Charles Todd Books in Order

Charles Todd was the pen name of the mother-and-son writing team Caroline Todd and Charles Todd, who together wrote more than forty novels in three decades. They are best known for the Inspector Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford historical mystery series, both set around WWI. Caroline Todd died in August 2021, and Charles has continued writing both series solo, now with published with Mysterious Press after a publisher change in 2023.

This page lists all Charles Todd books in order, including the series, standalone novels, and short stories, organized primarily by publication order, with reading notes where the preferred reading order differs.

Latest Charles Todd Books

A Day of Judgement
A Day of Judgement (Ian Rutledge #25), March 2026

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Inspector Ian Rutledge Series (Books in Order)

The Inspector Ian Rutledge series follows Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge, a World War I veteran who is carrying a wound that he hides deep: severe shell shock, and the constant inner voice of Hamish MacLeod, a young Scottish soldier he was forced to execute on the battlefield. Back in postwar England and trying to hold his career together, Ian Rutledge works murder cases in small towns and villages while keeping his greatest burden and secret hidden from the people around him.

Reading Order

  1. The Piper, 2017
  2. Cold Comfort, 2013
  3. A Guid Soldier, 2015
  4. A Test of Wills, 1994
  5. Wings of Fire, 1998
  6. Search the Dark, 1999
  7. Legacy of the Dead, 2000
  8. Watchers of Time, 2001
  9. A Fearsome Doubt, 2002
  10. A Cold Treachery, 2005
  11. A Long Shadow, 2006
  12. A False Mirror, 2007
  13. A Pale Horse, 2007
  14. A Matter of Justice, 2008
  15. The Red Door, 2009
  16. The Kidnapping, 2010
  17. A Lonely Death, 2011
  18. The Confession, 2012
  19. Proof of Guilt, 2013
  20. Hunting Shadows, 2014
  21. A Fine Summer’s Day, 2015
  22. No Shred of Evidence, 2016
  23. Racing the Devil, 2017
  24. The Gate Keeper, 2018
  25. The Black Ascot, 2019
  26. A Divided Loyalty, 2020
  27. A Fatal Lie, 2021
  28. A Game of Fear, 2022
  29. A Christmas Witness, 2025
  30. A Day of Judgement, 2026

Reading notes:

  • A Fine Summer’s Day (#17) is a prequel set in summer 1914, with Ian Rutledge’s last case before the war. Despite its position in the list, it can also be read before Book 1 if you prefer to start with the backstory first.
  • Three short stories expand on the WWI backstory behind the series:
  • Cold Comfort and A Guid Soldier are set in 1915 France during the war
  • The Piper gives Hamish MacLeod’s backstory before his enlistment
  • All three can be read until you’re a few books in, as there is a stronger emotional pull for the characters once you know them better.
  • The Kidnapping (#12.5) is a short standalone case, available as an ebook and in the Tales anthology.

Related Ian Rutledge Books

Bess Crawford Series (Books in Order)

The Bess Crawford series follows British Army nurse Bess Crawford, who is working on hospital ships and in field hospitals during World War I, and who keeps getting pulled into murder investigations whether she wants to or not.

Reading Order

  1. The Maharani’s Pearls, 2014
  2. A Duty to the Dead, 2009
  3. An Impartial Witness, 2010
  4. A Bitter Truth, 2011
  5. An Unmarked Grave, 2012
  6. The Walnut Tree, 2012
  7. A Question of Honor, 2013
  8. An Unwilling Accomplice, 2014
  9. A Pattern of Lies, 2015
  10. The Shattered Tree, 2016
  11. A Casualty of War, 2017
  12. A Forgotten Place, 2018
  13. A Cruel Deception, 2019
  14. A Hanging at Dawn, 2020
  15. An Irish Hostage, 2021
  16. The Cliff’s Edge, 2023

Reading Notes: In the prequel story, The Mahrani’s Pearls, Bess grows up in India as the daughter a British Army colonel.

Standalone Novels

Short Stories

Short Story Collections and Anthologies

Charles Todd Biography

Charles Todd books in order

Charles Todd is the pen name of the American mother-and-son writing team Caroline Todd and Charles Todd, who are best known for the two British historical mystery series featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford.
Official website: charlestodd.com

Their novels are set in England during and after the First W orld War. The Inspector Ian Rutledge series started with A Test of Wills, published in 1994, while the Bess Crawford series began in 2009 with A Duty to the Dead.

