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An Impartial Witness Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,665 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Tending to the soldiers in the trenches of France during the First World War, battlefield nurse Bess Crawford can’t help but notice the photo of a young pilot’s wife every time she tends to him. But then at the railway station, in a mob of troops leaving for the front, Bess glimpses a familiar face—the pilot’s wife? Back in France, Bess sees a newspaper with a drawing of the woman’s face on the front page. She’d been murdered—the very day Bess saw her. Bess is soon on the search for a devious and very dangerous killer—a search that will put her own life in jeopardy.
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"Bess unwillingly serves as a witness, and becomes entangled in a murder inquiry that alarms her family. As always, principles and ethics are held in high regard, something that seems charming and is certainly missing in our times."
— Mary (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Remarkable.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Although the use of coincidence in a murder mystery is generally frowned upon, Todd takes one giant coincidence and builds a plot around it to great effect. This second book in the Bess Crawford series places this mother-son writing duo at the top of their plotting game, with intricate twists and plenty of viable suspects. The meticulously realized period detailing is an intrinsic part of a story that is much more than a whodunit.”
— RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, Top Pick!) -
“A book rich in atmosphere and dense with plot.”
— St. Louis Post-Dipatch -
“A superb whodunit…and a moving evocation of a world at war.”
— Richmond Times-Dispatch -
“Finely plotted and full of meticulous period detail and deft characterizations.”
— Strand
An Impartial Witness Listener Reviews
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" Bess Crawford suffers in comparison to Charles Todd's other hero, Inspector Rutledge. Crawford's character is a little flat (Rutledge's war demons give him complexity). But even at the best of times Todd's secondary characters lack subtlety. In this effort it really shows. What I did enjoy is Todd's rendering of wartime England "
— Emily, 2/16/2014 -
" I basically enjoyed this book, but I found myself thinking most of the way through it that I couldn't quite believe in the main character, Bess Crawford. I had the same problem in the first book. She gets a lot more involved in the lives of people she hardly knows than I can imagine anyone doing. Also, at one point she visits a very hostile person whom she hardly knows alone at night - sort of a "never, never do this" action that no one with half a brain would do. I frequently found myself with questions about the character of Simon: how old is this guy, how come he's always there whenever needed (does he have a Bess GPS implant or something), how come he can run around the country getting her out of scrapes as batman to a RETIRED colonel when practically any other ablebodied man is in the army? I'm probably going to feel foolish when someone who remembers the first book better than I do answers some of these questions. "
— Bonnie, 2/10/2014 -
" Lovely, brooding complex mystery with an amateur sleuth with the dogged determination of a pro. Audio version read beautifully by Rosalyn Landor. Great for WWI buffs and fans of Maisie Dobbs. "
— Zoe, 2/9/2014 -
" Interesting, lots of information regarding WW1 England and fighting in France. WW1 nurse Beth Crawford solves murder cases and nurses on the front lines. I really enjoyed this book. "
— Billie, 2/4/2014 -
" Bess Crawford, intrepid WWI nurse, solves another mystery. "
— Michele, 1/20/2014 -
" This book was ok..not a rock your socks type of book. The character of Bess Crawford has really bored me, yet I haven't really been able to get into their other character either. "
— Naomi, 1/19/2014 -
" Bess Crawford, a nurse who has seen WWI action in France, solves a murder mystery and I love to read British murder mysteries! "
— Margery, 1/15/2014 -
" A good historical background, but the solution to the mystery is a bit obvious from the end if the first third of the book. "
— Constance, 1/9/2014 -
" I was immersed in world war one setting... "
— Ade, 12/30/2013 -
