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Bess Crawford #6
An Unwilling Accomplice
World War I Battlefield nurse Bess Crawford’s career is in jeopardy when a murder is committed on her watch, in this absorbing and atmospheric historical mystery from New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd.
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.
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.
368 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2014
619 people are currently reading
2728 people want to read
About the author
Charles Todd
112 books3,507 followersCharles Todd was the pen name used by the mother-and-son writing team, Caroline Todd and Charles Todd. Now, Charles writes the Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford Series. Charles Todd ha spublished three standalone mystery novels and many short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 654 reviews
November 25, 2014
This book just made me tired. If Bess and Simon drove back and forth one more time between Upper Dysoe, Middle Dysoe, and Lower Dysoe, I was going to scream. Major back tracking going on here. And explain to me why Bess refused to alert Scotland Yard?? Because her explanations never made sense. And if she left the car one more time when Simon told her to stay put (Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon who has years of stealth military experience under his belt as opposed to Bess tripping around in the dark in either, take-your-pick, Upper, Middle, or Lower Dysoe in her nurses's uniform) I really was going to scream.
August 15, 2014
At the beginning, a very interesting situation - when a war hero, honored by the King, deserts and leaves Bess under suspicion of being derelict or worse.
But then we're off into something the reader has no way of getting hold of. And the melodramatic solution is reached simply by happenchance, after driving back and forth and making herself a nuisance.
The weakest book in an otherwise good series.
But then we're off into something the reader has no way of getting hold of. And the melodramatic solution is reached simply by happenchance, after driving back and forth and making herself a nuisance.
The weakest book in an otherwise good series.
June 11, 2016
Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
Here a wounded soldier, there a wounded soldier, everywhere a wounded soldier. Too many random wounded soldiers! If I ever hear "Lower Dysoe," "Middle Dysoe," or "Upper Dysoe" again, it will be too soon.
Charles Todd, you're better than this. Do better next time.
Here a wounded soldier, there a wounded soldier, everywhere a wounded soldier. Too many random wounded soldiers! If I ever hear "Lower Dysoe," "Middle Dysoe," or "Upper Dysoe" again, it will be too soon.
Charles Todd, you're better than this. Do better next time.
June 30, 2015
I adore Bess Crawford. She's smart, respectable, hard-working, and courageous. What more could a reader want?
This book, however, was not the best in the series. The setting was mundane and I quickly lost interest in the descriptions. I would have also like to have seen more interaction between Bess and her family, but it seemed that the entire book was describing Bess and Simon in a car running back and forth between the same people and places.
The writing was wonderful (I didn't expect less from Charles Todd). The characters were as charming as ever, but the plot was not engaging.
I will give the book this: I did not expect the ending. So even if you are not in love with most of the book, read it just to get to the end. It might redeem it in your eyes.
This book, however, was not the best in the series. The setting was mundane and I quickly lost interest in the descriptions. I would have also like to have seen more interaction between Bess and her family, but it seemed that the entire book was describing Bess and Simon in a car running back and forth between the same people and places.
The writing was wonderful (I didn't expect less from Charles Todd). The characters were as charming as ever, but the plot was not engaging.
I will give the book this: I did not expect the ending. So even if you are not in love with most of the book, read it just to get to the end. It might redeem it in your eyes.
October 1, 2023
A disappointing addition to this series. The plot is heavy and slow, there are way too many red herrings, and Simon, who does all the dirty work, is constantly pushed to the background while Bess calls the shots, disobeys him so that she can "see for herself". in spite of Simon being her father's go-to guy for dangerous missions. He did make several blunders that were surprising. considering his supposed intelligence and experience. Overall, Simon is by far more interesting than Bess, but he is never fully realized as a character. Although it's emphasized often that he has been a part of the family for most of Bess' life, at one point, after returning to the Front, she muses that she had spent so much time with him in the last few days, she "rather missed" him. Poor Simon. If she doesn't want him, I'll take him.
I also have my own doubts about the frequency of Bess' many furloughs in the midst of war. This one will not be joining the Inspector Ian Rutledge books on my desert island.
I also have my own doubts about the frequency of Bess' many furloughs in the midst of war. This one will not be joining the Inspector Ian Rutledge books on my desert island.
July 20, 2022
With An Unwilling Accomplice have I almost read all the Bess Crawford that's been published. It's a favorite series of mine and yes I did miss my favorite Aussie in this book, however, the case was very interesting. Bess finds herself accused of being neglectful when a soldier in her care goes missing, so she decides to find out the truth. Why the man in question left the hotel after being given a medal by the King.
Charles Todd (mother and son) has written a really good story. I did for a moment towards the end of the book feel a bit like not much happened other than Bess trying to find the right wounded man (yup there are more than one). And, I kind of wanted something to happen, rather than all this investigation. However, the ending is very satisfying. A nice confrontation finally revealed the truth about why the soldier deserted.
Charles Todd (mother and son) has written a really good story. I did for a moment towards the end of the book feel a bit like not much happened other than Bess trying to find the right wounded man (yup there are more than one). And, I kind of wanted something to happen, rather than all this investigation. However, the ending is very satisfying. A nice confrontation finally revealed the truth about why the soldier deserted.
May 17, 2022
I really like the Bess Crawford series and was looking forward to reading this one. I was disappointed in it, though -- I don't feel that it was as good as the others in the series.
