Wings of Fire

The second installation of Charles Todd's Inspector Ian Rutledge series finds our still struggling (see A Test of Wills post) still struggling with his shell shock and his ghost of guilt, Hamish MacLeod. Rutledge is sent to Cornwall to investigate the apparent double suicide of a reclusive invalid and her half-brother at their manor home. Although he soon learns that this woman was the famous poet O.A. Manning, whose poetry about the horrors of war--as well as about the desires of love-- helped keep Rutledge sane in the trenches, there doesn't seem anything suspicious about the deaths of the elderly siblings--that is until one of the heirs to the estate suddenly dies. As he investigates, Rutledge finds that there are a series of unsolved deaths and disappearances in the Trevelyan family. Tormented by Hamish's voice in his head, Rutledge decides to listen instead of trying to ignore it and uses these ideas instead to help him solve the crime. He must untangle a complex web of family dynamics and relationships in order to discover who is so desperate to inherit the manor, and in the process he may learn more about the woman who wrote such profoundly powerful poetry. Evocative setting, well-developed characters and a twisty plot will draw you in. Reviews from Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus.