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Bess Crawford #2
An Impartial Witness
It is early summer 1917. Bess Crawford has returned to England from the trenches of France with a convoy of severely wounded men. One of her patients is a young pilot who has been burned beyond recognition, and who clings to life and the photo of his wife pinned to his tunic.
While passing through a London train station, Bess notices a woman bidding an emotional farewell to an officer, her grief heart-wrenching. And then Bess realizes that she seems familiar. In fact, she's the woman in the pilot's photo, but the man she is seeing off is not her husband.
Back on duty in France, Bess discovers a newspaper with a drawing of the woman's face on the front page. Accompanying the drawing is a plea from Scotland Yard seeking information from anyone who has seen her. For it appears that the woman was murdered on the very day Bess encountered her at the station.
Granted leave to speak with Scotland Yard, Bess becomes entangled in the case. Though an arrest is made, she must delve into the depths of her very soul to decide if the police will hang an innocent man or a vicious killer. Exposing the truth is dangerous—and will put her own life on the line.
While passing through a London train station, Bess notices a woman bidding an emotional farewell to an officer, her grief heart-wrenching. And then Bess realizes that she seems familiar. In fact, she's the woman in the pilot's photo, but the man she is seeing off is not her husband.
Back on duty in France, Bess discovers a newspaper with a drawing of the woman's face on the front page. Accompanying the drawing is a plea from Scotland Yard seeking information from anyone who has seen her. For it appears that the woman was murdered on the very day Bess encountered her at the station.
Granted leave to speak with Scotland Yard, Bess becomes entangled in the case. Though an arrest is made, she must delve into the depths of her very soul to decide if the police will hang an innocent man or a vicious killer. Exposing the truth is dangerous—and will put her own life on the line.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 31, 2010
1088 people are currently reading
3457 people want to read
About the author
Charles Todd
112 books3,508 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 975 reviews
January 6, 2016
I'm having a little trouble with the conceit of this series. A young woman goes around asking questions that are none of her business of people, who are sometimes hostile to the investigation, who answer those questions even against their own interests. I don't recall that other mystery series I read centered around amateur sleuths have protagonists who are quite this confrontational. And it seems odd to me that in World War I, when supplies, especially petrol, would have been in short supply, that Bess Crawford can go haring around the country in her motorcar seemingly without a second thought. And that her parents and her father's retainer, I guess one would call him, disapprove and tut-tut but end up going along with whatever Bess wants, and if danger threatens, Simon will just lurk about and be prepared to swoop in to save the day. (I'm predicting that he will end up as the love interest, eventually.) And that she can barge into Scotland Yard at all hours and buttonhole an inspector to listen to the results of her information-gathering and her theories. It just doesn't seem credible, no matter how smart Bess is and even if she's right.
So far (which is a few chapters into the second book), I like this author's Ian Rutledge series much more.
So far (which is a few chapters into the second book), I like this author's Ian Rutledge series much more.
February 25, 2021
After reading most of the book, I found myself awarding four stars to An Impartial Witness. I thought soon after, that if the fate of Michael Hart is not written in the book, it will be a perfect score. Maybe that was a too weird ending to hope for, since one way or another, the reader must be shown some reward.
After what felt like a slew of indifferent books I've read, I welcome the quality of this book. Charles Todd are writers(mother and son) that decide correctly when to go into detail and when not to. Keeping the brevity of many a scene, I'm amazed that this book clocked in at over 300 pages. At least two writers exist who can relate to the economy of the descriptive. Details and their importance are part of the writer's craft, but they are used with too broad a brush, methinks.
The logistics of Bess Crawford, a nurse with a military family serving in World War 1; her travels to and fro from France to England, when and why she meets whom, all of this mean that she has not the luxury of time. Moreover she is doubly damned when a dear friend of hers awaits the gallows in a few days. These restrictions and the ever increasing frantic thoughts of our heroine duel incessantly, and Bess is nearer to nervous breakdown than in the first book.
Since Bess Crawford is not a detective, the way she is dismissed from people in authority may ring true with younger readers. This is one of the deft touches that make this book worth reading. Being seen as meddling, curious beyond courtesy, sharply clairvoyant, and not ignorable empowers her inch by inch. Just as the English army gains or surrenders yards of land in turn, so does Bess Crawford in her assumptions and guesses which hit the mark more often as the book nears its end.
The scene of Marjorie crying at the train station is one which appeals to our sense of compassion. What she has done may be wrong, but she is framed in that defining scene. It's that time capsule - hell after all this IS a historical mystery - which fuels Bess in her investigation. She repeats her being witness to that scene, to people she wants to question, with the regularity of government agents showing their credentials. Here is where the author ups the ante. A woman guilty of adultery is murdered. The reader must decide how they feel. In the end I agree with what Bess said, that Marjorie didn't invite this tragedy on herself.
Her last day on earth was rotten. There is something that is remarkable in this story. Marjorie Evanson falls for Jack Melton because - my intuition - the latter preyed on her loneliness. She shuns the ever more noble and handsomer Michael Hart for Jack. As a result she loses everything, and both Michael and Jack too lose their social and actual health. The murder and the attempted murder take their toll on the Harts family, Serena, who is Jack's wife, and there's also the inspector in charge of the investigation. All of them have their resources tapped to the point of taxation. If only Marjorie had acknowledged the love in the eyes of Michael. That's how real the characters were to me.
