedious and the mystery’s solution, perhaps appropriate gor a Chrismas mystery, exceptionally uncompelling.
All in all a real slog

I like the way this series is written, but honestly hardly anything of interest happened in this novella. I kept waiting for something, anything, but no. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC to read me review.

While I am a series fan, this entry (more novella length than novel) was not quite up to par. I love the Christmas in Kent setting and the set up is a good one: Inspector Rutledge is called upon to investigate an attempt on the life of a lord whose military career involved sending men to the front to be slaughtered while he remained safely far from the action.

A visit with Rutledge and his post traumatic stress disorder induced companion Hamish is always a privilege but while the storyline finds its inspiration in Dickens' a Christmas Carol, the result falls a bit flat and seems forced. Rutledge does a lot of running back and forth between his pub rooms and the lord's estate and investigates meager clues, but the denouement seems forced and a little too convenient.

I look forward to future books in this series, but this one lacks the appeal of previous titles despite the Chritmas theme.

Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.