Charles Todd is a pen name used by the American authors Caroline Todd and Charles Todd, who were mother and son. Caroline Todd was the pen name for Carolyn Watjen (born Carolyn Linene Teachey; November 13, 1934 — August 28, 2021) and Charles Todd is the pen name for her son David Watjen.^[1] Caroline Todd died in August 2021, at age 86 from complications of a lung infection.^[1] Charles Todd lives in North Carolina.

The authors are best known for a series of novels, set in post World War I England. The books deal with the cases of Inspector Ian Rutledge, a veteran of the European campaigns who is attempting to pick up the pieces of his Scotland Yard career. However, he must keep his greatest burden a secret: suffering from shell shock, he lives with the constant, cynical, taunting voice of Hamish MacLeod, a young Scots soldier he was forced to execute on the battlefield for refusing an order and moments before a shell from their own artillery buried Rutledge's regiment alive. Only Rutledge survived because of a small air pocket between his face and Hamish MacLeod's body.^[2]

They are also the authors of a series about Bess Crawford, a nurse serving in France during World War I.

Recognition

• A Test of Wills (1996) – was nominated for the John Creasey Award in the United Kingdom; other nominations are the Edgar Award,^[3] an Anthony,^[4] and the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Dilys Award.^[5] The work won the Barry Award^[6] from the Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine. The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association named A Test of Wills one of the 100 favorite mysteries of the 20th Century,^[7] and it received a starred review in Publishers Weekly and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
• Wings of Fire (1998) – received a nomination for the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Dilys Award^[5] and was shortlisted for first Ellis Peters Mystery Award in the United Kingdom
• Legacy of the Dead (2000) – received an Anthony Award nomination.^[4]
• An Unmarked Grave (2012) – received an Agatha Award nomination for Best Historical Novel.^[8]
• A Question of Honor (2013) – won the Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel.^[8]

Publications

Featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge

• A Test of Wills (1996) . ISBN 0-06-124284-5
• Wings of Fire (1998) . ISBN 0-312-96568-0
• Search the Dark (1999) . ISBN 0-312-97128-1
• Legacy of the Dead (2000) . ISBN 0-553-58315-8
• Watchers of Time (2001) . ISBN 0-553-58316-6
• A Fearsome Doubt (2002) . ISBN 0-553-58317-4
• A Cold Treachery (2005) . ISBN 0-553-58661-0
• A Long Shadow (2006) . ISBN 0-06-078673-6
• A False Mirror (2007) . ISBN 0-06-078673-6
• A Pale Horse (2008) . ISBN 0-06-123356-0
• A Matter of Justice (2009) . ISBN 0-06-123359-5
• The Red Door (2010) . ISBN 978-0-06-172616-3
• A Lonely Death (2011) . ISBN 978-0-06-172619-4
• The Confession (2012) . ISBN 978-0-06-201566-2
• Proof of Guilt (2013) . ISBN 978-0-06-201568-6
• Hunting Shadows (2014) . ISBN 978-0-06-223718-7
• A Fine Summer's Day (2015) . ISBN 978-0-06-223712-5
• No Shred of Evidence (2016) . ISBN 978-0-06-244022-8
• Racing the Devil (2017) . ISBN 978-0-06-238621-2
• The Piper (2017) . ISBN 978-0-06-267809-6
• The Gate Keeper (2018) . ISBN 978-0-06-267871-3
• The Black Ascot (2019) . ISBN 978-0-06-267874-4
• A Divided Loyalty (2020) . ISBN 978-0-06-290553-6
• A Fatal Lie (2021) . ISBN 978-0-06-290557-4
• A Game of Fear (2022) . ISBN 978-0-06-290559-8

Featuring Bess Crawford

• A Duty to the Dead (2009) . ISBN 978-0-06-179176-5
• An Impartial Witness (2010) . ISBN 978-0-06-179178-9
• A Bitter Truth (2011) . ISBN 978-0-06-201570-9
• An Unmarked Grave (2012) . ISBN 978-0-06-201572-3
• A Question of Honor (2013) . ISBN 978-0-06-223715-6
• An Unwilling Accomplice (2014) . ISBN 978-0-06-223720-0
• A Pattern of Lies (2015) . ISBN 978-0-06-238625-0
• The Shattered Tree (2016) . ISBN 978-0-06-238628-1
• A Casualty of War (2017) . ISBN 978-0-06-267879-9
• A Forgotten Place (2018) . ISBN 978-0-06-267883-6
• A Cruel Deception (2019) . ISBN 978-0-06-285983-9
• A Hanging at Dawn (2020) . ISBN 978-0-06-304856-0
• An Irish Hostage (2021) . ISBN 978-0-06-285985-3
• The Cliff's Edge (2023)

Stand-alone novels

• The Murder Stone (2003) . ISBN 0-553-80348-4
• The Walnut Tree (2012) . ISBN 978-0-06-223699-9