After what felt like a slew of indifferent books I've read, I welcome the quality of this book. Charles Todd are writers(mother and son) that decide correctly when to go into detail and when not to. Keeping the brevity of many a scene, I'm amazed that this book clocked in at over 300 pages. At least two writers exist who can relate to the economy of the descriptive. Details and their importance are part of the writer's craft, but they are used with too broad a brush, methinks.
The logistics of Bess Crawford, a nurse with a military family serving in World War 1; her travels to and fro from France to England, when and why she meets whom, all of this mean that she has not the luxury of time. Moreover she is doubly damned when a dear friend of hers awaits the gallows in a few days. These restrictions and the ever increasing frantic thoughts of our heroine duel incessantly, and Bess is nearer to nervous breakdown than in the first book.
Since Bess Crawford is not a detective, the way she is dismissed from people in authority may ring true with younger readers. This is one of the deft touches that make this book worth reading. Being seen as meddling, curious beyond courtesy, sharply clairvoyant, and not ignorable empowers her inch by inch. Just as the English army gains or surrenders yards of land in turn, so does Bess Crawford in her assumptions and guesses which hit the mark more often as the book nears its end.
The scene of Marjorie crying at the train station is one which appeals to our sense of compassion. What she has done may be wrong, but she is framed in that defining scene. It's that time capsule - hell after all this IS a historical mystery - which fuels Bess in her investigation. She repeats her being witness to that scene, to people she wants to question, with the regularity of government agents showing their credentials. Here is where the author ups the ante. A woman guilty of adultery is murdered. The reader must decide how they feel. In the end I agree with what Bess said, that Marjorie didn't invite this tragedy on herself.
Her last day on earth was rotten. There is something that is remarkable in this story. Marjorie Evanson falls for Jack Melton because - my intuition - the latter preyed on her loneliness. She shuns the ever more noble and handsomer Michael Hart for Jack. As a result she loses everything, and both Michael and Jack too lose their social and actual health. The murder and the attempted murder take their toll on the Harts family, Serena, who is Jack's wife, and there's also the inspector in charge of the investigation. All of them have their resources tapped to the point of taxation. If only Marjorie had acknowledged the love in the eyes of Michael. That's how real the characters were to me.
June 15, 2017
I think Bess and I are going to have to part ways. Mysteries were my first love starting with Nancy Drew then the Grande Dame of all, Agatha Christie, as well as Patricia Wentworth and more than a few American mystery writers: Elizabeth Peters, Margaret Maron, Louise Penny, Martha Grimes and the list goes on....
Unlike some contemporary fiction, with a mystery you have a beginning, a middle and an end as well as a resolution where justice is served. With Bess and her benign tolerance for victims and evil-doers alike I am missing the necessary outrage that murder is wrong, that the bad guy or bad guys will get their comeuppance. Even gentle Miss Marple wanted bad guys to pay.
Charles Todd's books are very well-written, and Rosalyn Landor's narration especially the women's voices is almost faultless, but the there are too many unpleasant characters getting away with too much.
4 stars for writing quality, background and ambience, but 2 stars for the mystery element.
Unlike some contemporary fiction, with a mystery you have a beginning, a middle and an end as well as a resolution where justice is served. With Bess and her benign tolerance for victims and evil-doers alike I am missing the necessary outrage that murder is wrong, that the bad guy or bad guys will get their comeuppance. Even gentle Miss Marple wanted bad guys to pay.
Charles Todd's books are very well-written, and Rosalyn Landor's narration especially the women's voices is almost faultless, but the there are too many unpleasant characters getting away with too much.
4 stars for writing quality, background and ambience, but 2 stars for the mystery element.
February 22, 2016
An Impartial Witness is the sequel to A duty to the Dead and I was eager to read this book since this series has become a favorite of mine.
It's the early summer of 1917 and Bess Crawford is returning home from the trenches of France with a convoy of wounded men. One of the patients is Lt. Meriwether Evanson, a pilot who has been burned beyond recognition and he clings to life much thanks to his wife Marjorie whose picture he has pinned to his tunic. But Bess notices a woman on a London train station that is bidding farewell to an officer and she recognizes the women. It's the pilots wife. But the man isn't her husband. She then discovers back on duty in France that the woman has been murdered and Scotland Yard is asking for information from anyone that saw her that day.
Bess informs the police about what she knows, but it's not enough information since she can describe the man the woman was with, but she doesn't know who he is and soon she starts her own inquiry to learn who killed Marjorie. But it's a frustrating case, and it seems that the killer may be getting away with murder and send an innocent man to the gallows.
I felt that this book was not as engrossing to read as the first book was, but it was still very good, but there were moments in the book when I felt that the pacing was a bit slow and I wanted the story to progress a little bit faster. Not that the story was bad, I mean there were several people in the book that could have been the murderer and it wasn't like I guessed right away who it was. I found the story picked up speed towards the end when a man that Bess had befriended was accused of murder and she had to fight to clear his name. Then, the story got more intense and I loved the ending.
