In the latest mystery from New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd, World War I nurse and amateur sleuth Bess Crawford investigates an old murder that occurred during her childhood in India, and begins a search for the truth that will transform her and leave her pondering a troubling question: How can facts lie?
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.
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“The latest Bess Crawford book from this mother-and-son writing team features a nurse working on the battlefields of France during WW I. The horror of this time is excellently portrayed, both for those fighting and for their families back in England. The writing is excellent and moving, if sometimes heartbreaking.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
“You’re going to love Todd.”
— Stephen King“A masterpiece of imagination.”
— Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author on the Ian Rutledge series“Highly recommended—well-rounded, believable characters, a multi-layered plot solidly based on human nature.”
— Stephanie Laurens, #1 New York Times bestselling author on A Bitter Truth“Outstanding.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Readers who can’t get enough of Maisie Dobbs, the intrepid World War I battlefield nurse in Jacqueline Winspear’s novels, or Hester Latterly, who saw action in the Crimean War in a series of novels by Anne Perry, are bound to be caught up in the adventures of Bess Crawford.”
— New York Times Book Review“Waiting for PBS’s Downton Abbey to resume or pining for the pleasure of a new Todd mystery? This World War I story, with a pleasant nod to the Christmas season, will give longtime fans a reason to rejoice and will surely attract new fans lucky enough to receive a gift copy.”
— Library Journal on The Walnut TreeBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Charles Todd is a pen name used by the American authors Caroline (1934-2021) and Charles Todd, a mother-and-son writing team who write the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries and the Bess Crawford mysteries, as well as stand-alone novels. Their novel Proof of Guilt was a New York Times bestseller, and A Test of Wills was named one of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association’s 100 favorite mysteries of the 20th Century and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year selection. Their novels have won the Agatha Award, the Barry Award, and the Anthony Award, as well as being finalists for several other awards. Charles is continuing the series.
Rosalyn Landor is an English-born television, theater, and multiple-award-winning audiobook narrator. Her television credits include Love in a Cold Climate, Rumpole of the Bailey, Sherlock Holmes, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has won numerous Audie awards and AudioFile magazine Earphones awards.