Though the initial plot set-up was interesting and the resolution was action-filled, the chapters in between were less so. The plot revolved around Bess and Simon, with just cameo appearances by other recurring characters, and there was little or no additional character development in those two. The bulk of the book was spent with Bess and Simon driving from one place to another in the same region, checking into and out of inns and wandering the countryside searching for an elusive soldier. It became repetitive and, at times, hard to follow. Eventually, I reached the dreaded point of not really caring how the book turned out and only finished it because I was nearer the end than the beginning.
I felt that the development of the additional characters, along with their story lines and motivations, was not complete or even, at times, plausible.
I hope that this is just a low point in the Bess series and that future ones will be better -- I'll still look foward to the next one.
Though the initial plot set-up was interesting and the resolution was action-filled, the chapters in between were less so. The plot revolved around Bess and Simon, with just cameo appearances by other recurring characters, and there was little or no additional character development in those two. The bulk of the book was spent with Bess and Simon driving from one place to another in the same region, checking into and out of inns and wandering the countryside searching for an elusive soldier. It became repetitive and, at times, hard to follow. Eventually, I reached the dreaded point of not really caring how the book turned out and only finished it because I was nearer the end than the beginning.
I felt that the development of the additional characters, along with their story lines and motivations, was not complete or even, at times, plausible.
I hope that this is just a low point in the Bess series and that future ones will be better -- I'll still look foward to the next one.
August 26, 2014
All though in fact, Bess is still her old busy body self, the plot this time kind of camouflaged that fact. And, please, what is it with her and Simon? Bess still seems to have the emotional maturity of a 13 year old when it comes to men. And all those damaged war veterans running around in the countryside seemed too coincidental for believability, except that I once had a similar experience with stray cats in the middle of the night at my mom's house in the country, so I guess anything is possible.
September 25, 2014
I started out with such love for this series, a love that is waning with each successive novel. Nothing every progresses for Bess. She is exactly the same as she was five books ago. Compare this series to a similar one featuring Maisie Dobs. Since the start of the series she has had different love interests, she has changed jobs, she has allowed new people into her circle, and the mysteries are intriguing and thought provoking. I don't always like what Maisie is doing but at least she is doing something. In six books Bess and Simon haven't even had one kiss. Come on you have to give the readers something!
As far as the mystery goes it was pretty boring. Bess is asked to escort Sergeant Jason Wilkins to receive an award and after doing so he disappears on her watch reflecting badly on her. The rest of the novel has Simon and Bess traveling from one boring English town to the next looking for the elusive Wilkins. The most exciting thing that happens between Bess and Simon is their constant discussions on what they are going to eat. Should we get lunch, have dinner, go on a picnic, have tea? They talk about what they are going to eat ad nauseam. Since I didn't really care about the characters I was not invested in the outcome. It was a relief to finish the book.
If I sound harsh it's because I loved this series so much. If Bess was allowed the least little progression I would love it again. Once I start a series it is hard for me to give it up. I stuck with Stephanie Plum through twenty books before I had to face the fact that she was never going to chose between Joe and Ranger. This is probably not my last Bess Crawford novel but I long for the excitement that was in evidence in the beginning of the series.
As far as the mystery goes it was pretty boring. Bess is asked to escort Sergeant Jason Wilkins to receive an award and after doing so he disappears on her watch reflecting badly on her. The rest of the novel has Simon and Bess traveling from one boring English town to the next looking for the elusive Wilkins. The most exciting thing that happens between Bess and Simon is their constant discussions on what they are going to eat. Should we get lunch, have dinner, go on a picnic, have tea? They talk about what they are going to eat ad nauseam. Since I didn't really care about the characters I was not invested in the outcome. It was a relief to finish the book.
If I sound harsh it's because I loved this series so much. If Bess was allowed the least little progression I would love it again. Once I start a series it is hard for me to give it up. I stuck with Stephanie Plum through twenty books before I had to face the fact that she was never going to chose between Joe and Ranger. This is probably not my last Bess Crawford novel but I long for the excitement that was in evidence in the beginning of the series.
August 13, 2014
What keeps me coming back to this series is the way Charles Todd writes the main & recurring characters. However...the amount of time Bess spends on leave / in England / driving around with Simon is always distracting enough to pull me out of the story.
August 19, 2014
This book represents a milestone for me. It signifies the conclusion of my reading challenge for 2014. It mirrors the first book that I read on my kindle, which was by the same authors as this one. The similarities between the two books end here. It's not a good thing.
The language used in An Unwilling Accomplice is not the best of what the authors are capable of. The way the story has been conceived and organized leaves a lot to be desired. The repetition of a troubled and tragic scapegoat can be shrugged off. After all nothing is new under the sun. However the way that person, Sergeant Wilkins, disappears so early in the story makes it difficult to bond with him. Along with that, from experience, us readers know, for sure that he is innocent. So the readers aren't on the tenterhooks of suspense that the authors were counting on.
Adding to the way the scapegoat made his appearance, is the uninspired locale of the amateur investigation by Bess and Simon. It's literally a hamlet. More like three of them. Oh the horror, the boredom! Nothing of note happened for most of the book. Any information of importance was difficult to grasp. The Cartwright character slipped in and out of the book like a ghost. He was not wanted or needed. He was totally surplus to requirement. I am very unsatisfied with this book. I can kind of see how a different reader might come to love this book. But loving An Unwilling Accomplice is not possible for me in this lifetime.