I like Bess Crawford very much, she is a well-written character and I like the fact that even though everyone in the book seems to think that she has more than friendly feelings towards the accused man she is trying to save is she just his friend. Not that I wouldn't mind her finding some happiness (I have read A Pattern of Lie, the perfect man is out there for her she just has to see it), but she isn't a woman that is easily swept off her feet. And, that is something I like.
Thankfully the book had a strong beginning and ending and, despite me feeling that the story dragged here and there in the middle was it a good book and I wasn't sure in the end it would end happily.
It's the early summer of 1917 and Bess Crawford is returning home from the trenches of France with a convoy of wounded men. One of the patients is Lt. Meriwether Evanson, a pilot who has been burned beyond recognition and he clings to life much thanks to his wife Marjorie whose picture he has pinned to his tunic. But Bess notices a woman on a London train station that is bidding farewell to an officer and she recognizes the women. It's the pilots wife. But the man isn't her husband. She then discovers back on duty in France that the woman has been murdered and Scotland Yard is asking for information from anyone that saw her that day.
Bess informs the police about what she knows, but it's not enough information since she can describe the man the woman was with, but she doesn't know who he is and soon she starts her own inquiry to learn who killed Marjorie. But it's a frustrating case, and it seems that the killer may be getting away with murder and send an innocent man to the gallows.
I felt that this book was not as engrossing to read as the first book was, but it was still very good, but there were moments in the book when I felt that the pacing was a bit slow and I wanted the story to progress a little bit faster. Not that the story was bad, I mean there were several people in the book that could have been the murderer and it wasn't like I guessed right away who it was. I found the story picked up speed towards the end when a man that Bess had befriended was accused of murder and she had to fight to clear his name. Then, the story got more intense and I loved the ending.
I like Bess Crawford very much, she is a well-written character and I like the fact that even though everyone in the book seems to think that she has more than friendly feelings towards the accused man she is trying to save is she just his friend. Not that I wouldn't mind her finding some happiness (I have read A Pattern of Lie, the perfect man is out there for her she just has to see it), but she isn't a woman that is easily swept off her feet. And, that is something I like.
Thankfully the book had a strong beginning and ending and, despite me feeling that the story dragged here and there in the middle was it a good book and I wasn't sure in the end it would end happily.
February 28, 2020
I know I should be admiring Bess Crawford for her determination and perseverance in trying to prove a man innocent, but I have to say I found her intensely annoying! The mystery despite this was interesting and engaging. I find something very more-ish in the writing of the Charles Todd team.
December 27, 2011
I liked this one so much better than the first one - glad I went ahead and read it after my disappointment with the beginning of the series. With this story she sees a woman on a train platform crying and despondent while talking to a man that is not her husband. Bess knows this for she has been nursing the husband through injuries suffered in WWI. When the woman is murdered Bess does her duty and goes to the police to report what she's seen. I do find the reasons she gets involved in the investigation a litle to hard to believe but allowing for that she gets involved even though the Yard doesn't want her to. She pursues her own investigation and this time her theories are more shaped by the facts and less like the first book where the facts were shaped to fit her theories. There is established in this story a connection with the Ian Rutledge series with the introduction of a character related to both characters. Good story - good writing - and like her parents and her "guardian". And what's going on with that relationship?
March 22, 2022
Strong Plot
"The Impartial Witness" is a very good story with the usual twists and turns of a good mystery.
Best of all, it had a powerful female lead character which is unique in a WWI novel.
It keeps one hanging on until the very end.
I strongly recommend.
"The Impartial Witness" is a very good story with the usual twists and turns of a good mystery.
Best of all, it had a powerful female lead character which is unique in a WWI novel.
It keeps one hanging on until the very end.
I strongly recommend.
February 9, 2012
I started Maisie Dobbs, but the library I'm at the most doesn't have the second book. I remembered that Jess had recommended the Bess Crawford books recently, so I picked up the first one.
In general, I like historical mysteries, so these two had that going for them from the beginning. Also, I've been a bit passionate about WWI since high school, when we read the war poets.
The Bess Crawford books, so far, take place during the war rather than after it (as with Maisie Dobbs). This fact adds a sense of tension. In traditional mysteries, the detective saves one or more innocent suspects from wrongful accusation. Here, Bess might save them, but if they're in the Army, they'll be going back to France. There are no guarantees that anyone will survive. There are no guarantees that witnesses will still be alive when they're called on to give their testimony.
Although I want to evaluate each series on its own merits, it's almost impossible not to compare them. So far, I think I'm liking Bess a bit more. (I'm reading Birds of a Feather, the second Maisie Dobbs book, right now.) I'm finding that Bess's world makes more sense to me. I want to like Maisie, and I do like her character (spunky girl detective), but some of the details I have a hard time accepting. Bess is also interesting in that she doesn't set herself up to be a detective. This may mean that eventually I get annoyed with the way mysteries just fall into her lap, but for now I find it a bit refreshing.
This isn't to say that the series is without its confusing points. For instance, everyone seems to be going back and forth to France all the time. Now, this may actually be completely historically accurate (when I think about it, it seems quite likely), but an author's note or some other way of pointing to the historical record would ease my mind.
