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Bess Crawford #8
The Shattered Tree
World War I battlefield nurse Bess Crawford goes to dangerous lengths to investigate a wounded soldier’s background—and uncover his true loyalties.
At the foot of a tree shattered by shelling and gunfire, stretcher-bearers find an exhausted officer, shivering with cold and a loss of blood from several wounds. The soldier is brought to battlefield nurse Bess Crawford’s aid station, where she stabilizes him and treats his injuries before he is sent to a rear hospital. The odd thing is, the officer isn’t British—he’s French. But in a moment of anger and stress, he shouts at Bess in German.
When Bess reports the incident to Matron, her superior offers a ready explanation. The soldier is from Alsace-Lorraine, a province in the west where the tenuous border between France and Germany has continually shifted through history, most recently in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, won by the Germans. But is the wounded man Alsatian? And if he is, on which side of the war do his sympathies really lie?
Of course, Matron could be right, but Bess remains uneasy—and unconvinced. If he was a French soldier, what was he doing so far from his own lines . . . and so close to where the Germans are putting up a fierce, last-ditch fight?
When the French officer disappears in Paris, it’s up to Bess—a soldier’s daughter as well as a nurse—to find out why, even at the risk of her own life.
At the foot of a tree shattered by shelling and gunfire, stretcher-bearers find an exhausted officer, shivering with cold and a loss of blood from several wounds. The soldier is brought to battlefield nurse Bess Crawford’s aid station, where she stabilizes him and treats his injuries before he is sent to a rear hospital. The odd thing is, the officer isn’t British—he’s French. But in a moment of anger and stress, he shouts at Bess in German.
When Bess reports the incident to Matron, her superior offers a ready explanation. The soldier is from Alsace-Lorraine, a province in the west where the tenuous border between France and Germany has continually shifted through history, most recently in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, won by the Germans. But is the wounded man Alsatian? And if he is, on which side of the war do his sympathies really lie?
Of course, Matron could be right, but Bess remains uneasy—and unconvinced. If he was a French soldier, what was he doing so far from his own lines . . . and so close to where the Germans are putting up a fierce, last-ditch fight?
When the French officer disappears in Paris, it’s up to Bess—a soldier’s daughter as well as a nurse—to find out why, even at the risk of her own life.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2016
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About the author
Charles Todd
112 books3,494 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 627 reviews
February 6, 2019
I like Bess Crawford. She’s a good character to read about and I like the time-period that her mysteries are set in - WWI. The way that the authors write (Charles Todd is a pen name) can really make you feel the atmosphere of the war and its impact and the events that Bess goes through. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but as it went on, some of the books were hit and miss, and unfortunately this one was a miss for me.
I really wanted to like Bess in The Shattered Tree but she was a bit irritating and I got frustrated with her. She involved herself in things when she didn’t have to and wouldn’t let go. I thought to myself, why? Why is she so obsessed with this? There were no personal connections or a legitimate reason or even real urgency for her to pursue this mystery, so in the end she was basically just a busybody. A young Miss Marple, but without the charm or subtlety.
As for the mystery itself, it started out intriguing, but it soon got kinda lost for me with all the traveling around she did, small trivial details, and her stubborn determination to sniff out the clues, no matter the cost. She even appeared a little insensitive at times. She wasn’t the Bess that I’ve liked in previous books.
Another thing that I’ve missed from the previous books were some of my favorite supporting characters, Bess’s parents and Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon, a close family friend and her sometimes partner in crime. I’ve always liked Simon (and I’m still holding out hope that he and Bess will end up together!) and felt he was sorely missed in this book. He had a brief cameo though, and so did Bess’s mother, but I needed more. I feel like Simon’s a nice steady and calming presence for Bess, as well as a trusted confidant.
Captain Barkley, the American soldier, sort of took Simon’s place in The Shattered Tree, being Bess’s friend and sounding board when needed. Although the two were a bit reticent about sharing everything that they knew with each other, there's more to Barkley than meets the eye.
So the mystery wasn’t that strong for me. It took a different path than I thought it would. I had imagined something different after first reading what the premise was. What I got instead seemed convoluted to me. I was also a bit confused when Bess would immediately jump to the right conclusions. I was like, how’d she make that connection based on the few things that she knew? It came across a little too convenient. But she got her way and ferreted out the answers and solved the case, one that I still think she didn’t have to involve herself in.
I wish I could’ve enjoyed this book. I didn’t like it. Others might, and from what I’ve seen of the ratings here, they do. I just never connected with it. The series started off so well...maybe the next one will be better. I sure hope so, and with more Bess and Simon!
I won this book for free in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you!
I really wanted to like Bess in The Shattered Tree but she was a bit irritating and I got frustrated with her. She involved herself in things when she didn’t have to and wouldn’t let go. I thought to myself, why? Why is she so obsessed with this? There were no personal connections or a legitimate reason or even real urgency for her to pursue this mystery, so in the end she was basically just a busybody. A young Miss Marple, but without the charm or subtlety.
As for the mystery itself, it started out intriguing, but it soon got kinda lost for me with all the traveling around she did, small trivial details, and her stubborn determination to sniff out the clues, no matter the cost. She even appeared a little insensitive at times. She wasn’t the Bess that I’ve liked in previous books.
