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Bess Crawford #10
A Forgotten Place
Though the Great War has ended, Bess Crawford finds herself caught in deadly circumstances on a remote Welsh headland in this tenth entry from the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author.
The fighting has ended, the Armistice signed, but the war has left wounds that are still agonizingly raw. Battlefield Nurse Bess Crawford has been assigned to a clinic for amputees, and the Welsh patients worry her. She does her best to help them, but it’s clear that they have nothing to go home to, in a valley where only the fit can work in the coal pits. When they are released, she fears that peace will do what war couldn’t—take their lives.
Their officer, Captain Williams, writes to describe their despair, and his own at trying to save his men. Bess feels compelled to look into their situation, but the Army and the clinic can do nothing. Requesting leave, she quietly travels to Wales, and that bleak coal mining village, but she is too late.
Captain Williams’ sister tells Bess he has left the valley. Bess is afraid he intends to kill himself. She follows him to an isolated, storm-battered peninsula—a harsh and forgotten place where secrets and death go hand in hand. Deserted by her frightened driver, Bess is stranded among strangers suspicious of outsiders. She quickly discovers these villagers are hiding something, and she’s learned too much to be allowed to leave. What’s more, no one in England knows where she is.
Why is there no Constable out here? And who is the mysterious Ellen? Captain Williams and his brother’s widow are her only allies, and Bess must take care not to put them at risk as she tries to find answers. But there is a murderer here who is driven to kill again and again. And the next person in his sights is Simon Brandon, searching for Bess and unaware of his danger . . .
The fighting has ended, the Armistice signed, but the war has left wounds that are still agonizingly raw. Battlefield Nurse Bess Crawford has been assigned to a clinic for amputees, and the Welsh patients worry her. She does her best to help them, but it’s clear that they have nothing to go home to, in a valley where only the fit can work in the coal pits. When they are released, she fears that peace will do what war couldn’t—take their lives.
Their officer, Captain Williams, writes to describe their despair, and his own at trying to save his men. Bess feels compelled to look into their situation, but the Army and the clinic can do nothing. Requesting leave, she quietly travels to Wales, and that bleak coal mining village, but she is too late.
Captain Williams’ sister tells Bess he has left the valley. Bess is afraid he intends to kill himself. She follows him to an isolated, storm-battered peninsula—a harsh and forgotten place where secrets and death go hand in hand. Deserted by her frightened driver, Bess is stranded among strangers suspicious of outsiders. She quickly discovers these villagers are hiding something, and she’s learned too much to be allowed to leave. What’s more, no one in England knows where she is.
Why is there no Constable out here? And who is the mysterious Ellen? Captain Williams and his brother’s widow are her only allies, and Bess must take care not to put them at risk as she tries to find answers. But there is a murderer here who is driven to kill again and again. And the next person in his sights is Simon Brandon, searching for Bess and unaware of his danger . . .
377 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 18, 2018
1227 people are currently reading
2947 people want to read
About the author
Charles Todd
112 books3,498 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 555 reviews
June 2, 2018
I found this entry in the series very hard to get through. Much of the plot was boring & repetitive - with Bess stuck for days at a time in Rachel's house and her constant refrain of What is going on in this village?. It was realistic, perhaps, but not very exciting to read about. I was glad things got more adventurous once Simon appeared on the scene. But I didn't feel that this installment was nearly as good as the previous novels.
October 15, 2018
Compared to the other Bess Crawford books this one was a big disappointment. Nothing really happens until Simon arrives well over halfway through the book. Bess interferes in a situation that was none of her business, worrying her family, neglecting the clinic, and putting herself in unnecessary danger. Most of the characters were totally unlikable. Big parts of the story were unrealistic and events went on far too long with a very thin plot. I expected better from these authors.
September 22, 2018
I've read almost all the books in the Bess Crawford series and it's always with nice to get a new book in my hands. In A FORGOTTEN PLACE by Charles Todd, one would think now that the Great War is over that life would be easier for Bess. That her work as a nurse would be less demanding. However, there are still a lot of wounded soldiers, many of whom have lost limbs. In this book, Bess is worried about her Welsh patients. Their spirits seem to be broken. With the loss of limbs, they have no job to go back to home. Bess receives a letter from their officer, Captain Williams, who writes about the soldier's despair after they have left the hospital. Bess worries so much that she decides to travel to Wales during her leave and she doesn't tell anyone about her plans. At the village, she learns the captain has moved on and is now living with his brother's widow. Afraid that he will kill himself, Bess makes the decision to follow him to the isolated peninsula where he has settled. However, soon she finds herself stranded there...
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
July 17, 2019
TODDS HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!
Just finished the newest (#10) in a cherished series and A FORGOTTEN PLACE is now one of my faves! The mother-son team of Charles Todd does a splendid job of evoking the raw beauty and utter remoteness of the Gower Peninsula of South Wales.
PLACE AS PROTAGONIST
Here, place is the most important character — even more so than nurse Bess, fresh from French field hospitals, who goes there to check on former patients and finds herself fighting for her life while caught in clannish violence.
POETIC POIGNANCY
The authors have taught this history major more than any classroom about the War to End All Wars and they’ve done so with poetic poignancy. Grievous injuries to body, mind and soul ... searing losses that forever alter families ... all depicted in heartbreaking detail that explains Europe’s reluctance to later risk another world war.
PLEASE HEAR MY PLEA!
As an unabashed romantic, my only wish is that the Todds would finally bring together Bess and Simon, the family friend who saves her, always, in the most dangerous situations.
CHARMING COUPLE
Their coupleship need not end the series. Think Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence, charmingly portrayed in the PBS “Partners in Crime” series by Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) and David Walliams (Britain’s Got Talent).
RSVP ... YES!
When that happens, I want an invitation to the wedding. No discussion!