The language used in An Unwilling Accomplice is not the best of what the authors are capable of. The way the story has been conceived and organized leaves a lot to be desired. The repetition of a troubled and tragic scapegoat can be shrugged off. After all nothing is new under the sun. However the way that person, Sergeant Wilkins, disappears so early in the story makes it difficult to bond with him. Along with that, from experience, us readers know, for sure that he is innocent. So the readers aren't on the tenterhooks of suspense that the authors were counting on.
Adding to the way the scapegoat made his appearance, is the uninspired locale of the amateur investigation by Bess and Simon. It's literally a hamlet. More like three of them. Oh the horror, the boredom! Nothing of note happened for most of the book. Any information of importance was difficult to grasp. The Cartwright character slipped in and out of the book like a ghost. He was not wanted or needed. He was totally surplus to requirement. I am very unsatisfied with this book. I can kind of see how a different reader might come to love this book. But loving An Unwilling Accomplice is not possible for me in this lifetime.
Read
August 30, 2016I’m a huge Charles Todd fan, I love the writing the characters and of course, the always stimulating mystery. However, this particular installment was below par.
The writing wasn’t the high calibre Todd produces, the mystery was a big fat bore. Sadly, Bess was more meddlesome than amateur sleuth. Simon failed to add much needed excitement with his presence. All these two did was drive from one English hamlet to the next searching for the intriguing Wilkins. The discovery of a few more ‘misplaced’ soldiers is ridiculous only making the entire narrative more of a struggle to slog through. I had to dig deep to reach the end, a few close calls with raising my white flag in surrender to the agony of boredom.
I’m still a Todd fan despite the disappointment in this book, with such a successful series en toto you’re bound to find a bump in the reading road on occasion. Looking forward to more from Bess next time fingers crossed I will be drowning in excitement as her previous exploits provided.
http://ravenhairedgirl.com
The writing wasn’t the high calibre Todd produces, the mystery was a big fat bore. Sadly, Bess was more meddlesome than amateur sleuth. Simon failed to add much needed excitement with his presence. All these two did was drive from one English hamlet to the next searching for the intriguing Wilkins. The discovery of a few more ‘misplaced’ soldiers is ridiculous only making the entire narrative more of a struggle to slog through. I had to dig deep to reach the end, a few close calls with raising my white flag in surrender to the agony of boredom.
I’m still a Todd fan despite the disappointment in this book, with such a successful series en toto you’re bound to find a bump in the reading road on occasion. Looking forward to more from Bess next time fingers crossed I will be drowning in excitement as her previous exploits provided.
http://ravenhairedgirl.com
October 24, 2018
An Unwilling Accomplice
3 Stars
Bess Crawford is accused of negligence when the wounded soldier in her care disappears and is later suspected of committing a murder. To clear her name, Bess and the ever faithful Simon Brandon scour the Shropshire countryside for clues to the killer's whereabouts. Can they find him before he kills again?
Unfortunately, this is the weakest book in the series. Much of the plot revolves around Bess and Simon traipsing back and forth between various small villages sticking their noses into other people's business.
The mystery isn't all that interesting and even the so-called surprise twist is glaringly obvious to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention. It is also a pity that the Todds fail to seize this excellent opportunity to forward the romance between Bess and Simon. As it is, their is little to no progress on this front.
That said, Bess is an endearing heroine and her determination to uncover the truth is admirable. Moreover, the focus on the physical, mental and emotional traumas suffered by the soldiers and their loved ones as a result of the Great War is heartbreaking.
Finally, Rosalyn Landor's narration is excellent as always and she even manages to make the tedious repetition of village names sound entertaining.
Hopefully, the next installment will be better.
3 Stars
Bess Crawford is accused of negligence when the wounded soldier in her care disappears and is later suspected of committing a murder. To clear her name, Bess and the ever faithful Simon Brandon scour the Shropshire countryside for clues to the killer's whereabouts. Can they find him before he kills again?
Unfortunately, this is the weakest book in the series. Much of the plot revolves around Bess and Simon traipsing back and forth between various small villages sticking their noses into other people's business.
The mystery isn't all that interesting and even the so-called surprise twist is glaringly obvious to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention. It is also a pity that the Todds fail to seize this excellent opportunity to forward the romance between Bess and Simon. As it is, their is little to no progress on this front.
That said, Bess is an endearing heroine and her determination to uncover the truth is admirable. Moreover, the focus on the physical, mental and emotional traumas suffered by the soldiers and their loved ones as a result of the Great War is heartbreaking.
Finally, Rosalyn Landor's narration is excellent as always and she even manages to make the tedious repetition of village names sound entertaining.
Hopefully, the next installment will be better.
November 28, 2020
I found books 3 -6 weren’t transferred from Shelfari to GR. Makes me wonder how many other books I’ve read that weren’t successfully imported here?? I remember I was losing interest because of the writing not being as good in this one.
August 21, 2014
I found the newest addition to the Bess Crawford series different from the other books. It takes place almost entirely in England. She’s been put on leave while an inquiry occurs to determine her part in the disappearance of Wilkins, the war hero she’d been assigned to accompany to Buckingham Palace to receive a medal from the King.
It doesn’t take long until Bess’s family friend Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon is by her side intent on proving her innocence as well as finding Wilkins. The two travel the countryside trying to solve the mystery.