Another thing that I’ve missed from the previous books were some of my favorite supporting characters, Bess’s parents and Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon, a close family friend and her sometimes partner in crime. I’ve always liked Simon (and I’m still holding out hope that he and Bess will end up together!) and felt he was sorely missed in this book. He had a brief cameo though, and so did Bess’s mother, but I needed more. I feel like Simon’s a nice steady and calming presence for Bess, as well as a trusted confidant.
Captain Barkley, the American soldier, sort of took Simon’s place in The Shattered Tree, being Bess’s friend and sounding board when needed. Although the two were a bit reticent about sharing everything that they knew with each other, there's more to Barkley than meets the eye.
So the mystery wasn’t that strong for me. It took a different path than I thought it would. I had imagined something different after first reading what the premise was. What I got instead seemed convoluted to me. I was also a bit confused when Bess would immediately jump to the right conclusions. I was like, how’d she make that connection based on the few things that she knew? It came across a little too convenient. But she got her way and ferreted out the answers and solved the case, one that I still think she didn’t have to involve herself in.
I wish I could’ve enjoyed this book. I didn’t like it. Others might, and from what I’ve seen of the ratings here, they do. I just never connected with it. The series started off so well...maybe the next one will be better. I sure hope so, and with more Bess and Simon!
I won this book for free in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you!
August 28, 2017
The plot is very complicated, sometimes too much so. Keeping all the characters straight was a chore, and I don't read crime fiction for the challenge. For me, the best part of the story is the relentless persistence of nurse Bess Crawford as she involves herself in something only vaguely related to her proper business and simply won't let go. That said, the help she receives from a large cast of supporting characters is not quite believable.
April 29, 2018
Once again her only excuse for investigating is really "I'm just incurably nosy." This may be why I tend to prefer the Ian Rutledge novels by the same author - he's a professional and it's his job to solve crimes.
Still a reasonably entertaining read for fans of the series.
Still a reasonably entertaining read for fans of the series.
January 18, 2018
I think I've figured out why these Bess Crawford novels seem a little pushed to me. In the Ian Rutledge novels, he is an Inspector; he has reason to be nosing into crimes. Bess just feels pushy to me, getting involved in other people's lives often when they don't want her to. And dragging her father and mother and Simon and anyone else she latched onto into the fray. I enjoy the Maisie Dobbs books so much more because she is asked to solve the mystery solved, it's her job. Bess gets all sorts of praise for her nursing abilities but she never seems to do them for very long before legging off into someone's problems. All that said (rant over?) they're easy reads and it's comforting to know everything will always work out in the end-- even though at least one soldier gets hurt on her behalf in every book.
April 22, 2017
I read A Pattern of Lies (the book before this one) last year and loved the book. So I was in seventh heaven when I got approved for this one. I have read most of the books in this series since I read A Pattern of Lies and I quite enjoy both the stories and the book's characters. Bess Crawford is a wonderful character, strong and competent and I'm so happy that the doesn't spend her time romanticizing about some guy. (I do wish however that she and Sergeant Lassiter would get a bit...closer)
Anyway, this book is, to be honest not my favorite in the series. I'm actually I bit disappointed how weak the story felt compared to A Pattern of Lies. I grew a bit frustrated reading the book because the main story about the soldier that may or may not be a german spy just didn't rock my boat. It was not totally bad, I just didn't find The Shattered Tree as intriguing and as engrossing to read as I usually do with the books in this series. And, I missed Sergeant Lassiter who wasn't even in this book, just mentioned a couple of times (Yes I did a search for him after reading 1/3 of the book because I was really looking forward to reading about Bess and him meeting again). Now, I don't say that the book was bad because Sergeant Lassiter wasn't in it, rather it just didn't make the situation better.
So, not my favorite book in the series, still good to read, but I hope the next book in the series will be better!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review!
Anyway, this book is, to be honest not my favorite in the series. I'm actually I bit disappointed how weak the story felt compared to A Pattern of Lies. I grew a bit frustrated reading the book because the main story about the soldier that may or may not be a german spy just didn't rock my boat. It was not totally bad, I just didn't find The Shattered Tree as intriguing and as engrossing to read as I usually do with the books in this series. And, I missed Sergeant Lassiter who wasn't even in this book, just mentioned a couple of times (Yes I did a search for him after reading 1/3 of the book because I was really looking forward to reading about Bess and him meeting again). Now, I don't say that the book was bad because Sergeant Lassiter wasn't in it, rather it just didn't make the situation better.
So, not my favorite book in the series, still good to read, but I hope the next book in the series will be better!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review!
October 27, 2016
Probably a 3.5 in reality. Relies a lot on coincidences.
September 17, 2016
I'm a big fan of the Bess Crawford series, and always eagerly await the release of each new installment. That said, some books are definitely better than others. This one falls somewhere in the middle; not among my favourites of the series, but not the weakest either. In this book Bess finds herself convalescing in Paris, and while there takes it upon herself to solve a mystery connected to a French solider who had passed through her aid station prior to her being wounded. The mystery was interesting, although I'm not sure how realistic Bess' involvement would have been in real life. As this series progresses it seems Bess finds herself increasingly caught up in affairs she really should leave to authorities. That said, I enjoyed the book overall. I did, however, miss the inclusion of minor characters that usually turn up in each book, and wish Simon Brandon had more of a role in this one.