I'm also completely confused about Simon Brandon and his role. He's the Colonel's former batman and he's not in love with Bess's mother. That seems to be all we definitely know, besides the fact that he's clearly a major part of the Crawford household. So...is he in love with the Colonel? If so, the hint is WAY too subtle for me. Or is he meant to be a bit in love with Bess? A moment at the end of Impartial Witness kind of hints at that, but again, the hints are way too subtle. Hopefully this will get cleared up in future books.
Finally, I read the second book late at night and I was tired, so this may account for it to some extent, but I found that Bess's involvement and detection was so much less personal than in the first book. This makes sense, but at the same time, it lowered the stakes a bit and made it a tad less engaging.
All in all, though, these two books are excellent examples of historical mysteries, with the added suspense of the wartime setting (they remind me a bit of "Foyle's War" in that way).
Book source: public library
Book information: William Morrow (AHAHAHAHAHA)*, 2009 and 2010; adult historical mystery
* If you're confused.
In general, I like historical mysteries, so these two had that going for them from the beginning. Also, I've been a bit passionate about WWI since high school, when we read the war poets.
The Bess Crawford books, so far, take place during the war rather than after it (as with Maisie Dobbs). This fact adds a sense of tension. In traditional mysteries, the detective saves one or more innocent suspects from wrongful accusation. Here, Bess might save them, but if they're in the Army, they'll be going back to France. There are no guarantees that anyone will survive. There are no guarantees that witnesses will still be alive when they're called on to give their testimony.
Although I want to evaluate each series on its own merits, it's almost impossible not to compare them. So far, I think I'm liking Bess a bit more. (I'm reading Birds of a Feather, the second Maisie Dobbs book, right now.) I'm finding that Bess's world makes more sense to me. I want to like Maisie, and I do like her character (spunky girl detective), but some of the details I have a hard time accepting. Bess is also interesting in that she doesn't set herself up to be a detective. This may mean that eventually I get annoyed with the way mysteries just fall into her lap, but for now I find it a bit refreshing.
This isn't to say that the series is without its confusing points. For instance, everyone seems to be going back and forth to France all the time. Now, this may actually be completely historically accurate (when I think about it, it seems quite likely), but an author's note or some other way of pointing to the historical record would ease my mind.
I'm also completely confused about Simon Brandon and his role. He's the Colonel's former batman and he's not in love with Bess's mother. That seems to be all we definitely know, besides the fact that he's clearly a major part of the Crawford household. So...is he in love with the Colonel? If so, the hint is WAY too subtle for me. Or is he meant to be a bit in love with Bess? A moment at the end of Impartial Witness kind of hints at that, but again, the hints are way too subtle. Hopefully this will get cleared up in future books.
Finally, I read the second book late at night and I was tired, so this may account for it to some extent, but I found that Bess's involvement and detection was so much less personal than in the first book. This makes sense, but at the same time, it lowered the stakes a bit and made it a tad less engaging.
All in all, though, these two books are excellent examples of historical mysteries, with the added suspense of the wartime setting (they remind me a bit of "Foyle's War" in that way).
Book source: public library
Book information: William Morrow (AHAHAHAHAHA)*, 2009 and 2010; adult historical mystery
* If you're confused.
February 26, 2016
An Impartial Witness
3.5 Stars
Combat nurse Bess Crawford accompanies a convoy of wounded men home to England. While passing through a train station on her return to the front, she observes a young woman bidding a tearful farewell to a soldier and recognizes her as the wife of one of her patients. When the woman is later found murdered, Bess feels compelled to contact Scotland Yard and finds herself drawn into a convoluted case that may just end in the execution of an innocent man.
Although the pacing is slower that the first book and the villain is a little too obvious, the story is satisfying overall and the WWI setting is wonderful.
Bess is an amateur sleuth with a penchant for asking meddlesome questions and being an all-round busybody (reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple). One cannot help but identify with her need to seek justice for those who cannot do so themselves. That said, there are moments in which she could be more modern and forthright in her reactions to people as there are certainly characters in this book who could do with a good slap!
The mystery isn’t the strongest and the culprit and motive are easily determined once the facts of the case begin piling up. Nevertheless, Todd is very successful at capturing the social nuances of the times in terms of the small town hypocrisy and tendency toward jumping to conclusions as well as the condescending attitudes toward women.
Rosalyn Landor is a talented narrator and she does an excellent job with both the male and female characters. I look forward to listening to Bess’s next adventure in sleuthing.
3.5 Stars
Combat nurse Bess Crawford accompanies a convoy of wounded men home to England. While passing through a train station on her return to the front, she observes a young woman bidding a tearful farewell to a soldier and recognizes her as the wife of one of her patients. When the woman is later found murdered, Bess feels compelled to contact Scotland Yard and finds herself drawn into a convoluted case that may just end in the execution of an innocent man.
Although the pacing is slower that the first book and the villain is a little too obvious, the story is satisfying overall and the WWI setting is wonderful.
Bess is an amateur sleuth with a penchant for asking meddlesome questions and being an all-round busybody (reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple). One cannot help but identify with her need to seek justice for those who cannot do so themselves. That said, there are moments in which she could be more modern and forthright in her reactions to people as there are certainly characters in this book who could do with a good slap!
The mystery isn’t the strongest and the culprit and motive are easily determined once the facts of the case begin piling up. Nevertheless, Todd is very successful at capturing the social nuances of the times in terms of the small town hypocrisy and tendency toward jumping to conclusions as well as the condescending attitudes toward women.
