A Test of Wills Characters & Character Analysis

A Test of Wills Characters

Inspector Ian Rutledge

Ian Rutledge is the main character in A Test of Wills. He is an Inspector/Detective at Scotland Yard, the police headquarters in London, England. His supervisor, Superintendent Bowles, assigns him to Charles Harris's murder case in the hope that he will fail. Prior to World War I, Rutledge was a top-notch investigator with a reputation for solving difficult cases. In 1914, he went off to war, but he has returned to Scotland Yard in 1919 a much-changed man. His experiences in the war led to a severe case of shell shock, and as a result, he no longer has much confidence in his ability to solve the cases that once enthralled him. His mind has coped with the horrific things that happened to him by giving him a voice in his head, Hamish McLeod, who often comments disparagingly on Rutledge's activities and decisions. The other characters in the story describe...
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