I enjoyed the setting and the interactions between Bess and Simon but I didn’t see their friendship progress much in this book. I’d been hoping :). I guess I’ll have to wait for the next book. That aside, I thought the mystery was engaging for a while but I grew a bit bored by the time the actual solution was revealed. So, I liked it but didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped to. I recommend An Unwilling Accomplice to fans of the series, historical mysteries, and Charles Todd.
*I received a review copy in exchange for my opinion
It doesn’t take long until Bess’s family friend Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon is by her side intent on proving her innocence as well as finding Wilkins. The two travel the countryside trying to solve the mystery.
I enjoyed the setting and the interactions between Bess and Simon but I didn’t see their friendship progress much in this book. I’d been hoping :). I guess I’ll have to wait for the next book. That aside, I thought the mystery was engaging for a while but I grew a bit bored by the time the actual solution was revealed. So, I liked it but didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped to. I recommend An Unwilling Accomplice to fans of the series, historical mysteries, and Charles Todd.
*I received a review copy in exchange for my opinion
August 16, 2014
Originally published at Reading Reality
One of the things that makes the Bess Crawford series so interesting is the way that Bess manages to get herself into trouble. Naturally, she has to investigate what went wrong in order to get herself out of trouble.
It’s clear that Bess has been doing this pretty much all her life, based on the story The Maharani's Pearls which has Bess at age 9 investigating an attempted assassination. Well more like making sure that her parents and the indefatigable Simon Brandon pay attention and investigate for her. After all, she’s only 9.
But in An Unwilling Accomplice, Bess is not the instigator of the particular trouble she has to investigate. Someone else puts her into the soup, and it takes all of Bess’ ingenuity and downright pig-headedness to find the answer that gets her out of it.
It was a thundering great honor for a soldier to receive his medal directly from the King. So when a Sergeant Wilkins requests that Bess accompany him to the ceremony, while she’s puzzled, she complies with her orders. Sergeant Wilkins is both a hero and an invalid, and her nursing services might be required. And, she gets to extend her leave a few more days.
But Bess doesn’t remember Wilkins, nor can she figure out why he’d ask specifically for her. In the cold light of morning, it unfortunately looks like Wilkins picked her specifically because she didn’t know him. During the night, he tossed off all his bandages and walked out of his hotel under his own steam.
In other words, a decorated war hero goes AWOL on her watch. Bess is under suspicion as his accomplice, and her nursing career is in extreme jeopardy.
Just like Caesar’s Wife, the Nursing Sisters of Queen Alexandra’s Nursing Service must be above reproach. And Bess suddenly isn’t.
As if things couldn’t get worse, while Bess is still under house arrest and waiting for a verdict on her own future, Scotland Yard is presented with evidence that her deserter went north and committed a murder. The mystery gets murkier, but Bess is seen as a bit less culpable--based on witness statements, she wasn’t present at the murder and hasn’t been further involved.
Whatever this is, it is way more than a simple case of dereliction of duty, either Bess’ or Wilkins’.
So what is it? That’s what Bess is determined to uncover. Until she can find Sergeant Wilkins and either turn him in or get him to make a clear statement to the police and the Army, there will always be the shadow of suspicion on her otherwise clean record.
With the assistance of Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon, her friend and her father’s attache, Bess sets out to trace the route that Sergeant Wilkins seems to have traveled across country. Along the way she finds deceived nurses, irreproachable eye-witnesses, and a multiplicity of closed-mouth villages protecting too many men who seem to be temporarily on leave from their senses or the Army, or possibly both.
At the end, she has more than enough motives for murder; and too many potential suspects.
Escape Rating B+: The Bess Crawford series does a terrific job of letting readers experience English life in the World War I period. Yes, there is a slight resemblance to Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs, but only because of the period setting. Bess Crawford is no debutante, she’s an Army nurse and the daughter of a career officer. She works, and she works hard.
As the daughter of a serving officer, she also has had experience living in India. Her perspective is more cosmopolitan than most gently-bred women of her time. Sybil Crawley she isn’t.
But there are tons of interesting commentaries on how much life has changed for young women since the war. Bess is still subject to some of the strictures, especially while she’s on leave, but at the same time she is a professional who expects to perform up to, and even past, her capacity.
This is still a time when young ladies’ reputations were expected to be protected at all costs in order to save them for marriage. The contrasts between Bess’ nursing practice on the field and the behavior required of her at home can sometimes be jarring, but feels real.
The action of this particular story takes place entirely in England, so Bess often feels those differences. And the impetus for the quest that is the heart of the story exists because her reputation must be spotless for her to serve as a nurse; a restriction that didn’t apply to officers or doctors.
Bess sets off on a cross-country journey to find the man who put her under so much suspicion. She needs to have her name cleared, but equally, she needs to find out why he deserted and why he committed murder.
As Bess hunts down her quarry, she is faced with all the changes that have occurred in England. The war is nearly over, but as a battlefield nurse, she hasn’t yet experienced that for sure. There are still plenty of wounded men. But she will have to come home when peace breaks out, and so much has changed.
While it is definitely interesting to follow Bess along, the journey did double-back on itself several times, especially as Bess and Simon found themselves chasing more than one man and following up more than one red herring. It will be part of Bess’ ongoing development to see how she handles peacetime, but this story rambled a bit while Bess did.
Her relationship with Simon Brandon is hard to pin down. They are friends, and they rely on each other. Without Simon’s assistance, Bess’ journey would not have been possible, and would have also been more dangerous.