Rosalyn Landor is a talented narrator and she does an excellent job with both the male and female characters. I look forward to listening to Bess’s next adventure in sleuthing.
July 7, 2012
I didn't like it, but i didn't hate it either, so I didn't feel able to give it a single star.
For me, the problem with this book is that I just didn't care. I didn't like any of the characters (to the extent that they're even developed), and I didn't care abut the plot, which had nothing new to offer. Bess is an arrogant brat: her interference is explained to the reader as an over-developed sense of duty (blamed on her military father), but for me it just comes across as arrogance. Bess "must" investigate again and prevent the conviction of an innocent man because apparently no one else (such as the police) is going to do anything about it. After all, there's a war on, you know.
That being said, I don't think comparisons of this series to Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series are quite fair. The Maisie Dobbs series(and the apparently under-appreciated Jade del Cameron series by Suzanne Arruda) takes place after the war, not during it. If anything, Bess - as an interfering amateur - is more like Miss Marple than Maisie. Not that I consider a comparison to Christie appropriate either!
Maisie Dobbs fans waiting for the next installment should try the Jade del Cameron series. Readers who want to know more about the front-line nursing experience during WWI can try Elsie and Mairi Go To War. I'm definitely done with this series.
For me, the problem with this book is that I just didn't care. I didn't like any of the characters (to the extent that they're even developed), and I didn't care abut the plot, which had nothing new to offer. Bess is an arrogant brat: her interference is explained to the reader as an over-developed sense of duty (blamed on her military father), but for me it just comes across as arrogance. Bess "must" investigate again and prevent the conviction of an innocent man because apparently no one else (such as the police) is going to do anything about it. After all, there's a war on, you know.
That being said, I don't think comparisons of this series to Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series are quite fair. The Maisie Dobbs series(and the apparently under-appreciated Jade del Cameron series by Suzanne Arruda) takes place after the war, not during it. If anything, Bess - as an interfering amateur - is more like Miss Marple than Maisie. Not that I consider a comparison to Christie appropriate either!
Maisie Dobbs fans waiting for the next installment should try the Jade del Cameron series. Readers who want to know more about the front-line nursing experience during WWI can try Elsie and Mairi Go To War. I'm definitely done with this series.
April 17, 2017
I really wanted to like this series but am giving up after only 2 books. It is not easy to put a finger on it, but there's definitely an ingredient missing.
The 2 stories I've read so far are rather formulaic but, most of all, I think my lassitude is because the characters are so flat. A heroine driven solely by a sense of duty, and becoming involved in murder investigations that have nothing to do with her (or only a very vague, contrived connection) is one thing. Quite another is the historical setting; a WVS nurse in WWI, serving in field hospitals just behind the front lines, would most certainly have neither the time nor the opportunity to solve crimes in England. I can't, therefore, understand how the authors could cook up such an unbelievable context.
Bess Crawford comes across as a nosy, bossy, whimsical busybody. Not at all endearing.
But perhaps that missing ingredient was the authors' lack of sociohistorical research. Take your pick!
The 2 stories I've read so far are rather formulaic but, most of all, I think my lassitude is because the characters are so flat. A heroine driven solely by a sense of duty, and becoming involved in murder investigations that have nothing to do with her (or only a very vague, contrived connection) is one thing. Quite another is the historical setting; a WVS nurse in WWI, serving in field hospitals just behind the front lines, would most certainly have neither the time nor the opportunity to solve crimes in England. I can't, therefore, understand how the authors could cook up such an unbelievable context.
Bess Crawford comes across as a nosy, bossy, whimsical busybody. Not at all endearing.
But perhaps that missing ingredient was the authors' lack of sociohistorical research. Take your pick!
April 3, 2016
Second in the Bess Crawford historical mystery series revolving around a battlefield nurse during World War I in 1917.
My Take
I found this one more believable than his first. I really like how well Todd conveys the feel of England in the first World War. He brings out the style and mores as well as the privation suffered by the English, although it has a softness to it. Although I am rather surprised at how much driving around Bess does when supposedly petrol is in short supply!
I'm also curious as to what might happen between Bess and Simon…it's a possibility. In the meantime, it's interesting to watch Bess detect within the culture of the time…and as she can get leave from her duties as a nursing sister on the Continent.
My Take
I found this one more believable than his first. I really like how well Todd conveys the feel of England in the first World War. He brings out the style and mores as well as the privation suffered by the English, although it has a softness to it. Although I am rather surprised at how much driving around Bess does when supposedly petrol is in short supply!
I'm also curious as to what might happen between Bess and Simon…it's a possibility. In the meantime, it's interesting to watch Bess detect within the culture of the time…and as she can get leave from her duties as a nursing sister on the Continent.
November 28, 2020
I like this series, review lost in Shelfari Import
December 17, 2012
Bess Crawford is a nursing sister in World War I and stationed in France. When the book begins it is the summer of 1917 and she is transporting wounded soldiers back to London. Amongst these soldiers is a burned pilot named Lt. Meriweather Evanson. Pinned to his lapel jacket is a photograph of his wife Marjorie Evanson. Bess is given a 36 hour pass in London before going back to France. At the train station she sees a woman saying goodbye to a soldier. This woman looks exactly like the woman in the photograph pinned to Lt. Evanson's lapel.When Bess is back in France she sees a newspaper with an article about Marjorie Evanson's murder. Bess had seen her only hours before her death when they were at the train station. Bess already felt an attachment to Lt. Evanson, and feels drawn to help find the murderer.
