A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd

 (Bess Crawford #7)

326 pages / 11 hrs, 3 mins

"An explosion and fire at the Ashton Gunpowder Mill in Kent has killed over 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. 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 now someone else is also searching for this man.

"To end the vicious persecution of the Ashtons, Bess must risk her own life to protect her reluctant witness from a clever killer intent on preventing either of them from ever reaching England." --from the publisher

The series continues to be interesting and I'm learning much about the United Kingdom and World War I. The plot dragged for me in places, and I thought the killer's motive was pretty weak. I give it three out of five stars.

An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd

(Bess Crawford #6)

368 pages / 11 hrs, 1 min

"Home on leave, Bess Crawford is asked to accompany a wounded soldier confined to a wheelchair to Buckingham Palace, where he’s to be decorated by the King. The next morning when Bess goes to collect Wilkins, he has vanished. Both the Army and the nursing service hold Bess negligent for losing the war hero, and there will be an inquiry.

"Then comes disturbing word from the Shropshire police, complicating the already difficult situation: Wilkins has been spotted, and he’s killed a man. If Bess is to save her own reputation, she must find Wilkins and uncover the truth. But the elusive soldier has disappeared again and even the Shropshire police have lost him. Suddenly, the moral implications of what has happened—that a patient in her charge has committed murder—become more important to Bess than her own future. She’s going to solve this mysterious puzzle, but righting an injustice and saving her honor may just cost Bess her life."  --from the publisher

Just an "okay" addition to this series. The story didn't flow well, and many of the characters' actions were out of character. I hope this is a one-off, and the books get back to their usual quality. I give it three out of five stars, but that may be a bit generous.

A Question of Honor by Charles Todd

A Question of Honor by Charles Todd
(Bess Crawford #5)
320 pages / 10 hrs, 5 mins

"In 1908, when a young Bess Crawford lived in India, an unforgettable incident darkened the otherwise happy time. Her father's regiment discovered it had a murderer in its ranks, an officer who killed five people yet was never brought to trial.

"A decade later, tending to the wounded on the battlefields of France during World War I, Bess learns from a dying man that the alleged murderer, Lieutenant Wade, is alive and serving at the Front. According to reliable reports, he'd died years before, so how did Wade escape India? What drove a good man to murder in cold blood? Bess uses her leave to investigate. But when she stumbles on the horrific truth, she is shaken to her very core. The facts reveal a reality that could have been her own fate."  --from the publisher

This is one of my favorites in the series so far. The story and characters are engaging, and the mystery is believable. I give it four out of five stars.

An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd

An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd
(Bess Crawford #4)
262 pages / 8 hrs, 31 mins

"In the spring of 1918, the Spanish flu epidemic spreads, killing millions of soldiers and civilians across the globe. Overwhelmed by the constant flow of wounded soldiers coming from the French front, battlefield nurse Bess Crawford must now contend with hundreds of influenza patients as well.

"However, war and disease are not the only killers to strike. Bess discovers, concealed among the dead waiting for burial, the body of an officer who has been murdered. Though she is devoted to all her patients, this soldier's death touches her deeply. Not only did the man serve in her father's former regiment, he was also a family friend.

"Before she can report the terrible news, Bess falls ill, the latest victim of the flu. By the time she recovers, the murdered officer has been buried, and the only other person who saw the body has hanged himself. Or did he?

"Working her father's connections in the military, Bess begins to piece together what little evidence she can find to unmask the elusive killer and see justice served. But she must be as vigilant as she is tenacious. With a determined killer on her heels, each move Bess makes could be her last."  --from the publisher

I didn't like this one as well as the others in the series. Bess's life of privilege during such a horrific, widespread period of suffering rubbed me the wrong way.  The class system in England is sometimes difficult for me to understand.  Still, it was a good story although the ending was a bit weak, imho.  I give it three out of five stars.

A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd

A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd
(Bess Crawford #3)
352 pages / 11 hrs, 1 min

"World War One battlefield nurse Bess Crawford is featured for a third time in A Bitter Truth. Bess reaches out to help an abused and frightened young woman, only to discover that no good deed ever goes unpunished when the good Samaritan nurse finds herself falsely accused of murder."  --from the publisher.

Good story, but I didn't care for the family Bess was trying to help.  They weren't very likable, in my opinion, so the story dragged for me in parts.

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd
(Bess Crawford #1)
336 pages / 9 hrs, 49 mins

"A Duty to the Dead introduces readers to an unforgettable new protagonist...Bess Crawford, a courageous World War I nurse and determined investigator. Once again the New York Times bestselling author brilliantly evokes post-Great War Europe, casting an indomitable heroine into a simmering cauldron of village secrets, family intrigues, and murder."  --from the publisher

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale.  It is well written with unique characters so that I had no trouble keeping the large cast straight as I read.  And Bess Crawford is such an everyday protagonist that it was easy to relate to her.  I gave it 4.5 stars out of 5.