A FORGOTTEN PLACE, published September 18, is available on Amazon.
Just finished the newest (#10) in a cherished series and A FORGOTTEN PLACE is now one of my faves! The mother-son team of Charles Todd does a splendid job of evoking the raw beauty and utter remoteness of the Gower Peninsula of South Wales.
PLACE AS PROTAGONIST
Here, place is the most important character — even more so than nurse Bess, fresh from French field hospitals, who goes there to check on former patients and finds herself fighting for her life while caught in clannish violence.
POETIC POIGNANCY
The authors have taught this history major more than any classroom about the War to End All Wars and they’ve done so with poetic poignancy. Grievous injuries to body, mind and soul ... searing losses that forever alter families ... all depicted in heartbreaking detail that explains Europe’s reluctance to later risk another world war.
PLEASE HEAR MY PLEA!
As an unabashed romantic, my only wish is that the Todds would finally bring together Bess and Simon, the family friend who saves her, always, in the most dangerous situations.
CHARMING COUPLE
Their coupleship need not end the series. Think Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence, charmingly portrayed in the PBS “Partners in Crime” series by Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) and David Walliams (Britain’s Got Talent).
RSVP ... YES!
When that happens, I want an invitation to the wedding. No discussion!
A FORGOTTEN PLACE, published September 18, is available on Amazon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2018
Well, I really wondered about the time that Bess heard Hugh in the next room humming (they were upstairs), and when she got downstairs, he came in from outside where he'd been doing something with the lambs. Otherwise, the story could have been told in half the pages and been better.
September 21, 2018
Was looking forward to the new Bess Crawford book, but I was really disappointed. It was like watching paint dry, so --dare I say it--boring. There, I said it, and I'm amazed myself as I have loved all the prior books, but they actually had an interesting story, which IMO this one didn't. It picked up at about 60% when Simon arrived, and the ending had some spark to it. But overall this is a big miss for me.
September 30, 2018
First Sentence: The war had ended, but not the suffering.
The war is officially over, and WWI field nurse Bess Crawford has been reassigned to a clinic in England for amputee soldiers. After the suicide of one of her patients, Bess takes advantage of her 10-day leave, traveling to Wales to check on several of her Welsh patients, one about whom she is particularly concerned. Deserted by her driver in a very small hamlet, Bess finds herself trapped in a place where she's not wanted but has no way to leave. What is the secret the inhabitants are hiding? Are they willing to kill to keep that secret?
One realizes how important is an author's voice from the very start. Todd touches one's emotions and gives the sense of reading a very personal letter. There is an intimacy to the tone which immediately creates a bond between the author, the reader, and the character of Bess.
The long-lasting impact of war, particularly for the physically maimed, is effectively conveyed—"No conquering heroes, these men. No victory parades for them. Our patients were the ultimate reality of war." It is nice to realize how far we've come from that. Todd, however, shows that not only did the patients suffer, but so did the families, and the communities from which they came. That has not changed.
Todd perfectly conveys the insular nature of a tiny community. The secretiveness, closemindedness, and suspicion of anyone from somewhere else are well captured. The portrayal of Bess' anger and frustration are extremely well done. Conversely, we see her wisdom and experience when talking about grief—"To stop living in the present, clinging to the past, is part of mourning for a while, but you have to make a future for yourself.'
Since the story is told from Bess' point of view, much of it is internal narrative, yet the plot does hold one's interest all the way to the end. A slight criticism would be that the end does feel a bit abrupt.
"A Forgotten Place" includes well-done suspense, a palpable sense of danger, and a very good twist. Do be sure to read the author notes.
A FORGOTTEN PLACE (HistMys-Bess Crawford-Wales-1919) – G+
Todd, Charles – 10th in series
William Morrow – Sept 2018
The war is officially over, and WWI field nurse Bess Crawford has been reassigned to a clinic in England for amputee soldiers. After the suicide of one of her patients, Bess takes advantage of her 10-day leave, traveling to Wales to check on several of her Welsh patients, one about whom she is particularly concerned. Deserted by her driver in a very small hamlet, Bess finds herself trapped in a place where she's not wanted but has no way to leave. What is the secret the inhabitants are hiding? Are they willing to kill to keep that secret?
One realizes how important is an author's voice from the very start. Todd touches one's emotions and gives the sense of reading a very personal letter. There is an intimacy to the tone which immediately creates a bond between the author, the reader, and the character of Bess.
The long-lasting impact of war, particularly for the physically maimed, is effectively conveyed—"No conquering heroes, these men. No victory parades for them. Our patients were the ultimate reality of war." It is nice to realize how far we've come from that. Todd, however, shows that not only did the patients suffer, but so did the families, and the communities from which they came. That has not changed.
Todd perfectly conveys the insular nature of a tiny community. The secretiveness, closemindedness, and suspicion of anyone from somewhere else are well captured. The portrayal of Bess' anger and frustration are extremely well done. Conversely, we see her wisdom and experience when talking about grief—"To stop living in the present, clinging to the past, is part of mourning for a while, but you have to make a future for yourself.'
Since the story is told from Bess' point of view, much of it is internal narrative, yet the plot does hold one's interest all the way to the end. A slight criticism would be that the end does feel a bit abrupt.
"A Forgotten Place" includes well-done suspense, a palpable sense of danger, and a very good twist. Do be sure to read the author notes.
A FORGOTTEN PLACE (HistMys-Bess Crawford-Wales-1919) – G+
Todd, Charles – 10th in series
William Morrow – Sept 2018
September 29, 2018
I like reading series, and I have read all of the books from this duo over the years. It is similar to visiting old friends though not every visit can be equally rewarding. The Great War has come to a close, but there are amputees to care for in various clinics as Bess continues her work as a Sister. Here she becomes invested in the fate of a group of Welsh soldiers and takes her well deserved leave into the windswept shores of the Gower Peninsula. First stop is a mining village where she discovers her former patients have chosen suicide and an avalanche of earth sends her on her way to Swansea after tending to injured.