Although I liked this book, I did not enjoy it as well as A Duty to the Dead or A Bitter Truth.
I have also decided I like the inspector Ian Rutledge books a bit better. His character is more driven, enticing, and a bit quirky (I like quirkiness.)
Why did I not enjoy this book as well as the others? From the first page of the story it did not sweep me away. The pace or order of events, or maybe the characters just dragged.
I love books with the environment of England. The rainy dreary summer weather in England is a break from the hot dry days of summertime in Texas.
There was more dialogue and character presence in France in this book. The expectation of bombing or enemy troop advancement, was talked about by Bess and the other nursing sisters. Their living conditions in tents were described. When the bombs fell nearby various objects in their room fell, or was destroyed. The nervous tension of the nursing sisters is presented by them as stoic, yet I know they must have been reeling with the chaotic and stressful duty of being on the frontline of war.
Although I liked this book, I did not enjoy it as well as A Duty to the Dead or A Bitter Truth.
I have also decided I like the inspector Ian Rutledge books a bit better. His character is more driven, enticing, and a bit quirky (I like quirkiness.)
Why did I not enjoy this book as well as the others? From the first page of the story it did not sweep me away. The pace or order of events, or maybe the characters just dragged.
I love books with the environment of England. The rainy dreary summer weather in England is a break from the hot dry days of summertime in Texas.
There was more dialogue and character presence in France in this book. The expectation of bombing or enemy troop advancement, was talked about by Bess and the other nursing sisters. Their living conditions in tents were described. When the bombs fell nearby various objects in their room fell, or was destroyed. The nervous tension of the nursing sisters is presented by them as stoic, yet I know they must have been reeling with the chaotic and stressful duty of being on the frontline of war.
May 10, 2016
I've been on a historical-ish kick for the past few weeks and every non-historical book hasn't clicked the best with me. But now, I feel as if I can go back to contemporary books! This book was a very good sophomore in what seems to be an excellent series.
I loved the MC, Bess, she was everything I look for in a MC. I also liked that the author(s) featured more of Simon in this book. He's extremely mysterious and I'd love to learn more about him! Her parents were also wonderful. They gave her so much liberty for the timeperiod she was in; it was refreshing.
The mystery was excellent. I absolutely did not see that ending coming and the killer simply blew me away. The only real problem I had with this book was the fact that it was in a different (for the most part) setting and featured an almost entirely new cast of characters from the first book. I typically don't like that in books, however the authors managed to pull it off here.
Overall a very solid, exciting book. I will most certainly be reading the next one!
I loved the MC, Bess, she was everything I look for in a MC. I also liked that the author(s) featured more of Simon in this book. He's extremely mysterious and I'd love to learn more about him! Her parents were also wonderful. They gave her so much liberty for the timeperiod she was in; it was refreshing.
The mystery was excellent. I absolutely did not see that ending coming and the killer simply blew me away. The only real problem I had with this book was the fact that it was in a different (for the most part) setting and featured an almost entirely new cast of characters from the first book. I typically don't like that in books, however the authors managed to pull it off here.
Overall a very solid, exciting book. I will most certainly be reading the next one!
April 8, 2020
3.5. I think that wanting justice to be served is a good trait, but Bess Crawford seems to ignore all other considerations in her desire for the truth. She is lucky that she has a family and friends who are willing to put up with her dogged determination and bull-headedness.
October 16, 2015
Actually about a 3.5.
November 23, 2020
4+ stars
I’m enjoying this WWI mystery series for the just-enough levels of complexity, character interest, and interesting time and place.
I’m enjoying this WWI mystery series for the just-enough levels of complexity, character interest, and interesting time and place.
Read
September 4, 2020Thoroughly enjoyed this twisty-turny mystery. I love that there were so many suspects that totally could have done it, with convincing motives and opportunities. Great characters and smart writing. Audiobook version was excellent.
March 8, 2011
I've been reading a fair amount about World War I in the past several months, everything from All Quiet on the Western Front to John Keegan's The First World War (which I'm finding slow going and haven't finished yet). I've also watched some films such as A Farewell to Arms (with Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes) and Passchendaele, and of course I've continued to read some of the mysteries set in WWI and its aftermath, by authors such as Jacqueline Winspear, Carola Dunn, Anne Perry, and not least, the mother-son team known as Charles Todd. I've continued to read their Inspector Rutledge series although I'm getting a bit tired of Hamish; but I find myself really looking forward to the next entry in their new Bess Crawford series. Bess, a Colonel's daughter, is a nurse in France for the British Army. Since one of the few World War I veterans I've knowingly met served as a nurse, Bess's war experiences have a special resonance for me. The Todds have made her strong character believable through their descriptions of her childhood and her family, and they also do well in describing the changes wrought by war in England.
I won't attempt to encapsulate the plot, which has a lot of twists and turns. I would recommend this mystery to anyone who likes historical mysteries with strong female protagonists, and who enjoys characters with some depth.