They are so very comfortable with each other.
The reader can’t help but wonder if their relationship will evolve into something else after the war. They get closer with each adventure!
One of the things that makes the Bess Crawford series so interesting is the way that Bess manages to get herself into trouble. Naturally, she has to investigate what went wrong in order to get herself out of trouble.
It’s clear that Bess has been doing this pretty much all her life, based on the story The Maharani's Pearls which has Bess at age 9 investigating an attempted assassination. Well more like making sure that her parents and the indefatigable Simon Brandon pay attention and investigate for her. After all, she’s only 9.
But in An Unwilling Accomplice, Bess is not the instigator of the particular trouble she has to investigate. Someone else puts her into the soup, and it takes all of Bess’ ingenuity and downright pig-headedness to find the answer that gets her out of it.
It was a thundering great honor for a soldier to receive his medal directly from the King. So when a Sergeant Wilkins requests that Bess accompany him to the ceremony, while she’s puzzled, she complies with her orders. Sergeant Wilkins is both a hero and an invalid, and her nursing services might be required. And, she gets to extend her leave a few more days.
But Bess doesn’t remember Wilkins, nor can she figure out why he’d ask specifically for her. In the cold light of morning, it unfortunately looks like Wilkins picked her specifically because she didn’t know him. During the night, he tossed off all his bandages and walked out of his hotel under his own steam.
In other words, a decorated war hero goes AWOL on her watch. Bess is under suspicion as his accomplice, and her nursing career is in extreme jeopardy.
Just like Caesar’s Wife, the Nursing Sisters of Queen Alexandra’s Nursing Service must be above reproach. And Bess suddenly isn’t.
As if things couldn’t get worse, while Bess is still under house arrest and waiting for a verdict on her own future, Scotland Yard is presented with evidence that her deserter went north and committed a murder. The mystery gets murkier, but Bess is seen as a bit less culpable--based on witness statements, she wasn’t present at the murder and hasn’t been further involved.
Whatever this is, it is way more than a simple case of dereliction of duty, either Bess’ or Wilkins’.
So what is it? That’s what Bess is determined to uncover. Until she can find Sergeant Wilkins and either turn him in or get him to make a clear statement to the police and the Army, there will always be the shadow of suspicion on her otherwise clean record.
With the assistance of Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon, her friend and her father’s attache, Bess sets out to trace the route that Sergeant Wilkins seems to have traveled across country. Along the way she finds deceived nurses, irreproachable eye-witnesses, and a multiplicity of closed-mouth villages protecting too many men who seem to be temporarily on leave from their senses or the Army, or possibly both.
At the end, she has more than enough motives for murder; and too many potential suspects.
Escape Rating B+: The Bess Crawford series does a terrific job of letting readers experience English life in the World War I period. Yes, there is a slight resemblance to Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs, but only because of the period setting. Bess Crawford is no debutante, she’s an Army nurse and the daughter of a career officer. She works, and she works hard.
As the daughter of a serving officer, she also has had experience living in India. Her perspective is more cosmopolitan than most gently-bred women of her time. Sybil Crawley she isn’t.
But there are tons of interesting commentaries on how much life has changed for young women since the war. Bess is still subject to some of the strictures, especially while she’s on leave, but at the same time she is a professional who expects to perform up to, and even past, her capacity.
This is still a time when young ladies’ reputations were expected to be protected at all costs in order to save them for marriage. The contrasts between Bess’ nursing practice on the field and the behavior required of her at home can sometimes be jarring, but feels real.
The action of this particular story takes place entirely in England, so Bess often feels those differences. And the impetus for the quest that is the heart of the story exists because her reputation must be spotless for her to serve as a nurse; a restriction that didn’t apply to officers or doctors.
Bess sets off on a cross-country journey to find the man who put her under so much suspicion. She needs to have her name cleared, but equally, she needs to find out why he deserted and why he committed murder.
As Bess hunts down her quarry, she is faced with all the changes that have occurred in England. The war is nearly over, but as a battlefield nurse, she hasn’t yet experienced that for sure. There are still plenty of wounded men. But she will have to come home when peace breaks out, and so much has changed.
While it is definitely interesting to follow Bess along, the journey did double-back on itself several times, especially as Bess and Simon found themselves chasing more than one man and following up more than one red herring. It will be part of Bess’ ongoing development to see how she handles peacetime, but this story rambled a bit while Bess did.
Her relationship with Simon Brandon is hard to pin down. They are friends, and they rely on each other. Without Simon’s assistance, Bess’ journey would not have been possible, and would have also been more dangerous.
They are so very comfortable with each other.
The reader can’t help but wonder if their relationship will evolve into something else after the war. They get closer with each adventure!
October 27, 2019
I really loved the first book in this series, A DUTY TO THE DEAD. But this is the sixth book and lovely Bess Crawford really hasn't developed much as a character. She's still Daddy's girl, devoted to her nursing and the British army, still loyal to her prewar notions of loyalty and honor. There's no sense of how a person changes after four years of wounds and death, just a lot of starchy prim resolve.
Oh, and the plots of these books just keep getting sillier. "Quickly, Simon, into the car! Another wounded war hero has mysteriously disappeared! At this very moment he could be cruising across the countryside in a stolen car, switching identities, throwing men off bridges, firing his pistol at random passers by, and just getting into trouble for no reason. We've got to stop him!"
