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'Watchers Of Time' by Charles Todd

Books in Brief

Thursday, January 10, 2002

By Bob Hoover, Post-Gazette Book Editor

	Watchers Of Time By Charles Todd Bantam $24.95

It’s a year after World War I and Scotland Yard investigator Ian Rutledge is doing his best to recover from that hellish experience. But the clever gimmick in this series is a ghost, Hamish MacLeod, a soldier executed for disobeying orders.

He seldom leaves Rutledge alone, criticizing his every move as he’s called in to probe the killing of a priest in a coastal village near Norwich.

Todd is a clever plotter whose new tale involves the sinking of the Titanic, theology, more damaged veterans and the various strata of English society, all in a charming little town near the sea.

Even the constant nagging of Hamish adds to the atmosphere of confusion which Rutledge must cut through to find the killer. And, while the solution lacks a strong punch, the overall effect of the book is satisfying stuff for mystery fans.