Next stop is a village fit for Halloween. This results in hundreds of pages of Gothic villagers hiding secrets, burying bodies in the night as well as other assorted unfriendly acts. It all happens in such darkness that no one can ever be sure who is causing mayhem and murder. "Watchers" are stationed nightly, so that makes for enjoyable walks in the rain and wind. Yes, this is her leave!
No vehicle for Bess to escape in, as her driver is scared off in middle of the night and she is well and truly stranded in this hostile environment for rather longer than the reader can tolerate.
Eventually Simon comes to the rescue. Overall, not my favorite Bess chapter.
Next stop is a village fit for Halloween. This results in hundreds of pages of Gothic villagers hiding secrets, burying bodies in the night as well as other assorted unfriendly acts. It all happens in such darkness that no one can ever be sure who is causing mayhem and murder. "Watchers" are stationed nightly, so that makes for enjoyable walks in the rain and wind. Yes, this is her leave!
No vehicle for Bess to escape in, as her driver is scared off in middle of the night and she is well and truly stranded in this hostile environment for rather longer than the reader can tolerate.
Eventually Simon comes to the rescue. Overall, not my favorite Bess chapter.
September 23, 2018
Really enjoyed this; best of the Crawford series so far. One of the things I most appreciate in the Ian Rutledge series is their strong sense of place, they are usually set in a very distinct place in Britain, one with its own landscape, culture and history. This hasn't been true before of the Bess Crawford series but definitely is with this novel . . . the Great War is over and while the first few pages are set in a France hospital, soon Bess finds herself serving as a rehab nurse in Britain. When she gets leave, her concern for a group of Welsh amputees sends her off to their mining village to check on how they are faring and then to the Gower Peninsula, a very isolated coastal area, where their Captain has moved. (Always the weakest link in these Bess Crawford mysteries but I suppose if one wants a female protagonist in this time period, nosiness is the only option for involvement.)
Loved the descriptions of the sea, the storms, the isolation of the little village and the mystery, involving a 500 year shipwreck was very good, too. A real pleasure reading this.
Loved the descriptions of the sea, the storms, the isolation of the little village and the mystery, involving a 500 year shipwreck was very good, too. A real pleasure reading this.
October 8, 2018
This was very hard to get through and it drug in so many parts. The war has ended and Bess takes a leave to check on amputees. Along the way, she ends up in a mining village where an avalanche happens and one of the soliders commits suicide. She than ends up in a Gothic like village. She gets stranded here for WAY Too Long. I would skip it, unless you are just really invested in the series.
July 18, 2019
I don’t know why, but unlike some of the other reviewers, I liked this Bess Crawford mystery better than some of her other books. Yes, it does take place in one small area, but that’s really part of the story.
I was guessing until the end and was surprised by the ending. There were times I thought it was a bit slow and repetitive- but I think that was part of the story in this one small area that everything takes place.
If you like Bess Crawford, Simon Brandon, etc, then don’t skip this one.
I was guessing until the end and was surprised by the ending. There were times I thought it was a bit slow and repetitive- but I think that was part of the story in this one small area that everything takes place.
If you like Bess Crawford, Simon Brandon, etc, then don’t skip this one.
April 17, 2019
This was my first Bess Crawford book.
Pros: I love the general story idea (a nurse in WWII and post WWII), and I like the writing team of Charles Todd (a mother/son team). The prose is good, and the characters are well developed.
Cons: This story line didn't work for me. It just seemed so...improbable, and the main character does spend too much time THINKING about what she's going to do. The minor characters aren't fleshed out at all, imo.
That said, I've heard this series is great, so I'll definitely try another.
Clean read with no language or sexuality that I can remember.
Pros: I love the general story idea (a nurse in WWII and post WWII), and I like the writing team of Charles Todd (a mother/son team). The prose is good, and the characters are well developed.
Cons: This story line didn't work for me. It just seemed so...improbable, and the main character does spend too much time THINKING about what she's going to do. The minor characters aren't fleshed out at all, imo.
That said, I've heard this series is great, so I'll definitely try another.
Clean read with no language or sexuality that I can remember.
September 17, 2018
I have longer fan of the Bess Crawford series and the tenth book did not disappoint. The war was over and Bess is assign to an amputee ward. Where she met Captain Hugh and his men. They all had missing legs or arms as they had been ambushed in the last few days of the war. It wipe out most of the men in platoon. Bess becomes found the men who were from Welch and work in the cold mines.They can no longer work in the mines and there is no other jobs for them. Bess on a ten day furlough travels to the Welsh village. She is dismay to find all but two are dead and Captain Hugh has moved to the Welsh coast to live with his sister-in-law.
She travels to the village and becomes strand there. Bess must know the answer to several questions in order to leave the village. What is village's secret? Who is beaten up the men? Why won't the village call in the police/army? The ending was tricky and it caught me unaware. I highly recommend this book and and series.
Disclosure: Many thanks to Edelweiss and WilliamMorrow for a review copy.The opinions expressed are my own.
She travels to the village and becomes strand there. Bess must know the answer to several questions in order to leave the village. What is village's secret? Who is beaten up the men? Why won't the village call in the police/army? The ending was tricky and it caught me unaware. I highly recommend this book and and series.
Disclosure: Many thanks to Edelweiss and WilliamMorrow for a review copy.The opinions expressed are my own.
October 4, 2019
A Forgotten Place
3 Stars
In the aftermath of the Great War, Bess Crawford is assigned to a clinic for amputees and finds herself concerned for a group of Welsh soldiers struggling with the knowledge that there is no place for them at home. Following their release, Bess receives a letter from their captain, Hugh Williams, and traces him to an isolated village on the Welsh coast. Stranded amongst strangers with dark and dangerous secrets, Bess must use all her wits to find answers before it is too late . . .
