Author: Charles Todd
Year Published: 2015
Genre: Adult mystery
Pages: 336
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location (my 2015 Google Reading map): UK and France
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review
Summary (from the back of the book): An explosion and fire at the Ashton Powder Mill in Kent have killed more than a hundred men. It's called an appalling tragedy--until suspicion and rumor raise the specter of murder. While visiting the Ashton family, Bess Crawford finds herself caught up in a venomous show of hostility that doesn't stop with Philip Ashton's arrest. Indeed, someone is out for blood, and the household is all but under siege.
The only known witness to the tragedy is now at the Front in France, and Bess is asked to find him. When she does, he refuses to tell her anything that will help the Ashtons. Realizing that he believes the tissue of lies that has nearly destroyed a family, Bess must convince him to tell her what really happened that terrible Sunday morning. But someone else is also searching for this man. To end this vicious persecution of the Ashtons, Bess must risk her own life to protect her reluctant witness from a clever killer intent on preventing both of them from ever returning to England.
Review: This is the third Bess Crawford mystery I have read and it's my favorite one!
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review
Summary (from the back of the book): An explosion and fire at the Ashton Powder Mill in Kent have killed more than a hundred men. It's called an appalling tragedy--until suspicion and rumor raise the specter of murder. While visiting the Ashton family, Bess Crawford finds herself caught up in a venomous show of hostility that doesn't stop with Philip Ashton's arrest. Indeed, someone is out for blood, and the household is all but under siege.
The only known witness to the tragedy is now at the Front in France, and Bess is asked to find him. When she does, he refuses to tell her anything that will help the Ashtons. Realizing that he believes the tissue of lies that has nearly destroyed a family, Bess must convince him to tell her what really happened that terrible Sunday morning. But someone else is also searching for this man. To end this vicious persecution of the Ashtons, Bess must risk her own life to protect her reluctant witness from a clever killer intent on preventing both of them from ever returning to England.
Purchase Links: Amazon | IndieBound | B
Author Links: Charlestodd.com and CharlesToddNovels on Facebook
Review: This is the third Bess Crawford mystery I have read and it's my favorite one!
- I always like the gentle feel of these books; it really sets the tone for the time period. The people are more proper than now (dressing for dinner, staying at hotels that befit a nurse, etc). World War I and particularly the end of the war when this one takes place, is such an interesting time period!
- Bess Crawford is smart, interesting, talented, a good nurse, and doesn't take crap from anyone. She is too trusting of people, but that can also be a good quality. I like that her parents and their friend Simon appear in this story, giving a sense of continuity to the books.
- The battlefields of France, the hospitals of Britain, and the city of Canterbury are wonderful settings for the mystery of this book. I also like that it is based on a true event, which I didn't know until I had finished the book.
If you like historical fiction and mysteries, then this book is for you!
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