Uh, okay then. Could someone page Paul Baumer from ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT to explain to the nice lady what combat really does to a person?
Oh, and the plots of these books just keep getting sillier. "Quickly, Simon, into the car! Another wounded war hero has mysteriously disappeared! At this very moment he could be cruising across the countryside in a stolen car, switching identities, throwing men off bridges, firing his pistol at random passers by, and just getting into trouble for no reason. We've got to stop him!"
Uh, okay then. Could someone page Paul Baumer from ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT to explain to the nice lady what combat really does to a person?
April 30, 2015
I've long been a fan of Charles Todd's Bess Crawford series, and this book has a truly intriguing mystery. First of all, how did a man confined to a wheelchair manage to vanish without a trace? Secondly, how could he have committed murder? And why? This plot really had my deductive juices flowing.
Unfortunately An Unwilling Accomplice is probably the weakest book in the series, and it has everything to do with its too-large cast and its very uneven pacing. The story is good for showing readers just how determined (or stubborn) Bess Crawford is and how seriously she takes her profession. She becomes obsessed with finding out what happened and risks getting into even more trouble with the Army and the nursing service.
But the pacing of this book is almost its undoing. For much of the time the story drags out interminably, adding many secondary characters who are easy to confuse. Just when I would wonder if anything significant were ever going to happen-- BAM!-- the pace would click into breakneck speed for a bit before slowing back down to a crawl. It's a shame because-- as I've already said-- the mystery is a good one.
I'm still far from tiring of Bess Crawford, and it's the autumn of 1918. What is she going to do once World War I is at an end? I look forward to what Charles Todd may have in store for us.
Unfortunately An Unwilling Accomplice is probably the weakest book in the series, and it has everything to do with its too-large cast and its very uneven pacing. The story is good for showing readers just how determined (or stubborn) Bess Crawford is and how seriously she takes her profession. She becomes obsessed with finding out what happened and risks getting into even more trouble with the Army and the nursing service.
But the pacing of this book is almost its undoing. For much of the time the story drags out interminably, adding many secondary characters who are easy to confuse. Just when I would wonder if anything significant were ever going to happen-- BAM!-- the pace would click into breakneck speed for a bit before slowing back down to a crawl. It's a shame because-- as I've already said-- the mystery is a good one.
I'm still far from tiring of Bess Crawford, and it's the autumn of 1918. What is she going to do once World War I is at an end? I look forward to what Charles Todd may have in store for us.
January 22, 2016
I enjoy listening to this series because it's a cozy read. Interesting enough to turn the page without requiring too much effort. It's a series I'll continued to follow.
February 15, 2018
Excellent. For some reason, these books are never my first pick, but once I read them I absolutely love them. Highly recommend!
January 19, 2021
A little confusing in parts, but maybe a little more concentration was needed
August 26, 2014
Charles Todd has become one of my "go to authors" which means that I won't miss a book. As most faithful readers know, Charles Todd is actually a pseudonym for a mother/son writing team. One writes in Delaware, the other in N.Carolina. Together they produce two excellent series: their original is Inspector Rutledge, a shell shocked WWI veteran. Bess Crawford is a "Sister" aka a nurse working at the front in France. This book is another episode in that series. It is 1916. The Americans have joined the war effort. Can victory be far behind? Bess is surprised when a Sgt who is getting a medal from the King asks for her in particular to accompany him to the ceremony. It is a singular honer which puzzles Bess since she doesn't remember him at all. However, she puts that down to the "fog of war" so to speak and accompanies him to the ceremony. They are transported to a London hotel for the event. He convinces her to allow him some time to visit with his buddies before returning to the hospital. She has dinner with Simon, a family friend and attache to her father. Then she checks his room, hears his steady breathing and goes to bed herself. The next morning, she checks his room and finds him gone. The orderly assigned to help her with the transport back to the hospital is convinced that she is being used, but both the army and the nursing service are suspicious. She gets, in today's parlance, written up for dereliction of duty. How she could have stopped him is not anyone's concern. Apparently she should have spent the night in a chair. Scotland Yard is also involved because they suspect him of murder. She is given two weeks "leave" which she spends, with Simon, trying to track down the Sargent and figure how what happened and clear her name. This was amazingly convoluted and an interesting look at a country that is on the cusp of change. Great Britain changed dramatically after WWI. We just had the anniversary of the start of WWI earlier this month. This series is an excellent representation of the genre of a historical mystery.
October 29, 2014
The novel opens with battlefield nurse Bess Crawford summoned to the war department in London. She is ordered to escort a wounded soldier to Buckingham Palace to be decorated by King George.
A day after the ceremony, the soldier, Sgt. Jason Wilkins disappears. Bess is questioned about his disappearance and accused of dereliction of duty in permitting him to go AWOL.
What follows is Bess's efforts along with her friend, Simon Brandon, to search the English countryside and locate the missing soldier and thus, to clear Bess's name.
Through the eyes of Bess, we view the English landscape and observe many of the victims of WWI, both military and civilian.
One of Bess's friends sums up the true cost of the war. "I think the greatest cost of the war is in lost friends...All the young men I've danced with...played tennis with and dallied with, are gone."
In the midst of the story Bess and Simon come upon a town where a wealthy woman is caring for a wounded officer. Thinking that it might turn out to be Sgt. Wilkins, they question the woman. In this case there is a head wound. It isn't Wilkins but we observe another casualty. The soldier has a head wound that causes moments of irrational behavior.
