Inspector Ian Rutledge is a fictional character in the Inspector Ian Rutledge Series of mystery/detective novels by Caroline and Charles Todd. To date the series is composed of fifteen novels. The series revolves around the cases of Inspector Ian Rutledge, a veteran of the First World War who has returned to the police force as a detective but is battling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As a consequence he is haunted by the memory of a fellow soldier who is a constant voice in his head. He must hide this information from those around him in order to avoid the social stigma which accompanied psychological, mental, or emotional issues in the early 20th century.
History of Ian Rutledge
In 1919, Rutledge returns from the war front and is treated in a hospital for his various symptoms only to be left by his fiancee, Jean. Having shot a fellow soldier before being buried alive with the man's corpse by an explosion, Rutledge must live with his guilt, personified by the soldier, Hamish. Hamish is a voice inside his head that he must keep a secret from everyone, especially his jealous superior who wants to see him removed, all while solving murders.