Caroline earned an undergraduate degree in History and English Literature, as well as a Masters in International Relations, and her son, 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 Todd is a Board member, Chairman of the Edgars Committee, as well as Secretary of the Mystery Writers of America.

Caroline Todd died in Delaware on August 27, 2021. After her death, Charles finished editing the two manuscripts they’d were working on together before, and has since started writing solo.

The author duo lived on the East Coast of the United States, and many readers are surprised to learn they were American writers, since both of their best-known series are so closely tied to British history and settings.

Charles Todd Awards and Honors

Awards

  • A Test of Wills – Barry Award for Best First Novel (1997)
  • An Unmarked Grave – Macavity Award for Best Historical Novel (2013)
  • The Shattered Tree – Mary Higgins Clark Award (2017)

Nominations and Shortlists

  • A Test of Wills – Anthony Award, Best First Novel (1997)
  • A Test of Wills – Dilys Award, Best Book (1997)
  • A Test of Wills – Edgar Award, Best First Novel (1997)
  • A Test of Wills – John Creasey First Novel (1997)
  • Wings of Fire – CWA Historical Dagger (1999)
  • Wings of Fire – Dilys Award, Best Book (1999)
  • Legacy of the Dead – Anthony Award, Best Novel (2001)
  • A Duty to the Dead – Macavity Award, Best Historical Novel (2010)
  • The Red Door – Macavity Award, Best Historical Novel (2011)
  • An Unmarked Grave – Agatha Award, Best Historical Novel (2013)
  • The Confession – Macavity Award, Best Historical Novel (2013)
  • An Unwilling Accomplice – Agatha Award, Best Historical Novel (2015)
  • Hunting Shadows – Agatha Award, Best Historical Novel (2015)
  • Hunting Shadows – Macavity Award, Best Historical Novel (2015)
  • Racing the Devil – Macavity Award, Best Historical Novel (2018)
  • A Forgotten Place – Macavity Award, Best Historical Novel (2019)

Edited by

Marika

Founder of Mystery Sequels, a reference site focused on listing mystery and thriller books in the correct reading order. I maintain and update the site’s bibliographies as new titles are released, ensuring accuracy and consistency across author and series pages.

Readers Also Like

Last verified:

10 Comments

  1. I just “discovered” the Charles Todd books and have so far read one Bess Crawford and one Ian Rutledge. I love the main characters as well as the WWI context. It is a testament to the authors that while my local library had the shortsightedness to get rid of all but two of the John Wainwright books, there is more than a shelf’s worth of Charles Todd, providing a great start.

  2. I love reading. Took it up as a hobby back in 1972 during the Agnes flood in Harrisburg Pa. This past May I was searching for a new author(to me) and found your works. I actually started reading the Ian Rutledge series from the beginning and am just now getting ready to read A Divided Loyalty. I have A Fatal Lie on order. I simply cannot put the books down. Sometimes I will sit for hours on end reading. I really enjoy your works. I truly do not want the Rutledge series to end but I’m sure it must but keep it going as long as possible.
    Thank you for your words.
    Ron Gruver

  3. When I read A Divided Royalty Book 22, I was very happy for Ian who finally received a much and long overdue promotion to Chief Inspector. But why wasn’t this new position reflected in the next book, A Fatal Lie book 23??

    Please publish more books … I can dying to know when Ian will marry, when he will finally be the Superintendent? When Hamish will finally leave him in permanent peace…when? When?!

    Thank you for keeping me in such undying persistent suspense, I love your style … you kept me the reader guessing to no-end!!1. Loved every title read and hungering for more!!!

  4. Ian and Bess need to have personal relationship going forward. Simon obviously cares for Bess, but is she stupid? I like that the books are clean and without sexual explicity. Just darn good reads.

  5. I thought A Fine Summer’s Day foreshadowed A Test of Wills. It’s the Rutledge intro, I believe.

  6. I would like to start your series on Inspector Ian Rutledge. Where should I start?

  7. Thank you for Inspector Rutledge!!
    A grateful fan of your books. Especially now in this pandemic. My neighborhood library has many on audiobooks.
    Simon Prebble, amazing!!

  8. When is the next bess Crawford book coming out?

  9. These books are great!! I have been reading them over the years, and just this past year read them in order. My library got in touch with me for the Newest one in Feb. I am now on the Bess Crawford series in order. I have read them previously and they are great also. Thank you!!!!! I live in Delaware also, in Sussex county. (I was born in DE.)

Comments are closed.