This was an easy read where I could imagine the countryside and what Bess and Simon were going through. I was a bit confused with the conclusion but overall enjoyed the story.
A day after the ceremony, the soldier, Sgt. Jason Wilkins disappears. Bess is questioned about his disappearance and accused of dereliction of duty in permitting him to go AWOL.
What follows is Bess's efforts along with her friend, Simon Brandon, to search the English countryside and locate the missing soldier and thus, to clear Bess's name.
Through the eyes of Bess, we view the English landscape and observe many of the victims of WWI, both military and civilian.
One of Bess's friends sums up the true cost of the war. "I think the greatest cost of the war is in lost friends...All the young men I've danced with...played tennis with and dallied with, are gone."
In the midst of the story Bess and Simon come upon a town where a wealthy woman is caring for a wounded officer. Thinking that it might turn out to be Sgt. Wilkins, they question the woman. In this case there is a head wound. It isn't Wilkins but we observe another casualty. The soldier has a head wound that causes moments of irrational behavior.
This was an easy read where I could imagine the countryside and what Bess and Simon were going through. I was a bit confused with the conclusion but overall enjoyed the story.
December 23, 2014
This was the worst book of this series and these authors that I have read. Almost the entire book is spent running between Great, Middle, and Lower Dysoe, which are located in a remote part of England and none of the towns (?) villages (?), hamlets (?) seems to have any amenities except maybe a local pub. At least one of these locations does not even have a room for rent, so the two sleuths end up sleeping in the car in a barn...all this and the lady never seems to get a bad reputation. And this takes place in 1914.
We end up looking for not 1, not 2, but 3 different deserters that are tall, slim, have blonde hair and blue eyes, and all happen to come from this area. Right!!!
Personally, I'd rather wait longer for a good read from an author than to get one of these just because it's published. This mother-son team have some excellent books out, in two different series taking place in, or directly after WWI. This is NOT one of them.
We end up looking for not 1, not 2, but 3 different deserters that are tall, slim, have blonde hair and blue eyes, and all happen to come from this area. Right!!!
Personally, I'd rather wait longer for a good read from an author than to get one of these just because it's published. This mother-son team have some excellent books out, in two different series taking place in, or directly after WWI. This is NOT one of them.
August 28, 2014
I didn't like this quite as well as the earlier books in this series. As nurse Bess Crawford and Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon search a fairly small portion of the English countryside for a wounded soldier who disappeared while in Bess's care, the story tends to drag a bit. The ending was rather complex and didn't exactly play fair with the reader. And the relationship between Bess and Simon continues to perplex.
As this book begins, the Great War is beginning to draw to a close. It will be interesting to see what Charles Todd do with Bess after the Armistice -- will the series continue? Despite my disappointment with this entry, I do hope so. Worth reading for fans of the series.
As this book begins, the Great War is beginning to draw to a close. It will be interesting to see what Charles Todd do with Bess after the Armistice -- will the series continue? Despite my disappointment with this entry, I do hope so. Worth reading for fans of the series.
September 15, 2014
Yawn. I would go so far as to give this 2.5 stars if I could. It had a promising beginning and the ending wasn't bad. It was all that tedious slogging around in the middle that did me in. Overall, not worth the $1.50 library fines I incurred because I just couldn't get through this before it was due back.
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June 18, 2016NBRC WOBBLE challenge: Battleship Round 1
October 29, 2017
Bess Crawford is a British nurse serving in France during the Great War. In this series, over and over again Bess gets involved in a murder which she tries to solve. In this one, she and her side kick, Sergeant Major Simon, drive hither and yon, to and fro, and back again through little hamlets and country roads in western England, trying to find an escaped soldier.
In each of the books in the series, the reader needs to suspend logic and accept that Bess has innumerable days of leave and that as a young woman she is so free to wander around the country. Yes, Simon is her escort. And, in a time of war and shortages, does no one in these little villages notice the same car driving through again and again? Most people are still using carts and horses. I listen to the Bess Crawford books for the feeling of time and place, not for story, but I keep hoping for a good one.
In An Unwilling Accomplice the hospitals and towns are beginning to fill with wounded soldiers. Some will return to war, but most will not be fit again. Some have mayhem and retribution in mind. As I listened, I began to wonder how the authors (a mother and son) were going to wind up their story. It was more complex than I anticipated.
It has been eons upon eons since I read Nancy Drew, but I kept thinking about her and George and Ned while listening to this mediocre story. In many ways the Bess Crawford books are a weak step sister to the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, which begins with a British nurse in France during the Great War, but is better developed and less full of coincidences. However, in a few years I will probably listen to the next Bess Crawford book.
In each of the books in the series, the reader needs to suspend logic and accept that Bess has innumerable days of leave and that as a young woman she is so free to wander around the country. Yes, Simon is her escort. And, in a time of war and shortages, does no one in these little villages notice the same car driving through again and again? Most people are still using carts and horses. I listen to the Bess Crawford books for the feeling of time and place, not for story, but I keep hoping for a good one.
In An Unwilling Accomplice the hospitals and towns are beginning to fill with wounded soldiers. Some will return to war, but most will not be fit again. Some have mayhem and retribution in mind. As I listened, I began to wonder how the authors (a mother and son) were going to wind up their story. It was more complex than I anticipated.