Slow and plodding for much of the narrative as Bess once again wanders around poking her nose into matters that do not concern her.
The mystery actually has potential with the bodies of strange men washing up in the remote and inhospitable village, but the ultimate explanation is vague and unremarkable.
Bess and Simon are still pussyfooting around and something needs to happen in their relationship soon or else I will lose all interest. Slow burn is all well and good, but they haven't even collected the firewood yet!
3 Stars
In the aftermath of the Great War, Bess Crawford is assigned to a clinic for amputees and finds herself concerned for a group of Welsh soldiers struggling with the knowledge that there is no place for them at home. Following their release, Bess receives a letter from their captain, Hugh Williams, and traces him to an isolated village on the Welsh coast. Stranded amongst strangers with dark and dangerous secrets, Bess must use all her wits to find answers before it is too late . . .
Slow and plodding for much of the narrative as Bess once again wanders around poking her nose into matters that do not concern her.
The mystery actually has potential with the bodies of strange men washing up in the remote and inhospitable village, but the ultimate explanation is vague and unremarkable.
Bess and Simon are still pussyfooting around and something needs to happen in their relationship soon or else I will lose all interest. Slow burn is all well and good, but they haven't even collected the firewood yet!
September 23, 2018
Really enjoyed this; best of the Crawford series so far. One of the things I most appreciate in the Ian Rutledge series is their strong sense of place, they are usually set in a very distinct place in Britain, one with its own landscape, culture and history. This hasn't been true before of the Bess Crawford series but definitely is with this novel . . . the Great War is over and while the first few pages are set in a France hospital, soon Bess finds herself serving as a rehab nurse in Britain. When she gets leave, her concern for a group of Welsh amputees sends her off to their mining village to check on how they are faring and then to the Gower Peninsula, a very isolated coastal area, where their Captain has moved. (Always the weakest link in these Bess Crawford mysteries but I suppose if one wants a female protagonist in this time period, nosiness is the only option for involvement.)
Loved the descriptions of the sea, the storms, the isolation of the little village and the mystery, involving a 500 year shipwreck was very good, too. A real pleasure reading this.
Loved the descriptions of the sea, the storms, the isolation of the little village and the mystery, involving a 500 year shipwreck was very good, too. A real pleasure reading this.
August 20, 2018
It's so exciting to come back from vacation and find a book in the mail, just waiting for you! Especially a pre release book! I really enjoyed the story, the series has moved beyond WWI now so we'll see how the authors continue to build Bess' life. I liked the descriptions of the small Welsh villages. The mystery was good, it didn't do what I expected. I would love to see more between Bess and Simon.
July 27, 2018
WWI has ended and Nurse Bess Crawford is back home in England tending to the many wounded vets. Not long after a group of men from a small mining town in Wales are released, she receives a letter from their commanding officer who is from the same town. Captain Williams is worried about them. They were all too injured to return to their former jobs in the mine and they seem to be suffering from severe depression - already some have committed suicide. He asks her to come and check up on them but when Bess requests leave to do so, she is told that there is nothing the army can do. However, a while later, when her supervisor notices she looks tired and recommends she take a few days off to recover, she heads to Wales without telling anyone.
When she arrives, she learns she is too late to help the men. She also learns that Captain Williams has left for a village on an isolated peninsula to help his widowed sister-in-law. Worried about his mental state, Bess follows him. When she finds him, he warns her that it is not safe and she should leave immediately. But she is tired and decides to stay the night – she had come by taxi and, reluctantly, the driver decides to also stay although at a neighbour’s. However, the next morning, she discovers that he has left and there is no way to contact him. Nor is there anyone in the village who can or will take her the long distance to the nearest town. Worse, since she hadn’t told anyone where she was headed, no one will know where to look for her.
As she reluctantly settles in to wait for any opportunity to leave and despite William’s warnings, she decides to investigate the area. It becomes clear, quickly, that the villagers have a secret, one that they are willing to kill for and, as the body count rises, so does the villagers’ hostility toward her.
A Forgotten Place is the tenth installment in the Bess Crawford Mysteries series by the mother/son team that makes up author Charles Todd. The pacing here is somewhat slow but what it lacks in action, it makes up for in atmosphere. If anything, the slow pacing serves to heighten the suspense and the sense of claustrophobia created by the isolation, the open hostility of the villagers, and the over-arching feel of imminent danger. For anyone who enjoys a well-written and atmospheric historical mystery, this is a definite ‘must read’.
Thanks to Edelweiss+ and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
When she arrives, she learns she is too late to help the men. She also learns that Captain Williams has left for a village on an isolated peninsula to help his widowed sister-in-law. Worried about his mental state, Bess follows him. When she finds him, he warns her that it is not safe and she should leave immediately. But she is tired and decides to stay the night – she had come by taxi and, reluctantly, the driver decides to also stay although at a neighbour’s. However, the next morning, she discovers that he has left and there is no way to contact him. Nor is there anyone in the village who can or will take her the long distance to the nearest town. Worse, since she hadn’t told anyone where she was headed, no one will know where to look for her.
As she reluctantly settles in to wait for any opportunity to leave and despite William’s warnings, she decides to investigate the area. It becomes clear, quickly, that the villagers have a secret, one that they are willing to kill for and, as the body count rises, so does the villagers’ hostility toward her.
A Forgotten Place is the tenth installment in the Bess Crawford Mysteries series by the mother/son team that makes up author Charles Todd. The pacing here is somewhat slow but what it lacks in action, it makes up for in atmosphere. If anything, the slow pacing serves to heighten the suspense and the sense of claustrophobia created by the isolation, the open hostility of the villagers, and the over-arching feel of imminent danger. For anyone who enjoys a well-written and atmospheric historical mystery, this is a definite ‘must read’.
