Book Review: No Shred of Evidence

By Jessica Asbell

On a warm autumn day in 1920 on the north coast of Cornwall, four women, Victoria Grenville, Elaine St. Ives, Kate Gordon and Sara Langley went out boating on the River Camel. As they were rowing back to their dock, they saw Harry Saunders, the bankers son, frantically waving in the distance. His dinghy was sinking, so they began to row towards him. They got to him just as his dinghy sunk. Victoria tried to reach him with the oar, but only succeeded in striking him in the head. Suddenly, a farmer named Trevose jumped into the river and helped pull Harry into the boat. By this time, Harry is unconscious due to the head wound. As they get closer to the dock, Trevose asks the girls why they just tried to kill Harry. This begins Charles Todds newest Ian Rutledge novel, No Shred of Evidence.

Inspector Ian Rutledge, of Scotland Yard, is a hero of World War I. And yet, he has come back haunted by a Scottish soldier that he cannot forget, for Rutledge had to shoot him for failure to follow orders. As Rutledge works to keep his demons at bay and his shell shock hidden from everyone else, he is sent to Cornwall to take on a difficult case involving four well-to-do women, a bankers son who is now in a coma, and a farmer who insists that the girls tried to murder him. After Harry dies, it becomes a race to figure out what happened before he is forced to take these young women to prison.

This can be a standalone read, although you may have a better understanding of the character of Ian Rutledge if you read the books in order. No Shred of Evidence is compelling. Youll find yourself hoping that these four young women are not guilty, and that Rutledge will find that one piece of evidence that clears them.