It has been eons upon eons since I read Nancy Drew, but I kept thinking about her and George and Ned while listening to this mediocre story. In many ways the Bess Crawford books are a weak step sister to the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, which begins with a British nurse in France during the Great War, but is better developed and less full of coincidences. However, in a few years I will probably listen to the next Bess Crawford book.
February 24, 2021
Oh my god, what is happening to this series?
The first book of this series was reasonably well plotted. This book is an absolute disaster in search of a plot. Notable highlights:
-Bess and Simon just randomly drive through England in search of one random dude, even though they have, at best, 1.5 clues about where that dude is, that, again at best, narrow it down to an entire county
-Bess and Simon just happen to stop for the night in the same barn where that random dude is hiding
-A completely unrelated OTHER random dude just happens to be in the same area, acting completely insane even though he isn't, apparently solely to confuse the issue (which he knows nothing about).
And so on. This is a string of improbable coincidences masquerading as a plot. The mystery itself is equally ridiculous, and Bess and Simon don't figure out the very obvious key issue until waaaaay too late.
Meanwhile, something terrible has happened to Bess's characterization. She's weirdly timid and newly terrible at detecting, which is weird for someone who is surrounded by murder all the time. At one point, she's walking with someone who has just made it clear that she does have an answer Bess needs, and when that woman indicates that she doesn't want to say anything, Bess is basically like, "WELP, cannot possibly ask a question now! Dang. Sure a pity. But what can one do?" At another point, Diana tells Bess a name, but Bess can barely hear her. Bess thinks it's Evering, and asks everyone she meets about Evering, with no result. Later she gets a letter from Simon, who has spoken to Diana, telling her it's Everard. And Bess ... still thinks it might be Evering, even though she has found no one by that name and couldn't hear what Diana said. She even asks Simon if he's SURE it was Everard. It's like she can't grasp that she heard wrong. (Also, as is typical of the Charles Todd plotting at this point, this entire sequence is completely irrelevant. It's not even a red herring.)
And, sadly, the writing quality of the series has declined dramatically, too. It may actually be an editing problem -- lots of repetitions, lots of mistakes (and I don't just mean the name change of a fairly major character), lots of inconsistencies, but all things a good editor would catch.
And the ongoing flaws of the series are still evident, of course. It continues to be entirely white and straight and colonialist. The authors genuinely seem to believe that people of color and queer people didn't exist before, oh, 1971. Or, more likely, they'd prefer to pretend they didn't. And they seem to want to stand up and cheer for colonialism.
Man. I am going to continue on, but at this point I am not sure my interest in the setting can make up for everything the series has become.
The first book of this series was reasonably well plotted. This book is an absolute disaster in search of a plot. Notable highlights:
-Bess and Simon just randomly drive through England in search of one random dude, even though they have, at best, 1.5 clues about where that dude is, that, again at best, narrow it down to an entire county
-Bess and Simon just happen to stop for the night in the same barn where that random dude is hiding
-A completely unrelated OTHER random dude just happens to be in the same area, acting completely insane even though he isn't, apparently solely to confuse the issue (which he knows nothing about).
And so on. This is a string of improbable coincidences masquerading as a plot. The mystery itself is equally ridiculous, and Bess and Simon don't figure out the very obvious key issue until waaaaay too late.
Meanwhile, something terrible has happened to Bess's characterization. She's weirdly timid and newly terrible at detecting, which is weird for someone who is surrounded by murder all the time. At one point, she's walking with someone who has just made it clear that she does have an answer Bess needs, and when that woman indicates that she doesn't want to say anything, Bess is basically like, "WELP, cannot possibly ask a question now! Dang. Sure a pity. But what can one do?" At another point, Diana tells Bess a name, but Bess can barely hear her. Bess thinks it's Evering, and asks everyone she meets about Evering, with no result. Later she gets a letter from Simon, who has spoken to Diana, telling her it's Everard. And Bess ... still thinks it might be Evering, even though she has found no one by that name and couldn't hear what Diana said. She even asks Simon if he's SURE it was Everard. It's like she can't grasp that she heard wrong. (Also, as is typical of the Charles Todd plotting at this point, this entire sequence is completely irrelevant. It's not even a red herring.)
And, sadly, the writing quality of the series has declined dramatically, too. It may actually be an editing problem -- lots of repetitions, lots of mistakes (and I don't just mean the name change of a fairly major character), lots of inconsistencies, but all things a good editor would catch.
And the ongoing flaws of the series are still evident, of course. It continues to be entirely white and straight and colonialist. The authors genuinely seem to believe that people of color and queer people didn't exist before, oh, 1971. Or, more likely, they'd prefer to pretend they didn't. And they seem to want to stand up and cheer for colonialism.
Man. I am going to continue on, but at this point I am not sure my interest in the setting can make up for everything the series has become.
June 21, 2019
Overall rating 2.5 I think this will be my last Bess Crawford book for awhile. The story starts out interestingly enough. Bess is called on to accompany a wounded soldier to receive a medal from the King at Buckingham Palace. While in her care, the soldier goes missing. Then a murder is committed and he is a suspect. Bess is reprimanded for losing the soldier and even suspected of assisting him. In order to clear her good name she (with the help of Simon) go on a manhunt to find the soldier. Unfortunately, for me after awhile the story became quite the slog. There was numerous visits to small villages and nighttime reconnaissance that seemed to go on and on. By the end, I didn't really care who the murderer was.
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