Todd, Caroline (Charles Todd, a joint pseudonym, Carolyn Watjen, Carolyn L.T. Watjen)

PERSONAL:

Married; children: David (Charles) Todd. Education: B.A., M.A. Hobbies and other interests: History, old movies, English authors, animals.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—ctwd@juno.com

CAREER:

Mystery writer with son, Charles Todd.

WRITINGS:

WITH SON, CHARLES TODD, UNDER JOINT PSEUDONYM CHARLES TODD; "IAN RUTLEDGE" MYSTERY SERIES

A Test of Wills, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1996.

Wings of Fire, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Search the Dark, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Legacy of the Dead, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Watchers of Time, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2001.

A Fearsome Doubt, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2002.

The Murder Stone, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2003.

A Cold Treachery, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2005.

A Long Shadow, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2006.

A False Mirror, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2007.

A Pale Horse, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2008.

OTHER

(Under name Carolyn Watjen) Honor Ravensholme, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1979.

SIDELIGHTS:

Caroline Todd is a pseudonym for Carolyn L.T. Watjen, one-half of the writing team that pens novels under the joint pseudonym Charles Todd. Working with her son David, who is also singly known under the pseudonym Charles Todd, Caroline Todd has written nearly a dozen mystery novels featuring the popular character of Ian Rutledge Rutledge is an inspector with Scotland Yard who spent a traumatic stint in the army during World War I, where he was forced to shoot a young Scottish soldier on the battlefield for refusing an order. The ghost of the soldier follows Rutledge through the series, as he returns to Scotland Yard to investigate crimes. Among the most recent books in the series, A Long Shadow sees the protagonist in a small English village investigating the recent murder of the town constable, even as Rutledge realizes he is being hunted himself. Critical praise for the novel's plot development is representative of the series' earlier books. A Publishers Weekly reviewer commented that "Todd's plotting and characterization are, as usual, first-rate." David Wright remarked in a review for Booklist: "Its ever-thickening plot is sure to please serious puzzlers." In a review for the School Library Journal, Molly Connally found that the "absorbing plot with twists and turns" makes for "a gripping story." "This entry excels at intricate relationships among characters and the slow unveiling of Rutledge's personality," wrote Library Journal reviewer Laurel Bliss.

Another entry in the series, A False Mirror, follows Rutledge as he attempts to clear the name of a former fellow solder who has been accused of committing a vicious crime. The going is difficult, especially when the former soldier takes hostages in a failed attempt to assert his innocence, and Rutledge cannot seem to shake the ghosts from his past. Todd "seamlessly melds a fair-play whodunit with psychological suspense in the tradition of P.D. James," noted a critic for Publishers Weekly. Booklist contributor Stephanie Zvirin stated that Todd "incorporates touches of both Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie in this character-driven mystery."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 1, 2005, David Wright, review of A Long Shadow, p. 29; November 1, 2006, Stephanie Zvirin, review of A False Mirror, p. 33.

Library Journal, December 1, 2005, Laurel Bliss, review of A Long Shadow, p. 107.

Publishers Weekly, October 31, 2005, review of A Long Shadow, p. 35; November 6, 2006, review of A False Mirror, p. 39.

School Library Journal, April 1, 2006, Molly Connally, review of A Long Shadow, p. 169.

ONLINE

Charles Todd Home Page,http://www.charlestodd.com (June 27, 2007).