" This was a good book and kept me guessing until the end. "
— Robbin, 12/21/2013 -
" Liked a little better than the first. I hope her next book is based at the front bc she gets a hell of a lot of leave! "
— Lauren, 12/13/2013 -
" If you are a fan of the Maisie Dobbs series, you will definitely like this one about a nurse in WWI who gets embroiled in mysteries on the homefront in England. This is the second in the series. "
— Liz, 11/23/2013 -
" I just prefer the other series. "
— Maureen, 10/16/2013 -
" I have to agree with other reviewers that this has too modern a feel to be set during WW I. However, it was nicely plotted and I enjoyed it. "
— Cece, 3/1/2013 -
" This series is a lot like the Maisie Dobbs books, but (to me, at least) less fun. "
— Pamela, 7/10/2012 -
" Murder mystery with a touch of history and interesting characters.Written by Charles Todd and his mother but his mother's name isn't listed. "
— Carol, 7/10/2012 -
" More than a 3 but less than a 4. I like the Charles Todd books and I liked the previous Bess Crawford one. This is still a decent read but I found the pltting to be more contrived than I would have liked. "
— Nancy, 7/6/2012 -
" I found this so unbelievable that it was annoying. I put it down after about 70 pages and 2 days later decided to finish it since it was for one of my book clubs, but really did not enjoy it at all "
— Sandie, 6/19/2012 -
" Amazing! Excellent! Wonderful sequel to the first story - I cannot wait for the next one to come out! "
— Annette, 1/19/2012 -
" A good mystery book to read curled up on the couch on a rainy day. "
— Mary, 12/4/2011 -
" Disappointing. The plot was unnecessarily convoluted and the characters were unappealing. A let down after the first book in the series. "
— Vickie, 9/25/2011 -
" This was a bit over-plotted, with a lot of story threads that have you flipping back and forth to remember who's who. But up to Todd's usual good writing and Bess is a good, believable sleuth. "
— Amy, 8/27/2011 -
" I'm a big Todd fan, both of the Rutledge series and now the Bess Crawford mysteries. Beyond the mystery, what I loved about this one was the detailed picture of English village life during the Great War. "
— Rosie, 6/25/2011 -
" Murder mystery with a touch of history and interesting characters.Written by Charles Todd and his mother but his mother's name isn't listed. "
— Carol, 6/12/2011 -
" Another outing with Bess Crawford. Reading two of these back-to-back made the evil sibling theme a bit annoying and the degree to which Bess leans on Simon's assistance made me wish the author would get it over with and just team them straight up, but I expect that's to come in future books. "
— Elizabeth, 6/8/2011 -
" In this series written by a mother-son team , Bess Crawford, a WWI nurse, solves mysteries. "
— Janet, 6/2/2011 -
" I was immersed in world war one setting... "
— Puad, 5/23/2011 -
" I found this so unbelievable that it was annoying. I put it down after about 70 pages and 2 days later decided to finish it since it was for one of my book clubs, but really did not enjoy it at all "
— Sandie, 5/16/2011 -
" Can't wait to read the next one, if there is a ext one "
— Michele, 5/4/2011 -
" This is evidently part of a series of mysteries by this author. WWI time frame in England is always intriguing to me. <br/>Main character is intriguing also. I may try another in the series. "
— Sandy, 5/3/2011 -
" A new series for me. Not the greatest of mysteries, but love the wwi story. "
— Kathleen, 4/8/2011 -
" a good murder mystery, easy reading. takes place during WWI. Kept me interested to the end. "
— Susie, 4/7/2011 -
" This second book in the series featuring Bess Crawford, a WWI battlefield nurse, is well plotted and highly satisfying. Bess is an strong, appealing heroine that I would like to see more of. "
— Anne, 3/23/2011 -
" The characters are well drawn with more depth than in many mysteries. The period is World War I with the real horrors, tragedies and temptations providing the background for murder. "
— Nancy, 3/20/2011 -
" I thought this book had great promise, but it is somewhat unbelievable, and contrived, so if you are a serious reader of mystery, I would read one of this author's Inspector Rutledge series instead. "
— Elle, 3/16/2011
About Charles Todd
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.
About Rosalyn Landor
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.