3.5 Stars
3.5 Stars
February 6, 2017
The Shattered Tree (Bess Crawford #8)
Charles Todd
This is the first book I have read in the Bess Crawford series, although I have read 5 in the Ian Rutledge series, also by Charles Todd.
The setting for this book is WWI Europe, mainly France, where Sister Crawford is a battlefield nurse and amateur detective. So the setting and time-frame is similar to the Ian Rutledge series. And so is much of the dialog, manners, and dogged perseverance. I wish there was a little more difference; this seemed like warmed-over Rutledge. The story simply did not pull me in.
Charles Todd
This is the first book I have read in the Bess Crawford series, although I have read 5 in the Ian Rutledge series, also by Charles Todd.
The setting for this book is WWI Europe, mainly France, where Sister Crawford is a battlefield nurse and amateur detective. So the setting and time-frame is similar to the Ian Rutledge series. And so is much of the dialog, manners, and dogged perseverance. I wish there was a little more difference; this seemed like warmed-over Rutledge. The story simply did not pull me in.
May 21, 2019
2019: I must have been cranky when I read this the first time, as I really enjoyed the audio version the second time around. I didn't have trouble with the characters & I thought the mystery was good. But I still agree that Bess needs more Simon in her life. :)
2016: 3.5 stars and not 4 because I felt some of the characters around Bess were not fully realized this time. I kept getting the two British officers mixed up in the convalescent hospital where she stays in Paris after being wounded because they just seemed to be the same characters. And while I like the Charles Barkley character and it was fun to have him back, he seemed merely a male escort for Bess so she could get around Paris to sleuth and also someone with whom she could discuss the case. Fortunately Simon Brandon showed up, but very late in the book and only for 24 hours so his bright appearance was brief. Bess needs more Simon in her life. Maybe after the war is over? They can sleuth around England together. This novel takes place in October 1918 and there were many references to the war winding down, so it seemed a bit of a transition novel to the post-war years with her convalescing and no strong battlefield nursing scenes, it was a more of a standard mystery without as much tragic battle environment. But besides the rather cardboard males surrounding her in this outing, I still like the intrepid Bess.
2016: 3.5 stars and not 4 because I felt some of the characters around Bess were not fully realized this time. I kept getting the two British officers mixed up in the convalescent hospital where she stays in Paris after being wounded because they just seemed to be the same characters. And while I like the Charles Barkley character and it was fun to have him back, he seemed merely a male escort for Bess so she could get around Paris to sleuth and also someone with whom she could discuss the case. Fortunately Simon Brandon showed up, but very late in the book and only for 24 hours so his bright appearance was brief. Bess needs more Simon in her life. Maybe after the war is over? They can sleuth around England together. This novel takes place in October 1918 and there were many references to the war winding down, so it seemed a bit of a transition novel to the post-war years with her convalescing and no strong battlefield nursing scenes, it was a more of a standard mystery without as much tragic battle environment. But besides the rather cardboard males surrounding her in this outing, I still like the intrepid Bess.
December 27, 2016
Rumors abound through the trenches, aid stations, and hospitals that war would soon be over after 4 long years. Bess Crawford was shot by a sniper and is sent to Paris to finish her recovery. At the aid stations had questions about on one of the soldiers' nationality and she caught a glimpse of him on a Paris street. Bess begins looking into the soldier's background. Locating his village Bess found a story that goes back to his childhood. It is one of greed, betrayal, hate and Mother's. You will be glued to the pages as you follow Bess through the twists and turns of Philippe Moreau's life. I highly recommend this book and series.
July 8, 2017
A thoroughly enjoyable mystery. Bess Crawford finds herself in situations where there is a lingering question. And then she goes down many different roads to try and find answers.
In The Shattered Tree, Bess is recovering from an injury much of the novel. She has little rest though as she seeks out answers.
This novel included period details from WWI that added to the story.
The Bess Crawford series is recommended for fans of clean historical mysteries.
In The Shattered Tree, Bess is recovering from an injury much of the novel. She has little rest though as she seeks out answers.
This novel included period details from WWI that added to the story.
The Bess Crawford series is recommended for fans of clean historical mysteries.
August 4, 2017
"He crawled as far as the shattered tree and lay there, faint from the effort. But he knew he had to keep moving. When he stopped, when the sweat dried on his skin, he'd begin to shiver again, wracking his body until his teeth chattered. There wasn't enough left of his uniform to keep his warm, and his captors, God help them, had taken his boots. Good English leather. He'd stolen them himself from a corpse.
He grimaced, afraid to look at his torn feet. He'd lost too much blood from other wounds. The one in his leg had mercifully stopped bleeding, and the cut in his hairline had clotted over, but the damage had been done. He was light-headed from lack of food, finding it hard to concentrate. A crow couldn't find enough to eat in this countryside after four years of war. He'd be dead soon if he didn't reach his own lines."