Thanks to Edelweiss+ and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
September 2, 2018
Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for an ARC of this.
I picked up a copy of book 9 in the series last year and tore through the entire run as a result. I absolutely love the character of Bess Crawford (and I am shipping Bess & Simon SO HARD).
I was excited when I saw there would be more to the series after the end of WWI, and I have been curious to see how the authors would manage her character and stories without the framework of the war.
To be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed by this book. It got off to a strong start, dealing with the emotional toll taken on the soldiers who had to have limbs amputated, with a particular focus on Welsh soldiers who had come from the coal pits and could not return to that work, thanks to their injuries.
We follow a particular group of soldiers from the same area in Wales, and one by one they succumb to suicide and other illnesses that they are too psychologically weary to fight. That part was good, and once Bess arrived, I kind of thought that she'd discover something hinky behind the deaths.
But no, we go from one part of rural Wales to another, a coastal village almost entirely cut off from the rest of the country and filled with secrets and watchers and a level of suspicion not usually seen in Bess Crawford books. The authors handle the claustrophobia and confusion of the situation pretty well, but if the afterword didn't indicate some actual local legends at the base of the story, I'd feel like they'd kind of gone off the rails. As it was, the story floundered a bit and the resolution ended up feeling like more of a this-book-has-to-end-sometime than anything else.
I still enjoyed Bess and the other protagonists, and I'll keep reading the series, but this one is one of the weaker ones in the batch so far. I hope a book 11, if it's in the cards, is stronger. (Hey, wasn't there a spiritualist movement after WWI? That could be an interesting thing.)
I picked up a copy of book 9 in the series last year and tore through the entire run as a result. I absolutely love the character of Bess Crawford (and I am shipping Bess & Simon SO HARD).
I was excited when I saw there would be more to the series after the end of WWI, and I have been curious to see how the authors would manage her character and stories without the framework of the war.
To be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed by this book. It got off to a strong start, dealing with the emotional toll taken on the soldiers who had to have limbs amputated, with a particular focus on Welsh soldiers who had come from the coal pits and could not return to that work, thanks to their injuries.
We follow a particular group of soldiers from the same area in Wales, and one by one they succumb to suicide and other illnesses that they are too psychologically weary to fight. That part was good, and once Bess arrived, I kind of thought that she'd discover something hinky behind the deaths.
But no, we go from one part of rural Wales to another, a coastal village almost entirely cut off from the rest of the country and filled with secrets and watchers and a level of suspicion not usually seen in Bess Crawford books. The authors handle the claustrophobia and confusion of the situation pretty well, but if the afterword didn't indicate some actual local legends at the base of the story, I'd feel like they'd kind of gone off the rails. As it was, the story floundered a bit and the resolution ended up feeling like more of a this-book-has-to-end-sometime than anything else.
I still enjoyed Bess and the other protagonists, and I'll keep reading the series, but this one is one of the weaker ones in the batch so far. I hope a book 11, if it's in the cards, is stronger. (Hey, wasn't there a spiritualist movement after WWI? That could be an interesting thing.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2018
WWI has ended, but Bess' role as a nurse has not. I loved the sobering realism created in this novel about what it was like for soldiers with severe injuries and/or amputations. How would their families receive them? How would they support their families?
In A Forgotten Place Bess is particularly attached to a group of Welsch soldiers that come from a mining town. The idea of a soldier returning to a town where mining is the primary occupation with an amputation is especially daunting.
The mystery was incredibly well done and I didn't figure it out until the reveal in the final pages.
The cover is lovely. My favorite so far! In the authors’ note at the end, the authors share the impetus behind this novel. So interesting!
I am thankful to the authors for a complimentary autographed copy of A Forgotten Place. I was not required to post a review and the opinions expressed are my own.
In A Forgotten Place Bess is particularly attached to a group of Welsch soldiers that come from a mining town. The idea of a soldier returning to a town where mining is the primary occupation with an amputation is especially daunting.
The mystery was incredibly well done and I didn't figure it out until the reveal in the final pages.
The cover is lovely. My favorite so far! In the authors’ note at the end, the authors share the impetus behind this novel. So interesting!
I am thankful to the authors for a complimentary autographed copy of A Forgotten Place. I was not required to post a review and the opinions expressed are my own.
November 12, 2020
Suspense written particularly well this time out.
August 24, 2018
The Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd transports me to wild, vibrant Wales and to a time after WWI when the world attempts to recover from the horrors of war. The Welsh men that have survived the trenches, but have lost a limb, must attempt to return to a job and family. A Forgotten Place depicts the suffering and despair of these returning veterans. The description of the men elicits a grim picture of the war’s aftermath, with most of the men committing suicide rather than becoming a burden for the family. Charles Todd, the mother-son writing team paints a vivid scene of the Welsh community and the harshness of life by the sea, which is intensified by the music and language of the Welsh. The story showed me the frustration and loneliness caused by a war, and that life does not return to normal as soon as the war ends.
August 23, 2018
I always await the next Bess Crawford book with breathless anticipation, wondering if perhaps this book will finally be the one that has some kind of change in relationship between Bess and Simon but alas this book saw no new development and was sadly light on Simon which I never like. Despite that I really liked the book and give it a solid 5 which is high praise indeed especially for it being light on Simon.:)
The 10th installment in the Bess Crawford series takes us to the very dark aftermath of WW1 where the brutal war is over but it has left many embitter and broken men.
Bess finds herself in the wilds of Wales that seems like a different world where she is trying to help the struggling amputee Captain Williams where she is regarded as an outsider. As people turn up dead and with a killer on the lose will Bess be able to figure out what is going on before it is too late?
