"A Cold Treachery", by Charles Todd. An Ian Rutledge mystery

Setting is northern England, shortly after the end of the First World War. Inspector Ian Rutledge, from Scotland Yard, is sent to the remote sheep-herding village of Urksdale. A peaceful ranching family has been slaughtered. Husband, wife, young daughter, and infant twins, all shot dead in their kitchen. Their young son is missing, and after much searching, is given up for dead, either killed by the murderer, or perished during the blizzard.

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Rutledge had been an officer during the War, and had been almost killed by a mortar shell that did kill Corporal Hamish MacLeod. Inspector Rutledge has been haunted by Hamish ever since, the man's Scottish accented voice a constant companion, helping, and sometimes interfering, with Rutledge's thoughts.

The list of suspects is long. The brother of the dead man. The sister of the dead woman. The dead woman's first husband, father of the dead girl and the missing boy. A man that the dead rancher had helped prosecute during a military court-martial. The local hotel-keeper. A couple other local folks. And, even the missing boy himself.

Charles Todd's prose is full of local color and dialogue. The characters are well-drawn. The plot is not very intricate, but it is quite deep in psychological suspense. The ending comes as a bit of a surprise.

This is the first book from the author that I have read, but it sure won't be the last!