I won't attempt to encapsulate the plot, which has a lot of twists and turns. I would recommend this mystery to anyone who likes historical mysteries with strong female protagonists, and who enjoys characters with some depth.
March 3, 2018
I thought I'd met a new favorite series when I read the first book of the series and found it enjoyable. However, this one didn't quite match up. The setup is similar. Bess, a field nurse during WWI, escorts a young burn victim back to England. Said burn victim is very much in love with his wife, and he carries his wife's picture around with him like a talisman. (Also, it's strangely unburned, when we're repeatedly told he keeps it pinned somewhere in his clothing). However, when Bess gets off the train to get to her London flat, she sees the same lady crying and moaning over another soldier departing perhaps to the war. Bess feels a little bad for her patient, but doesn't make too much of it until she finds out that the lady was murdered that very day.
So, Bess goes haring off to assist the Scotland Yard in their pursuit for the murderer. I was working on a craft project while listening to the book, and in that respect, it wasn't a bad book to pass the time. But more things bothered me than it did in the first book. In the first, Bess feels such a strong feeling towards justice because she was sweet on the man who had entrusted his secret to her. And then she was forced, practically, at gun point. Here, she's actually not all that involved, she's just exceedingly nosy. And just how many days did she spend on leave? If they needed all the nurses they could get, and the British were scared of losing the war, I can't believe the number of days she spent on leave.
Bess' father is retired army. So is his sidekick. They have innumerable connections, and I actually didn't have a problem with Bess using these connections to find out more about the mysteries. But it kind of turned my stomach when I read, in this book, of Bess obtaining more leave and getting mail faster than anyone else because of whom her father and Simon knew. She also uses her car way too much, but how? What about fuel rationing? They had trouble finding stuff to eat. Wartime tightening of belts is described very nicely in the first book, and in the second it's ignored when it makes sense for the plot to ignore it. Why? The war has only progressed.
Eh. Worse still, I cared for what became of Peregrine Graham in the first book, I cared nothing at all for the self pitying Michael Hart of this book. No matter how often I'm told how exceedingly handsome he is. I can only see his stupidity. I'll still continue the series, I continue stuff that are worse. But, it's bugging to me how Bess can do so many things that don't involve nursing, when nurses were so sorely needed. It's just coming off as bratty.
So, Bess goes haring off to assist the Scotland Yard in their pursuit for the murderer. I was working on a craft project while listening to the book, and in that respect, it wasn't a bad book to pass the time. But more things bothered me than it did in the first book. In the first, Bess feels such a strong feeling towards justice because she was sweet on the man who had entrusted his secret to her. And then she was forced, practically, at gun point. Here, she's actually not all that involved, she's just exceedingly nosy. And just how many days did she spend on leave? If they needed all the nurses they could get, and the British were scared of losing the war, I can't believe the number of days she spent on leave.
Bess' father is retired army. So is his sidekick. They have innumerable connections, and I actually didn't have a problem with Bess using these connections to find out more about the mysteries. But it kind of turned my stomach when I read, in this book, of Bess obtaining more leave and getting mail faster than anyone else because of whom her father and Simon knew. She also uses her car way too much, but how? What about fuel rationing? They had trouble finding stuff to eat. Wartime tightening of belts is described very nicely in the first book, and in the second it's ignored when it makes sense for the plot to ignore it. Why? The war has only progressed.
Eh. Worse still, I cared for what became of Peregrine Graham in the first book, I cared nothing at all for the self pitying Michael Hart of this book. No matter how often I'm told how exceedingly handsome he is. I can only see his stupidity. I'll still continue the series, I continue stuff that are worse. But, it's bugging to me how Bess can do so many things that don't involve nursing, when nurses were so sorely needed. It's just coming off as bratty.
February 17, 2018
Emocionāli ievelkoši. Šoreiz bija grūtāk uzminēt potenciālos vainīgos. Ar steigu jāmeklē turpinājums.
April 13, 2020
A somewhat disappointing read compared to the first Bess Crawford mystery.
Bess' obsession with a soap-opera type cast of characters in the midst of the devastation of World War I somehow rang hollow for me. With bodies piling up in the trenches of France, Bess somehow gallivants back to London every week to interview potential lovers of a girl she saw for 15 seconds on a train station. Still readable, but very unconvincing.
Bess' obsession with a soap-opera type cast of characters in the midst of the devastation of World War I somehow rang hollow for me. With bodies piling up in the trenches of France, Bess somehow gallivants back to London every week to interview potential lovers of a girl she saw for 15 seconds on a train station. Still readable, but very unconvincing.
September 8, 2010
First Sentence: As my train pulled into London, I looked out at the early summer rain and was glad to see the dreary day had followed me from Hampshire.
WWI battlefield nurse Bess Crawford cared for a badly burned young pilot who had a picture of his wife visibly displayed. In a train station traveling on leave back to London, Bess happens to see the wife who is clearly upset as she sees off a different soldier. Although somewhat perplexed by the scene, it is nothing to the shock Bess feels when a drawing of the woman appears in the next day’s paper with Scotland Yard asking whether someone can identify her. Bess learns the woman had been murdered and shortly after, the burned husband commits suicide. Bess feels it is her responsible to find out what had happened.