The mystery was solid and I really liked the character development. I liked how they developed a side romance that was sweet especially since Bess's romance with Simon isn't going anywhere fast.
Well written and engaging this was a fine addition to one of my favorite mystery series.
Thanks to Edelweiss+ and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
The 10th installment in the Bess Crawford series takes us to the very dark aftermath of WW1 where the brutal war is over but it has left many embitter and broken men.
Bess finds herself in the wilds of Wales that seems like a different world where she is trying to help the struggling amputee Captain Williams where she is regarded as an outsider. As people turn up dead and with a killer on the lose will Bess be able to figure out what is going on before it is too late?
The mystery was solid and I really liked the character development. I liked how they developed a side romance that was sweet especially since Bess's romance with Simon isn't going anywhere fast.
Well written and engaging this was a fine addition to one of my favorite mystery series.
Thanks to Edelweiss+ and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
June 29, 2019
I thought the last book was bad, but "A Forgotten Place" was the worst Bess Crawford book ever. Bess really annoyed me in this one. She acted beyond stupid. Right off the bat, she was haranguing her patients into doing something they didn't want to do (I think they'd earned the right to refuse) and using underhanded methods to get them to agree.
Then, she travels to Wales without telling anyone where she's going. How stupid is she? Pretty stupid, I guess, because then she continues on to the back of beyond and still doesn't think it prudent to inform anyone of her whereabouts. Common sense would persuade most thinking people to tell someone they are heading to Wales, at the very least. Forget what actually ends up happening. What if she'd been involved in something less sinister and as simple as, say, a car accident or a breaking leg while hiking? The whole set up was completely implausible for a woman who is supposed to be somewhat street savvy and makes Bess appear like a naive idiot.
The mystery and the entire set up for the plot was pretty far-fetched, too. Just a dumpster fire of a book. Not even the appearance (finally) of Simon could save the book. By the way, his timely appearance was also rather far-fetched. In reality, Bess would have been trapped much longer. But by then she would have come to an untimely end. Are the Todds tiring of this series? Or have they just run out of plausible ideas? I certainly hope they rediscover the magic of the first books in the series because this was a wholesale disappointment.
Then, she travels to Wales without telling anyone where she's going. How stupid is she? Pretty stupid, I guess, because then she continues on to the back of beyond and still doesn't think it prudent to inform anyone of her whereabouts. Common sense would persuade most thinking people to tell someone they are heading to Wales, at the very least. Forget what actually ends up happening. What if she'd been involved in something less sinister and as simple as, say, a car accident or a breaking leg while hiking? The whole set up was completely implausible for a woman who is supposed to be somewhat street savvy and makes Bess appear like a naive idiot.
The mystery and the entire set up for the plot was pretty far-fetched, too. Just a dumpster fire of a book. Not even the appearance (finally) of Simon could save the book. By the way, his timely appearance was also rather far-fetched. In reality, Bess would have been trapped much longer. But by then she would have come to an untimely end. Are the Todds tiring of this series? Or have they just run out of plausible ideas? I certainly hope they rediscover the magic of the first books in the series because this was a wholesale disappointment.
December 17, 2018
A Forgotten Place (HarperCollins, digital galley) is a truly memorable installment of Charles Todd's series about spirited British nursing sister Bess Crawford. World War I may be over, but many soldiers are still reliving the horrors of the trenches, including the Welsh vets Bess first meets at a hospital in France. Once hardworking miners, the amputees face such a bleak peacetime future that they prefer death. Hoping to help avert more suicides, Bess uses leave to check up on Capt. Hugh Williams, who is staying with his widowed sister-in-law in a back-of-beyond village in South Wales. She ends up stranded among hostile villagers when her driver takes off in his car in the middle of the night. The Gothic atmosphere is thick with suspicion and rumors, and Bess observes several mysterious events, including the secret burial of an unidentified body washed up on the beach. There's a dark secret at the village's heart, one that goes back decades, a secret some are willing to kill to keep.
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever
September 29, 2018
4 stars
I read the paperback edition.
It’s December 1918 and the war is finally over. In France after the war Nurse Bess Crawford is assigned to a hospital looking after men too ill to move back to England. They are all Welshmen, the only survivors of a battle eleven days before the war ended. All are enlisted except for their Captain, Captain Hugh Williams. All worked in the mines, except Williams who was an accountant for the mining company. To a man, they know they can’t work in the mines any longer and with little education, they are unfit for other types of work. They are all depressed and a few take their own lives.
The men are shipped back to England. Bess is reassigned to a hospital in Britain. She is pleased to discover that it is the same place as to which the Welsh men were sent. After another two suicides, the men are sent home. She receives a depressing letter from Captain Williams and immediately sends him a reply. When she receives an unexpected leave she heads to Wales to look for Captain Williams. He is no longer at his sister-in-law’s home as she is curtly and angrily told. She heads to the seaside as she continues her search. There she receives an unfriendly welcome, but locates him at another sister-in-law’s. It seems they are in the midst of a disagreement with the neighbors. The villagers don’t like strangers.
Rachel and Hugh are welcoming. In a surprise move, Mr. Morgan, Bess’ driver disappears in the middle of the night. She is now stranded. Two deaths occur, one of which Hugh is blamed for. The people thought it was Tom, Ruth’s husband, but he was taller and it is of course not him. The villagers don’t like Hugh. He is beaten and later that same day, another man is also beaten. What is going on? The two dead men were buried without ceremony in unmarked graves – and in the middle of the night. Why are the people in this village so secretive and so quick to form their own opinions without having sufficient knowledge to make a judgement? Why is there no constable or other police presence?
As more people are attacked, and some of them killed, the mystery surrounding the village and its people deepens. Bess is prevented from leaving the village. New suspicions come to light about a woman who lives in a nearby cottage.
