There aren’t many crime novels more beloved or complex than Charles Todd’s Inspector Ian Rutledge series. The biggest change in this 25th entry, A DAY OF JUDGMENT, is that our favorite World War I veteran has been promoted to the role of Chief Inspector.

It is July 1921, and Ian Rutledge is assigned a difficult and high-profile murder case from his Scotland Yard superior, Chief Superintendent Markham, which sends him to the coast of Northumberland across the border from Scotland. A local man’s body has washed ashore south of Lindisfarne. The region comes with a long history of religious involvement, and Scotland Yard wants to ensure that the Church of England and their reputation are protected.

"A DAY OF JUDGMENT is taut and immensely satisfying, and I always enjoy spending time with such a complicated protagonist as Ian Rutledge."

Rutledge never travels alone. The main plot element that consistently makes this series unique is that his PTSD from WWI has resulted in a bout of schizophrenia where he is accompanied by Corporal Hamish MacLeod, whom he had executed with a firing squad for an act of treason. Rutledge has never been able to come to terms with the circumstances behind the killing, and the conversations that he and his ghostly companion have are always quite telling.

The victim whom Rutledge is investigating is Oswin Dunn, a pilot with few friends who kept mostly to himself. The doctor who examined Dunn’s body tells Rutledge that he did not drown and was murdered as evidenced by the blunt trauma to his skull. The rumor among the locals is that Dunn was a “Hun lover,” which is not easily forgiven in the face of the recent war.

Adding to the complexity of this case is that Dunn’s sister moved to Germany where she married a Hun, which is another reason why the Dunns have been so universally disliked. The investigation zeroes in on the sinking of a boat in 1918, where many men died. Dunn allegedly was there and was rumored to have saved a German soldier who washed up after the battle, which pretty much sealed his fate.

For some perspective, Rutledge speaks with a handful of religious leaders in the area and keeps his contact with the Church of England updated on his progress. The residents of the towns Rutledge visits are highly suspicious of outsiders, especially those from Scotland Yard who threaten traditions and secrets that sometimes may be violent and murderous.

Rutledge is persistent and determined to find out the truth, even though a dangerous branch of an ancient sect of local mariners are working against him. A DAY OF JUDGMENT is taut and immensely satisfying, and I always enjoy spending time with such a complicated protagonist as Ian Rutledge.