Welcome to the latest Bess Crawford mystery by Charles Todd, the Shattered Tree. It all takes place in France in October of 1918, where a lone man is discovered wounded. He is taken to a local hospital where nurse Bess Crawford tends to his wounds before he is taken elsewhere to recover. But since he can't tell anyone who he is or where he is from, he remains a mystery patient. Until one night he is attacked by another patient and in his stress, he utters protests in German. Bess is concerned that this man might be a German spy, but why is he wearing a French soldier's uniform and missing all identification? As she is sent to attend a man along with a doctor in a trench, she is caught in the crossfire of a sniper's round and finds herself a patient. She begins to follow the mystery man to the very same location she is being sent to recover, only know she has a possible name he is going by Phillipe Moreau, which is French, but why does he seem so fluent in German?
That is the best part of any Bess Crawford mystery is the slow unraveling of clues as she uses her recovery time in Paris, to figure out who this man is. Why is he running? What is he hiding? As she gets closer to the truth, those around her wind up their own victims of being stabbed. How can it be the wounded man who clearly is unable to walk much less attempt murder of anyone including an attempt on her own life again. She must figure it out before she is sent back to the aid station in France again or before more people wind up wounded or even murdered. Will she be next?
I received The Shattered Tree by Charles Todd compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This is such an extraordinary series and even though they are ongoing, you don't need to read them in order to appreciate the mystery aspects of the novel. It's like a Sherlock Holmes book, each mystery is unique and original and always involves nurse Bess Crawford, like a historical Nancy Drew of sorts! This is one of my favorites of the novels I've had the pleasure to read and review. I give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for the next one, Casualty of War coming soon. At the conclusion of this one, readers will find discussion guide questions, an interview with the author about this novel and more about the Bess Crawford series. This is the 8th Bess Crawford novel in the series.
He grimaced, afraid to look at his torn feet. He'd lost too much blood from other wounds. The one in his leg had mercifully stopped bleeding, and the cut in his hairline had clotted over, but the damage had been done. He was light-headed from lack of food, finding it hard to concentrate. A crow couldn't find enough to eat in this countryside after four years of war. He'd be dead soon if he didn't reach his own lines."
Welcome to the latest Bess Crawford mystery by Charles Todd, the Shattered Tree. It all takes place in France in October of 1918, where a lone man is discovered wounded. He is taken to a local hospital where nurse Bess Crawford tends to his wounds before he is taken elsewhere to recover. But since he can't tell anyone who he is or where he is from, he remains a mystery patient. Until one night he is attacked by another patient and in his stress, he utters protests in German. Bess is concerned that this man might be a German spy, but why is he wearing a French soldier's uniform and missing all identification? As she is sent to attend a man along with a doctor in a trench, she is caught in the crossfire of a sniper's round and finds herself a patient. She begins to follow the mystery man to the very same location she is being sent to recover, only know she has a possible name he is going by Phillipe Moreau, which is French, but why does he seem so fluent in German?
That is the best part of any Bess Crawford mystery is the slow unraveling of clues as she uses her recovery time in Paris, to figure out who this man is. Why is he running? What is he hiding? As she gets closer to the truth, those around her wind up their own victims of being stabbed. How can it be the wounded man who clearly is unable to walk much less attempt murder of anyone including an attempt on her own life again. She must figure it out before she is sent back to the aid station in France again or before more people wind up wounded or even murdered. Will she be next?
I received The Shattered Tree by Charles Todd compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This is such an extraordinary series and even though they are ongoing, you don't need to read them in order to appreciate the mystery aspects of the novel. It's like a Sherlock Holmes book, each mystery is unique and original and always involves nurse Bess Crawford, like a historical Nancy Drew of sorts! This is one of my favorites of the novels I've had the pleasure to read and review. I give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for the next one, Casualty of War coming soon. At the conclusion of this one, readers will find discussion guide questions, an interview with the author about this novel and more about the Bess Crawford series. This is the 8th Bess Crawford novel in the series.
July 14, 2019
The Shattered Tree
3 Stars
WWI nurse Bess Crawford grows suspicious when a delirious French officer brought in to the aid station begins speaking in German. The simple explanation is that he is from the Alsace-Lorraine region, but Bess decides to investigate nonetheless, and uncovers a decades-old murder mystery.
Similar plot to A Question of Honor only this time there is no personal or professional reason for Bess's insistence on trying to ferret out the identity of the mysterious French officer. Thus, she spends much of the book interfering in matters that do not concern her and comes across as an insensitive, meddlesome and annoying busybody.
Simon Brandon is also sorely missing from the storyline aside from a couple of scenes, so there is once again no development in his relationship with Bess. Instead, readers are "rewarded" with the patronizing Captain Barclay who believes women should know there place and remain in it.
The mystery itself had potential, but there are so many strange coincidences and convoluted assumptions that it is easy to get lost. Moreover, the killer is both patently obvious but also impossible to figure out as her has adopted an assumed name.
Overall, not one of the best in the series.
