Caroline and Charles Todd

Charles Todd is a pen name used by the American authors Caroline Todd and Charles Todd, who were mother and son. Caroline Todd was the pen name for Carolyn Watjen (born Carolyn Linene Teachey; November 13, 1934 — August 28, 2021) and Charles Todd is the pen name for her son David Watjen. Caroline Todd died in August 2021, at age 86 from complications of a lung infection. Charles Todd lives in North Carolina.

The authors are best known for a series of novels, set in post World War I England. The books deal with the cases of Inspector Ian Rutledge, a veteran of the European campaigns who is attempting to pick up the pieces of his Scotland Yard career. However, he must keep his greatest burden a secret: suffering from shell shock, he lives with the constant, cynical, taunting voice of Hamish MacLeod, a young Scots soldier he was forced to execute on the battlefield for refusing an order and moments before a shell from their own artillery buried Rutledge's regiment alive. Only Rutledge survived because of a small air pocket between his face and Hamish MacLeod's body.

They are also the authors of a series about Bess Crawford, a nurse serving in France during World War I.

Recognition

• A Test of Wills (1996) – was nominated for the John Creasey Award in the United Kingdom; other nominations are the Edgar Award, an Anthony, and the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Dilys Award. The work won the Barry Award from the Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine. The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association named A Test of Wills one of the 100 favorite mysteries of the 20th Century, and it received a starred review in Publishers Weekly and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
• Wings of Fire (1998) – received a nomination for the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Dilys Award and was shortlisted for first Ellis Peters Mystery Award in the United Kingdom
• Legacy of the Dead (2000) – received an Anthony Award nomination.
• An Unmarked Grave (2012) – received an Agatha Award nomination for Best Historical Novel.
• A Question of Honor (2013) – won the Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel.

Publications

Featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge

• A Test of Wills (1996) . ISBN 0-06-124284-5
• Wings of Fire (1998) . ISBN 0-312-96568-0
• Search the Dark (1999) . ISBN 0-312-97128-1
• Legacy of the Dead (2000) . ISBN 0-553-58315-8
• Watchers of Time (2001) . ISBN 0-553-58316-6
• A Fearsome Doubt (2002) . ISBN 0-553-58317-4
• A Cold Treachery (2005) . ISBN 0-553-58661-0
• A Long Shadow (2006) . ISBN 0-06-078673-6
• A False Mirror (2007) . ISBN 0-06-078673-6
• A Pale Horse (2008) . ISBN 0-06-123356-0
• A Matter of Justice (2009) . ISBN 0-06-123359-5
• The Red Door (2010) . ISBN 978-0-06-172616-3
• A Lonely Death (2011) . ISBN 978-0-06-172619-4
• The Confession (2012) . ISBN 978-0-06-201566-2
• Proof of Guilt (2013) . ISBN 978-0-06-201568-6
• Hunting Shadows (2014) . ISBN 978-0-06-223718-7
• A Fine Summer's Day (2015) . ISBN 978-0-06-223712-5
• No Shred of Evidence (2016) . ISBN 978-0-06-244022-8
• Racing the Devil (2017) . ISBN 978-0-06-238621-2
• The Piper (2017) . ISBN 978-0-06-267809-6
• The Gate Keeper (2018) . ISBN 978-0-06-267871-3
• The Black Ascot (2019) . ISBN 978-0-06-267874-4
• A Divided Loyalty (2020) . ISBN 978-0-06-290553-6
• A Fatal Lie (2021) . ISBN 978-0-06-290557-4
• A Game of Fear (2022) . ISBN 978-0-06-290559-8

Featuring Bess Crawford

• A Duty to the Dead (2009) . ISBN 978-0-06-179176-5
• An Impartial Witness (2010) . ISBN 978-0-06-179178-9
• A Bitter Truth (2011) . ISBN 978-0-06-201570-9
• An Unmarked Grave (2012) . ISBN 978-0-06-201572-3
• A Question of Honor (2013) . ISBN 978-0-06-223715-6
• An Unwilling Accomplice (2014) . ISBN 978-0-06-223720-0
• A Pattern of Lies (2015) . ISBN 978-0-06-238625-0
• The Shattered Tree (2016) . ISBN 978-0-06-238628-1
• A Casualty of War (2017) . ISBN 978-0-06-267879-9
• A Forgotten Place (2018) . ISBN 978-0-06-267883-6
• A Cruel Deception (2019) . ISBN 978-0-06-285983-9
• A Hanging at Dawn (2020) . ISBN 978-0-06-304856-0
• An Irish Hostage (2021) . ISBN 978-0-06-285985-3
• The Cliff's Edge (2023)

Stand-alone novels

• The Murder Stone (2003) . ISBN 0-553-80348-4
• The Walnut Tree (2012) . ISBN 978-0-06-223699-9

External links

• Charles Todd official webpage