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Quick answer: If you loved Ian Rutledge, read Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs, then Dorothy L. Sayers's Gaudy Night, then Caleb Carr's The Alienist, and Sebastian Faulks's Birdsong and Pat Barker's Regeneration. All are post-war historical mysteries.
Charles Todd's Inspector Ian Rutledge series follows a shell-shocked Scotland Yard detective after World War I. These picks share its mood.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maisie Dobbs | Jacqueline Winspear | Adult | readers who like historical mysteries |
| Gaudy Night | Dorothy L. Sayers | Adult | golden-age puzzles |
| The Alienist | Caleb Carr | Adult | readers who like historical thrillers |
| Birdsong | Sebastian Faulks | Adult | readers who like historical fiction |
| Regeneration | Pat Barker | Adult | readers who want a psychological look |
| A Great Deliverance | Elizabeth George | Adult | British procedural |
| A Share in Death | Deborah Crombie | Adult | traditional British mystery |
| The Cater Street Hangman | Anne Perry | Adult | Victorian crime |
| Dissolution | C.J. Sansom | Adult | Tudor mysteries |
| Last Bus to Woodstock | Colin Dexter | Adult | Inspector Morse |
| Cocaine Blues | Kerry Greenwood | Adult | 1920s Melbourne |
| The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie | Alan Bradley | Adult | readers who like a young detective |
| Murder on the Orient Express | Agatha Christie | Adult | readers who love Christie |
| Her Royal Spyness | Rhys Bowen | Adult | cozy comedy |
| Testament of Youth | Vera Brittain | Adult | readers who want a woman's account |
1. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
A psychologist and investigator in 1929 London takes on cases tied to the Great War. Thoughtful and historical.
Best for: readers who like historical mysteries.
2. Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
Harriet Vane returns to her Oxford college, where a poison-pen campaign threatens the women inside. Literate and romantic.
Best for: golden-age puzzles.
3. The Alienist by Caleb Carr
In 1896 New York, a psychologist, a reporter and an illustrator hunt a killer of boys. Historical and atmospheric.
Best for: readers who like historical thrillers.
4. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
Stephen Wraysford falls in love before the war and fights in the trenches of the Somme. Intense and romantic.
Best for: readers who like historical fiction.
5. Regeneration by Pat Barker
At a Scottish hospital, Dr. Rivers treats shell-shocked officers including the poet Siegfried Sassoon. First in a trilogy.
Best for: readers who want a psychological look.
6. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George
Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers investigate a murder in Yorkshire. Rich character work.
Best for: British procedural.
7. A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie
Scotland Yard's Duncan Kincaid investigates a murder at a Yorkshire time-share. Classic village crime.
Best for: traditional British mystery.
8. The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry
A Victorian family is shaken by murders in London. Class, manners and crime.
Best for: Victorian crime.
9. Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
Lawyer Matthew Shardlake investigates a murder at a monastery in Tudor England. Rich historical atmosphere.
Best for: Tudor mysteries.
10. Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter
Morse investigates a murder in Oxford. A classic British procedural.
Best for: Inspector Morse.
11. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
Phryne Fisher, a glamorous detective, solves a case in Melbourne. Stylish and witty.
Best for: 1920s Melbourne.
12. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Flavia de Luce, an 11-year-old chemist in 1950 England, investigates a body in the cucumber patch. Charming and sharp.
Best for: readers who like a young detective.
13. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot investigates a murder on a snowbound train. A classic puzzle.
Best for: readers who love Christie.
14. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
A penniless royal in 1930s London gets drawn into a murder. Light and funny.
Best for: cozy comedy.
15. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
A young woman gives up Oxford to be a nurse and loses her fiancé, brother and friends. A touching view from home and hospital.
Best for: readers who want a woman's account.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Ian Rutledge: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Ian Rutledge. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For post-war mysteries, read Maisie Dobbs. For golden-age puzzles, try Gaudy Night. For atmosphere, pick The Alienist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who writes Ian Rutledge?
Charles Todd, a mother-and-son team.
Where do I start?
With A Test of Wills.
Is it dark?
It has a sombre mood.
Which book here is best for readers who want a woman's account?
Try Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain, which suits readers looking for readers who want a woman's account.
Which book here is best for cozy comedy?
Try Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen, which suits readers looking for cozy comedy.
Which book here is best for readers who love Christie?
Try Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, which suits readers looking for readers who love Christie.
Which book here is best for readers who like a young detective?
Try The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, which suits readers looking for readers who like a young detective.
Which book here is best for 1920s Melbourne?
Try Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood, which suits readers looking for 1920s Melbourne.