3 Stars
WWI nurse Bess Crawford grows suspicious when a delirious French officer brought in to the aid station begins speaking in German. The simple explanation is that he is from the Alsace-Lorraine region, but Bess decides to investigate nonetheless, and uncovers a decades-old murder mystery.
Similar plot to A Question of Honor only this time there is no personal or professional reason for Bess's insistence on trying to ferret out the identity of the mysterious French officer. Thus, she spends much of the book interfering in matters that do not concern her and comes across as an insensitive, meddlesome and annoying busybody.
Simon Brandon is also sorely missing from the storyline aside from a couple of scenes, so there is once again no development in his relationship with Bess. Instead, readers are "rewarded" with the patronizing Captain Barclay who believes women should know there place and remain in it.
The mystery itself had potential, but there are so many strange coincidences and convoluted assumptions that it is easy to get lost. Moreover, the killer is both patently obvious but also impossible to figure out as her has adopted an assumed name.
Overall, not one of the best in the series.
September 10, 2021
Bess Crawford is just not one to sit idle even when she is recovering from a graze of a bullet. The mystery of The Shattered Tree starts in England but ends up being solved in Rouen, France where Bess is doing what she does best, being extremely curious! Sometimes I find keeping track of all of the clues almost tedious but I was able to keep things pretty straight which probably enhanced my enjoyment of this Bess Crawford installment.
July 25, 2016
Bess is hot on the trail of a former patient that she thinks is a spy.
Though I am a fan of this series, I felt this particular title was weak.
I read this DARC courtesy of Harper Collins and Edelweiss. Pub date 08/30/16
Though I am a fan of this series, I felt this particular title was weak.
I read this DARC courtesy of Harper Collins and Edelweiss. Pub date 08/30/16
October 18, 2016
A major disappointment in light of the previous Charles Todd books read
July 25, 2019
A superior read. Charles Todd always manages to keep the reader in suspense as to who the culprit is. It is somewhat Hitchcock in suspense.
September 13, 2018
Well written, in a subdued manner. Good detail for that period.
On occasion, I had to let my imagination take hold.
On occasion, I had to let my imagination take hold.
July 25, 2017
WWI Mystery
Good read. Historical fiction with a plucky main character. A good mystery with a good solve at the end. It takes place during WWI and provides a look at a time that few people know much about. It gives one a feel for the proprieties of the time and the exhaustion of this war.
Good read. Historical fiction with a plucky main character. A good mystery with a good solve at the end. It takes place during WWI and provides a look at a time that few people know much about. It gives one a feel for the proprieties of the time and the exhaustion of this war.
August 30, 2016
Wonderful dry humor and heart pounding wartime drama fill this page-turning atmospheric mystery.
Not having read the previous book in this series, I was able to follow the plot without difficulty.
I found the characters to be well developed and fascinating. An accomplished portrait of the times in Paris. I will return and read more by these authors.
Even after leaving the intense, danger filled trenches at the war front, the emotional, on edge feelings do not lessen. Bess seems unable to leave her inquiring mind to rest when she has been ordered to take time to recover from physical injury.
Not only is a mysterious patient on her mind, but the plot thickens when she learns more of this man's complicated background. It is not until the very end that all the loose ends are skillfully woven together and answers gained.
A few memorable quotes jumped out at me. One such was when a man was told he had inherited a nice sum of money he replied...
"If I'm to be shot as a spy, why are you telling me this?" he demanded.
"Because she wanted you to have it. It might pay for your lawyers."
"I don't need any lawyers."
"Then it will pay for a nice tombstone."
Those who, like me, appreciate public television docudramas such as Land Girls and Mercy Street, Call the Midwives and The Crimson Field will become deeply involved with this series.
I was given a copy of this book for review purposes.
Not having read the previous book in this series, I was able to follow the plot without difficulty.
I found the characters to be well developed and fascinating. An accomplished portrait of the times in Paris. I will return and read more by these authors.
Even after leaving the intense, danger filled trenches at the war front, the emotional, on edge feelings do not lessen. Bess seems unable to leave her inquiring mind to rest when she has been ordered to take time to recover from physical injury.
Not only is a mysterious patient on her mind, but the plot thickens when she learns more of this man's complicated background. It is not until the very end that all the loose ends are skillfully woven together and answers gained.
A few memorable quotes jumped out at me. One such was when a man was told he had inherited a nice sum of money he replied...
"If I'm to be shot as a spy, why are you telling me this?" he demanded.
"Because she wanted you to have it. It might pay for your lawyers."
"I don't need any lawyers."
"Then it will pay for a nice tombstone."
Those who, like me, appreciate public television docudramas such as Land Girls and Mercy Street, Call the Midwives and The Crimson Field will become deeply involved with this series.
I was given a copy of this book for review purposes.
June 22, 2018
(REVIEW IN PROGRESS)
This Bess novel has a different setting; it starts out at Bess’s field hospital, but shifts to Paris after she is wounded. (I’m revealing this more for myself, as a memory prompt, not to be a spoil-sport.) She was shot by a sniper who realized at the last minute that the body in shadows was a nurse, and jerked his rifle away so that she was only wounded, not killed. (What she and the doctor were doing out there was crazy; if the surgeon had been killed, the patients would have been in serious trouble.) Bess is stitched up, but she does not get better, so is transported to the Base Hospital in Rouen because they have an x-ray machine—the ONLY x-ray machine the Allies have, brought over by the Yanks.
