Charles Todd Books In Order

Last Updated on September 25, 2021 Charles Todd is a pen name of an author duo: Caroline Todd and Charles Todd, mother and son.

Here are the Charles Todd books in order for the author team’s two historical mystery series, Inspector Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford Mysteries. The books are listed in chronological/reading order with the year of publication added in brackets.

New Charles Todd Books

An Irish Hostage (Bess Crawford Mysteries #1), 2021

Inspector Ian Rutledge Series

To read the books in proper chronological order, you might want to start with A Fine Summer’s Day as book #17, which was published in 2015, but takes place before Ian went to war. It was his last case before the war outbreak.

1. Cold Comfort (Ian Rutledge 0.5), 2013
2. A Guid Soldier (Ian Rutledge 0.6), 2015
3. A Test of Wills (Ian Rutledge 1), 1994
4. Wings of Fire (Ian Rutledge 2), 1998
5. Search the Dark (Ian Rutledge 3), 1999
6. Legacy of the Dead (Ian Rutledge 4), 2000
7. Watchers of Time (Ian Rutledge 5), 2001
8. A Fearsome Doubt (Ian Rutledge 6), 2002
9. A Cold Treachery (Ian Rutledge 7), 2005
10. A Long Shadow (Ian Rutledge 8), 2006
11. A False Mirror (Ian Rutledge 9), 2007
12. A Pale Horse (Ian Rutledge 10), 2007
13. A Matter of Justice (Ian Rutledge 11), 2008
14. The Red Door (Ian Rutledge 12), 2009
15. The Kidnapping (Ian Rutledge 12.5), 2010
16. A Lonely Death (Ian Rutledge 13), 2011
17. The Confession (Ian Rutledge 14), 2012
18. Proof of Guilt (Ian Rutledge 15), 2013
19. Hunting Shadows (Ian Rutledge 16), 2014
20. A Fine Summer’s Day (Ian Rutledge 17), 2015 – prequel to the series
21. No Shred of Evidence (Ian Rutledge 18), 2016
22. Racing the Devil (Ian Rutledge 19), 2017
23. The Piper (Ian Rutledge short story), 2017
24. The Gate Keeper (Ian Rutledge #20), 2018
25. The Black Ascot (Ian Rutledge #21), 2019
26. A Divided Loyalty (Ian Rutledge #22), 2020
27. A Fatal Lie (Ian Rutledge #23), 2021

Bess Crawford Series

1. The Maharani’s Pearls (Bess Crawford #0.5), 2014 (prequel featuring a young Bess Crawford)
2. A Duty to the Dead (Bess Crawford #1), 2009
3. An Impartial Witness (Bess Crawford #2), 2010
4. A Bitter Truth (Bess Crawford #3), 2011
5. An Unmarked Grave (Bess Crawford #4), 2012
6. The Walnut Tree (Bess Crawford #4.5), 2012
7. A Question of Honor (Bess Crawford #5), 2013
8. An Unwilling Accomplice (Bess Crawford #6), 2014
9. A Pattern of Lies (Bess Crawford #7), 2015
10. The Shattered Tree (Bess Crawford #8), 2016
11. A Casualty of War (Bess Crawford #9), 2017
12. A Forgotten Place (Bess Crawford #10), 2018
13. A Cruel Deception (Bess Crawford #11), 2019
14. A Hanging at Dawn (Bess Crawford #11.5), 2020
15. An Irish Hostage (Bess Crawford #12), 2021

Standalone Charles Todd Books

• The Murder Stone, 2003
• The Walnut Tree, 2012

About Charles Todd

Caroline Todd and Charles Todd are mother and son who have so far co-authored two historical mystery series, both evolving around WWI and two standalone novels.

Caroline has an undergraduate degree in History and English Literature, as well as a Masters in International Relations.

Charles has a background in business, communications, and management, with a BA in Communication Studies focusing on Business Management. He also has a degree in culinary arts. Charles has been working as a corporate troubleshooter for several years, and he keeps his day job separate from that of writing books.

Many readers are surprised to learn that Charles and Caroline are American writers since their two series focus on the history of England.

Charles is a Board member, Chairman of the Edgars Committee, as well as Secretary of the Mystery Writers of America.

The author team lives in Delaware and North Carolina.

Their best-known mystery series is Inspector Ian Rutledge, a series which was started way back in 1994. Reading the series in order is well worth especially for the fans of historical mysteries.

In 1919 Ian Rutledge has returned from WWI where he served as an officer at the front for five years. Now he is back and suffering from PTSD, which back in the day was called shell-shock. During the war he got a soldier executed because said soldier didn’t want to fight. This caused him major inner trauma, one which he is still trying to get over.

Now back at home, he has resumed his prior duties as a Scotland Yard inspector working to solve murders.

Currently, the series has 23 main books and several short stories. The latest book in the Ian Rutledge series is titled A Fatal Lie, published in 2021.

A second series co-authored by the mother and son team is Bess Crawford, featuring a British army nurse in WWI. Currently, this second series includes 12 books with the latest title An Irish Hostage published in 2021.