This book has a huge surprise for the reader in store at the end. The murderer/attacker is found.
This novel is not quite as good as the previous Bess Crawford books I’ve read. It seemed to drag in places. I sometimes wished the author(s) would just get on with it. It was most certainly well written and plotted, but the plotting slowed dramatically at times. I like the Ian Rutledge series of books more than the Bess Crawford novels, but the Bess books are nearly as good. I appreciate the talent and perseverance it takes to write such a book and I truly enjoy reading them. I am looking forward to the next book in either series. There were moments of brilliance in this book. I loved the atmospheric descriptions about the Welsh sea and countryside. The desolation and desperation in the little village was also clearly illustrated. The discussions about the people and their (odd) motives for their actions were well thought out and written.
I want to thank William Morrow a Harper Collins Publishers Imprint and especially GoodReads for forwarding to me a paperback copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review.
I read the paperback edition.
It’s December 1918 and the war is finally over. In France after the war Nurse Bess Crawford is assigned to a hospital looking after men too ill to move back to England. They are all Welshmen, the only survivors of a battle eleven days before the war ended. All are enlisted except for their Captain, Captain Hugh Williams. All worked in the mines, except Williams who was an accountant for the mining company. To a man, they know they can’t work in the mines any longer and with little education, they are unfit for other types of work. They are all depressed and a few take their own lives.
The men are shipped back to England. Bess is reassigned to a hospital in Britain. She is pleased to discover that it is the same place as to which the Welsh men were sent. After another two suicides, the men are sent home. She receives a depressing letter from Captain Williams and immediately sends him a reply. When she receives an unexpected leave she heads to Wales to look for Captain Williams. He is no longer at his sister-in-law’s home as she is curtly and angrily told. She heads to the seaside as she continues her search. There she receives an unfriendly welcome, but locates him at another sister-in-law’s. It seems they are in the midst of a disagreement with the neighbors. The villagers don’t like strangers.
Rachel and Hugh are welcoming. In a surprise move, Mr. Morgan, Bess’ driver disappears in the middle of the night. She is now stranded. Two deaths occur, one of which Hugh is blamed for. The people thought it was Tom, Ruth’s husband, but he was taller and it is of course not him. The villagers don’t like Hugh. He is beaten and later that same day, another man is also beaten. What is going on? The two dead men were buried without ceremony in unmarked graves – and in the middle of the night. Why are the people in this village so secretive and so quick to form their own opinions without having sufficient knowledge to make a judgement? Why is there no constable or other police presence?
As more people are attacked, and some of them killed, the mystery surrounding the village and its people deepens. Bess is prevented from leaving the village. New suspicions come to light about a woman who lives in a nearby cottage.
This book has a huge surprise for the reader in store at the end. The murderer/attacker is found.
This novel is not quite as good as the previous Bess Crawford books I’ve read. It seemed to drag in places. I sometimes wished the author(s) would just get on with it. It was most certainly well written and plotted, but the plotting slowed dramatically at times. I like the Ian Rutledge series of books more than the Bess Crawford novels, but the Bess books are nearly as good. I appreciate the talent and perseverance it takes to write such a book and I truly enjoy reading them. I am looking forward to the next book in either series. There were moments of brilliance in this book. I loved the atmospheric descriptions about the Welsh sea and countryside. The desolation and desperation in the little village was also clearly illustrated. The discussions about the people and their (odd) motives for their actions were well thought out and written.
I want to thank William Morrow a Harper Collins Publishers Imprint and especially GoodReads for forwarding to me a paperback copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review.
September 23, 2018
I loved being able to read this book when it was first released. Anyone who has had to wait for Braille or audio versions of books will certainly know what I mean. The disappointment one feels when it appears that no Braille or audio version is forthcoming is especially keen for authors who write series. I'm just as eager to read the next installment as anyone else.
Bess Crawford is as determined to uncover the truth and see justice done as she was in past books. Concerned for a Welsh Captain and his men who are all amputees released from her clinic on the same day, she manages to get approved for leave to go see how they are doing after returning to their homes in a coal-mining valley. In order to get the leave, she has to make Matron and others believe she's going home.
Reaching the remote valley in Wales, she learns that only one man remains from the company of soldiers she cared for besides the Captain. As for the Captain, he's gone, and his sister isn't very forthcoming about exactly where.
Bess manages to track him down to an even more remote village on a peninsula. Captain Williams had sent her a letter asking for her to come since he was concerned about how his men were handling their homecomings. But when Bess arrives at the house where Williams is now living with his widowed sister-in-law, he tells her it's not safe for her to stay.
And so begins our mystery. Family secrets, village distrust, and several murders follow.
Bess asks lots of questions and proposes plenty of possible answers. But she also trusts that when her situation gets bad enough, "the cavalry"--in the form of Simon Brandon--will come along to save the day--and her.
This wasn't her best outing. The plot dragged in places, and the ending felt a little too tidy and convenient. Even so, it was a fun romp through a few hundred pages and should tide me over until the new Ian Rutledge mystery is released in February 2019.
Bess Crawford is as determined to uncover the truth and see justice done as she was in past books. Concerned for a Welsh Captain and his men who are all amputees released from her clinic on the same day, she manages to get approved for leave to go see how they are doing after returning to their homes in a coal-mining valley. In order to get the leave, she has to make Matron and others believe she's going home.
Reaching the remote valley in Wales, she learns that only one man remains from the company of soldiers she cared for besides the Captain. As for the Captain, he's gone, and his sister isn't very forthcoming about exactly where.
Bess manages to track him down to an even more remote village on a peninsula. Captain Williams had sent her a letter asking for her to come since he was concerned about how his men were handling their homecomings. But when Bess arrives at the house where Williams is now living with his widowed sister-in-law, he tells her it's not safe for her to stay.