Just getting there means more trauma—Bess experiences what it feels like to be jostled back and forth as the ambulance drives over crater-like ruts in the road... It’s excruciatingly painful. In Rouen they discover that a button chip from her uniform is lodged under the skin, so they must operate. Back at her field station, Bess’s mother surprises her (accompanied of course by Simon), a wonderful welcome treat for Bess.
As usual, the plot has plenty of twists and turns, a myriad in fact. I had to read the book twice to “untwist” the various threads. There are actually several different mysteries, but which are related, meaning that each must be solved in order to uncover the most important one—which is what? Read on to find out!
The first mystery is: Who is the nameless soldier who literally crawled to Bess’s field hospital in rags, with severely lacerated, bleeding feet? Starved, dehydrated, and fainting from blood loss, the nurses name him “Lieutenant X”. When he starts raving while unconscious, Bess hears him speak German, and tells Matron. She says he could still be native French if he’s from Alsace-Lorraine (ceded to Germany after the Franco-Prussian War in 1870), because citizens there usually speak both French and German (even though the Germans forbade French). He claims to be Lieutenant Philippe Moreau. The staff find him a spare (US Army) uniform, and he departs.
When Yank Captain Barkley shows up in Paris, he immediately begins to “manage” her, which the independent Bess can’t stand. As they share a taxi to her convalescent hospital, Hôtel de Belle-Île (a mansion-turned-hospital), she’s sure that she sees the French Lieutenant in another taxi, going the opposite direction. But she doesn’t mention this to Barkley. He knows her, and tells her not to go sleuthing as usual. Naturally she does exactly that. ((Side note: Why did the spelling of his surname change in this book from ‘Barclay’ to ‘Barkley’?))
She pops out to grab a taxi to French government- and military archives to search their records for Philippe Moreau and Paul Moreau.
Bess learns that there is also a Paul Moreau listed in the French Army,
Bess even asks street vendors selling newspapers if they have any old ones that mention Philippe- and Paul Moreau. She finds several records and newspaper articles, including one concerning a boy who murdered his own family. This decade-old murder story is also a story about brothers and their mothers, the lengths a mother will go to for her child and the sins of a father visited upon the son.
Yank Captain Barkley is in Paris on a secret mission to rout out spies. When he sees Bess there, he once again feels compelled to “
. But stand him she must if she wants his help. Another American intelligence officer picks her brain, Major Vernon, and Bess manages to squeeze in the time to visit another nursing sister, this one a French nun in hospital as a patient—Marie-Luc Daucourt, or Sister Marie-Luc when she is wearing her nun’s habit.
Apparently nursing nuns—and The Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS)—weren’t the only female volunteer organizations in World War I. There were also aristocrats queueing up with suffragettes, we are told. Then there was the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) which was started by the Red Cross and the Order of St. John, “providing a range of care in Britain and finally in other theaters of the war.” One of the VADs (as Bess calls them), Millie, helps Bess in her room at
Sister Marie-Luc tells Bess and Captain Barkley in the car that the Belgian military first let men die rather than allow women to nurse them back to health—but finally came to their senses. The state of their field hospitals was abysmal, filthy beyond belief, lacking even basic supplies. Marie-Luc relates bitterly that the French government won’t allow nurses from religious orders even to volunteer—despite their experience—so she doesn’t wear her habit here.
When she is stabbed, the French gendarmerie takes the word of a witness that the attacker is the son of her friends, which is nonsense. Jerome is the shell-shocked son of the Breton restaurant owners. This is exactly what Bess fears will happen to her former patient Philippe—that he won’t stand a chance at getting justice if the French just want a scapegoat.
Bess knows that the French Army is still smarting over the escape of a soldier from a court martial, and is justifiably angry with Captain Barkley for telling Major Vernon—and French military intelligence!—about her former patient Philippe. So she tells both officers that they had better make sure the spy search does not turn into a witch hunt.
The astute Major Vernon, recuperating from shrapnel in his eye, tells Bess about the Germans’ new super-weapon called the Paris Gun. (Leave it to the Germans to be at the forefront of technological innovation, right?) He says “The French were always fairly certain that the Germans had a man in Paris who could assess damage, give the guns better coordinates, and monitor the effect that this weapon had on the civilian population.” ... and that the French suspect the spy could be Moreau.
The Yanks brought over the first x-ray machine to a military hospital. There was only one, so patients had to be transported to it—and travel in a war-torn country meant a jarring ride over crater-like ruts of hardened mud.
But what is his first name—Philippe, Paul, or Pierre? French Army Captain Broussard tells Bess that his records show only a Paul and a Pierre Moreau, Paul from Petit-Beauvais, a village north of Paris, and Pierre from a hamlet near Fontainebleau. He also says Moreau is not a typical name in Alsace-Lorraine, but should she and Captain Barkley believe him? They have no reason not to...for now.
This Bess novel has a different setting; it starts out at Bess’s field hospital, but shifts to Paris after she is wounded. (I’m revealing this more for myself, as a memory prompt, not to be a spoil-sport.) She was shot by a sniper who realized at the last minute that the body in shadows was a nurse, and jerked his rifle away so that she was only wounded, not killed. (What she and the doctor were doing out there was crazy; if the surgeon had been killed, the patients would have been in serious trouble.) Bess is stitched up, but she does not get better, so is transported to the Base Hospital in Rouen because they have an x-ray machine—the ONLY x-ray machine the Allies have, brought over by the Yanks.
Just getting there means more trauma—Bess experiences what it feels like to be jostled back and forth as the ambulance drives over crater-like ruts in the road... It’s excruciatingly painful. In Rouen they discover that a button chip from her uniform is lodged under the skin, so they must operate. Back at her field station, Bess’s mother surprises her (accompanied of course by Simon), a wonderful welcome treat for Bess.
As usual, the plot has plenty of twists and turns, a myriad in fact. I had to read the book twice to “untwist” the various threads. There are actually several different mysteries, but which are related, meaning that each must be solved in order to uncover the most important one—which is what? Read on to find out!
The first mystery is: Who is the nameless soldier who literally crawled to Bess’s field hospital in rags, with severely lacerated, bleeding feet? Starved, dehydrated, and fainting from blood loss, the nurses name him “Lieutenant X”. When he starts raving while unconscious, Bess hears him speak German, and tells Matron. She says he could still be native French if he’s from Alsace-Lorraine (ceded to Germany after the Franco-Prussian War in 1870), because citizens there usually speak both French and German (even though the Germans forbade French). He claims to be Lieutenant Philippe Moreau. The staff find him a spare (US Army) uniform, and he departs.
When Yank Captain Barkley shows up in Paris, he immediately begins to “manage” her, which the independent Bess can’t stand. As they share a taxi to her convalescent hospital, Hôtel de Belle-Île (a mansion-turned-hospital), she’s sure that she sees the French Lieutenant in another taxi, going the opposite direction. But she doesn’t mention this to Barkley. He knows her, and tells her not to go sleuthing as usual. Naturally she does exactly that. ((Side note: Why did the spelling of his surname change in this book from ‘Barclay’ to ‘Barkley’?))
She pops out to grab a taxi to French government- and military archives to search their records for Philippe Moreau and Paul Moreau.
Bess learns that there is also a Paul Moreau listed in the French Army,
Bess even asks street vendors selling newspapers if they have any old ones that mention Philippe- and Paul Moreau. She finds several records and newspaper articles, including one concerning a boy who murdered his own family. This decade-old murder story is also a story about brothers and their mothers, the lengths a mother will go to for her child and the sins of a father visited upon the son.
Yank Captain Barkley is in Paris on a secret mission to rout out spies. When he sees Bess there, he once again feels compelled to “
. But stand him she must if she wants his help. Another American intelligence officer picks her brain, Major Vernon, and Bess manages to squeeze in the time to visit another nursing sister, this one a French nun in hospital as a patient—Marie-Luc Daucourt, or Sister Marie-Luc when she is wearing her nun’s habit.
Apparently nursing nuns—and The Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS)—weren’t the only female volunteer organizations in World War I. There were also aristocrats queueing up with suffragettes, we are told. Then there was the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) which was started by the Red Cross and the Order of St. John, “providing a range of care in Britain and finally in other theaters of the war.” One of the VADs (as Bess calls them), Millie, helps Bess in her room at
Sister Marie-Luc tells Bess and Captain Barkley in the car that the Belgian military first let men die rather than allow women to nurse them back to health—but finally came to their senses. The state of their field hospitals was abysmal, filthy beyond belief, lacking even basic supplies. Marie-Luc relates bitterly that the French government won’t allow nurses from religious orders even to volunteer—despite their experience—so she doesn’t wear her habit here.
When she is stabbed, the French gendarmerie takes the word of a witness that the attacker is the son of her friends, which is nonsense. Jerome is the shell-shocked son of the Breton restaurant owners. This is exactly what Bess fears will happen to her former patient Philippe—that he won’t stand a chance at getting justice if the French just want a scapegoat.
Bess knows that the French Army is still smarting over the escape of a soldier from a court martial, and is justifiably angry with Captain Barkley for telling Major Vernon—and French military intelligence!—about her former patient Philippe. So she tells both officers that they had better make sure the spy search does not turn into a witch hunt.
The astute Major Vernon, recuperating from shrapnel in his eye, tells Bess about the Germans’ new super-weapon called the Paris Gun. (Leave it to the Germans to be at the forefront of technological innovation, right?) He says “The French were always fairly certain that the Germans had a man in Paris who could assess damage, give the guns better coordinates, and monitor the effect that this weapon had on the civilian population.” ... and that the French suspect the spy could be Moreau.
The Yanks brought over the first x-ray machine to a military hospital. There was only one, so patients had to be transported to it—and travel in a war-torn country meant a jarring ride over crater-like ruts of hardened mud.