And so begins our mystery. Family secrets, village distrust, and several murders follow.
Bess asks lots of questions and proposes plenty of possible answers. But she also trusts that when her situation gets bad enough, "the cavalry"--in the form of Simon Brandon--will come along to save the day--and her.
This wasn't her best outing. The plot dragged in places, and the ending felt a little too tidy and convenient. Even so, it was a fun romp through a few hundred pages and should tide me over until the new Ian Rutledge mystery is released in February 2019.
October 25, 2018
Another stellar book by the mother/son team known as Charles Todd was the perfect choice after a really crazy one by Dennis Lehane. World War I is over, but the casualties remain. Bess is working at a hospital and is moved to another one that specializes in amputees. She is pleased to meet a Welsh captain who is recovering from a leg amputation. He was part of a group of young men from Wales. The men who have lost limbs had worked in the mines, something to which they cannot return. One man has already attempted suicide and finally succeeds in the second hospital. When they are released, it's not much better. Bess is concerned and happens to get some time off.
She tells Matron she is going home for a visit, but instead she heads to the Welsh village where the men lived. The Captain has moved to a village near Swansea to help his brother's wife as best he can. The job that he had been promised was given to another man. One after another the uneducated young men commit suicide. Bess goes to the village to find the Captain because he is a candidate for a prosthesis, although that term wasn't in use at the time. Her plan is to just stay overnight, but her driver leaves in the middle of the night, leaving her stranded. The village is very isolated, and the residents are deeply suspicious of outsiders.
The Captain is attacked, then another man is found badly beaten. When a dead man washes up on the shore after his boat is overtaken in a storm, he is quickly buried. There is no effort to contact the authorities. Bess finds this strange. Soon she learns what is going on. The village has a dark secret. The inhabitants want to keep this secret and will do anything including forcing Bess to stay for the rest of her life if need be.
This was a strange story and strains credulity at times, but it's still really an interesting book. I enjoyed it very much.
She tells Matron she is going home for a visit, but instead she heads to the Welsh village where the men lived. The Captain has moved to a village near Swansea to help his brother's wife as best he can. The job that he had been promised was given to another man. One after another the uneducated young men commit suicide. Bess goes to the village to find the Captain because he is a candidate for a prosthesis, although that term wasn't in use at the time. Her plan is to just stay overnight, but her driver leaves in the middle of the night, leaving her stranded. The village is very isolated, and the residents are deeply suspicious of outsiders.
The Captain is attacked, then another man is found badly beaten. When a dead man washes up on the shore after his boat is overtaken in a storm, he is quickly buried. There is no effort to contact the authorities. Bess finds this strange. Soon she learns what is going on. The village has a dark secret. The inhabitants want to keep this secret and will do anything including forcing Bess to stay for the rest of her life if need be.
This was a strange story and strains credulity at times, but it's still really an interesting book. I enjoyed it very much.
August 25, 2018
It's December, 1918. The war has ended. The soldiers who lived through the war are heading home. Many are broken men, having lost limbs to mortars or eyes and lungs to gas. Nurse, Sister Bess Crawford, is concerned for the men of the Welsh unit that had recently left her care. While on leave, she seeks them out only to find that many could not endure their brokenness. She finds amputee, Captain Hugh Williams, recovering on the far remote end of the Gower Peninsula in the care of his brother's wife, Rachel, widowed by war. Bess' Swansea driver, frightened by ghostly legends, abandons Bess in the middle of the night leaving her with no means of transportation back to civilization. She soon discovers that the village's folks are suspicious of outsiders and are tightly guarding their collective secrets. She wants nothing more than to return home but the villagers, in their efforts to guard their own secrets, thwart her efforts. It only gets worse from there.
There are several mysteries here which Bess tries to unravel. Captain Williams cautions her to let it go and not look for trouble. That, of course, is not in Bess' make up. She heals the sick and wounded and seeks truth and justice.
Charles Todd, a mother/son writing team have delivered yet another exquisitely written story. This one is atmospheric and painterly in its scene setting. The characters are well developed and each is vulnerable in their own way.
I am grateful to William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers and LibraryThing Early Reviewers for having provided a free copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.
There are several mysteries here which Bess tries to unravel. Captain Williams cautions her to let it go and not look for trouble. That, of course, is not in Bess' make up. She heals the sick and wounded and seeks truth and justice.
Charles Todd, a mother/son writing team have delivered yet another exquisitely written story. This one is atmospheric and painterly in its scene setting. The characters are well developed and each is vulnerable in their own way.
I am grateful to William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers and LibraryThing Early Reviewers for having provided a free copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.
November 16, 2018
In some ways this seemed more like a thriller than a mystery: Bess Crawford has traveled to a remote area of Wales to visit a former patient. Once there, her driver decamps in the middle of the night, leaving Bess abandoned with n0 way to contact her family or anyone else.
December 5, 2018
Bess gets stuck in the Village of the Damned aka Hotel California and she can never leave. No phones, no postal service and no constable. And of course she hasn’t told anyone where she was going.
Waiting around for something to happen (Simon to find and rescue her) she spends her time nosing around in the business of this tiny community who really does not like strangers.
Then the conclusion is pulled out of thin air. When I read the explanation of the source of dead guys washing up on the shore it became clear that it is time to retire Bess Crawford. I have loved the Charles Todd writing team but this one was a big disappointment.
Waiting around for something to happen (Simon to find and rescue her) she spends her time nosing around in the business of this tiny community who really does not like strangers.
Then the conclusion is pulled out of thin air. When I read the explanation of the source of dead guys washing up on the shore it became clear that it is time to retire Bess Crawford. I have loved the Charles Todd writing team but this one was a big disappointment.
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