But what is his first name—Philippe, Paul, or Pierre? French Army Captain Broussard tells Bess that his records show only a Paul and a Pierre Moreau, Paul from Petit-Beauvais, a village north of Paris, and Pierre from a hamlet near Fontainebleau. He also says Moreau is not a typical name in Alsace-Lorraine, but should she and Captain Barkley believe him? They have no reason not to...for now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2016
This was definitely the best of the bess Crawford series from these authors. It had so many twists and turns in it one almost needed a seat belt when following the plot. But it was great with a good cast of characters and a dilemma of surviving in the devastation of Europe during WWI. Bess is. Wounded at the front and sent to Paris to recuperate. While there she gets caught up in the mystery of one of the wounded soldiers she cared fr briefly and that is when the mystery begins. Who is he, where is he and what haunts him. She is helped along the way by various character, but not her usual aides. I admit I miss Simon in this book.
However, it was a good read, a very satisfying plot and a truthful portrayal of what war does to the people and places it touches. Bravo!
However, it was a good read, a very satisfying plot and a truthful portrayal of what war does to the people and places it touches. Bravo!
September 5, 2017
I have really enjoyed many of the Bess Crawford mysteries. I had trouble getting into this one but I won it in the giveaway and promised an honest review.
The story was promising as it began. There are so many side stories that seemed to be going nowhere that I became impatient, looking at the page number I was on and thinking, "C'mon I should be into this by now." I set it aside many times. Around page 100 or so there was finally some action and the story became more focused. I wanted to finish it and have the mystery solved.
I wish Bess showed the more lively personality that she did in earlier books. It felt so depressing, maybe I don't like war stories, but the surrounding characters were more interesting in other books. I felt that no one was interesting here.
The story was promising as it began. There are so many side stories that seemed to be going nowhere that I became impatient, looking at the page number I was on and thinking, "C'mon I should be into this by now." I set it aside many times. Around page 100 or so there was finally some action and the story became more focused. I wanted to finish it and have the mystery solved.
I wish Bess showed the more lively personality that she did in earlier books. It felt so depressing, maybe I don't like war stories, but the surrounding characters were more interesting in other books. I felt that no one was interesting here.
June 15, 2017
I'll admit. This was the first book in this series I read. I was fairly confused as to the plot at first, but picked it up down the line.
Sister Crawford - a medical nun in the military during 1918 whose dad is a famous person or something - spends this entire book looking for one person she helped who was under a tree... or something. That's the only connection I could find to the title anyways.
The first half of the book I honestly hated. The second half was alright. It kept my attention long enough for me to rate it 3 stars, but I wasn't overly impressed.
Sister Crawford - a medical nun in the military during 1918 whose dad is a famous person or something - spends this entire book looking for one person she helped who was under a tree... or something. That's the only connection I could find to the title anyways.
The first half of the book I honestly hated. The second half was alright. It kept my attention long enough for me to rate it 3 stars, but I wasn't overly impressed.
February 7, 2017
First book in the 'ABess Crawford' series i've read in quite some time . This book is a good WWI volume , with some interesting facts about that war if you choose to pursue them . I had never heard of the Trench of the Bayonets near Verdun , until I Googled it and was amazed . The Charles Todd books , in my opinion , always seem to drag out at the end , but , fortunately , not to the most obvious conclusion .
April 23, 2017
This is such an excellent series. The characters continue to grow and to intrigue (who is Simon, really? will Bess and Simon have a relationship when the war is over?) and the horrors of the first World War underscore the mysteries that Bess encounters along the way. I have enjoyed this series so much and I am delighted to hear that future plans include even more insight into the main characters in books yet to come. I will be watching for them! Highly recommended.
June 16, 2017
Don't know why I never wrote about this book. I have actually read it. The title for me represents the soldier just off the battlefield, worn, ragged, damaged. but standing tall. This has nothing to do with the actual story
As in most Charles Todd books, what I remember is loss and searching.... No brilliant satisfaction, but the grim determination to get to the bottom of the mystery. CT always an engaging read.
As in most Charles Todd books, what I remember is loss and searching.... No brilliant satisfaction, but the grim determination to get to the bottom of the mystery. CT always an engaging read.
May 29, 2019
Charles Todd's Bess Crawford series, featuring a WW I nurse, is first-rate and I read each book as it is released with great enthusiasm. However. It is now late October of 1918 in the story's timeline and Bess' career cannot be expected to go on much longer. Will Todd be able to move Bess from wartime to peacetime gracefully? Will he even try? On the edge of my seat waiting to find out.
June 15, 2017
Just get the whole series
I've loved the whole series. Several of them I've listened too from audible and loved these too. The story is captivating the characters so believable and the writing is intelligent and fun which doesn't always go hand in hand. Truly worth your time.
I've loved the whole series. Several of them I've listened too from audible and loved these too. The story is captivating the characters so believable and the writing is intelligent and fun which doesn't always go hand in hand. Truly worth your time.
October 14, 2020
This is the first book in the Bess Crawford series that I read so maybe if I started with book one instead of eight, I might have liked it better. I found it boring and confusing at times. It dragged on and on and on. While it was set during WWI and at times, the shelling was close, it did not add much to the story. I read it to the end but then wished I had not bothered.
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