This is the 2nd book in this new series by the Todd’s and I much preferred it to the first book.
Their voice for Bess is much better and she’s a stronger character. The sense of chaos and fatigue from being in combat is well conveyed, but with a sense of detachment I feel one would acquire after time. The contrast between the battlefield and being in London, particularly attending the house party, is very effective. I like that Bess doesn’t jump to conclusions but gathers the evidence bit-by-bit and over time.
The plot was well constructed and the reason for Bess being involved was justifiable. Although I understood Beth’s distance from the events, it did all feel a bit too distant as a reader; I was never emotionally connected to the story.
While I never considered not finishing the book, for me it wasn’t a gripping straight-through read either. That said, Todd is an excellent writer and I always look forward to the next book.
AN IMPARTIAL WITNESS (Ama Sleu-Bess Crawford-England/France-1917/WWI) – G+
Todd, Charles – 2nd in series
HarperCollins, ©2010, ARC – Hardcover ISBN: 9780061791789
WWI battlefield nurse Bess Crawford cared for a badly burned young pilot who had a picture of his wife visibly displayed. In a train station traveling on leave back to London, Bess happens to see the wife who is clearly upset as she sees off a different soldier. Although somewhat perplexed by the scene, it is nothing to the shock Bess feels when a drawing of the woman appears in the next day’s paper with Scotland Yard asking whether someone can identify her. Bess learns the woman had been murdered and shortly after, the burned husband commits suicide. Bess feels it is her responsible to find out what had happened.
This is the 2nd book in this new series by the Todd’s and I much preferred it to the first book.
Their voice for Bess is much better and she’s a stronger character. The sense of chaos and fatigue from being in combat is well conveyed, but with a sense of detachment I feel one would acquire after time. The contrast between the battlefield and being in London, particularly attending the house party, is very effective. I like that Bess doesn’t jump to conclusions but gathers the evidence bit-by-bit and over time.
The plot was well constructed and the reason for Bess being involved was justifiable. Although I understood Beth’s distance from the events, it did all feel a bit too distant as a reader; I was never emotionally connected to the story.
While I never considered not finishing the book, for me it wasn’t a gripping straight-through read either. That said, Todd is an excellent writer and I always look forward to the next book.
AN IMPARTIAL WITNESS (Ama Sleu-Bess Crawford-England/France-1917/WWI) – G+
Todd, Charles – 2nd in series
HarperCollins, ©2010, ARC – Hardcover ISBN: 9780061791789
March 16, 2011
World War I nurse Bess Crawford is back in England, doggedly figuring out who murdered the wife of one of her badly-injured patients. Spending less time in France on the battlefield and more time with those remaining at home, this second-in-the-series novel evolves into the gentle form of the classic English murder mystery.
Among the intriguing continuing bits in the series are the references to the Crawford family's time spent in India. Please take Bess back there in a future book. Her father's friend, Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon, has a greatly increased role. I'm looking forward to learning the rest of his story. Also, a fun item of trivia in this novel was that actress Gladys Cooper was the favorite pin-up girl of British troops in World War I. Come to find out, she later had significant roles in films Rebecca and My Fair Lady. Continuing the World War I theme of the Bess Crawford novels, I'm looking forward to watching Gladys acting with Irene Dunne in The White Cliffs of Dover and then see her award-nominated performance with Bette Davis in Now, Voyager.
Among the intriguing continuing bits in the series are the references to the Crawford family's time spent in India. Please take Bess back there in a future book. Her father's friend, Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon, has a greatly increased role. I'm looking forward to learning the rest of his story. Also, a fun item of trivia in this novel was that actress Gladys Cooper was the favorite pin-up girl of British troops in World War I. Come to find out, she later had significant roles in films Rebecca and My Fair Lady. Continuing the World War I theme of the Bess Crawford novels, I'm looking forward to watching Gladys acting with Irene Dunne in The White Cliffs of Dover and then see her award-nominated performance with Bette Davis in Now, Voyager.
May 2, 2014
I liked this book even better than the first one in the series. Set in the early 1900s, this is such a different murder mystery experience than my usual reads. There are no fingerprints to test, ballistics to match, and of course no DNA evidence. There are also much looser roles for the cops and the rules we know about sharing confidential information are thrown completely out the window. It's all about who you know and your status that opens doors and loosens lips. Bess reminds me a bit of my mom in that people tend to tell her everything! Probably partially because of her position as a nurse and partially because she is a good listener, people just open up to her and she becomes emotionally attached to them all. Yup, just like my mom. I've grown to really enjoy Bess's character and the setting of wartime England. I will continue on these adventures with Bess gladly.
May 24, 2015
Not very compelling story. Bess Crawford, army nurse, runs around asking intrusive questions and annoying Scotland Yard. Why does anyone even answer her questions? How does she get so much time off from being a nurse on the front in France? Nothing much happens although there are several deaths. Pretty boring...
January 28, 2022
I'm hooked on this series now thanks to audible plus! Bess makes for an admirable heroine -- and tenacious sleuth! And the WWI nursing angle brings extra drama and depth to the story. Love the desperate edge to the mystery and the complexities in characterization and plot. Riveting read all the way through...though I actually listened to the compelling narration by Rosalyn Landor.
October 3, 2016
Very well done. Rosalyn Landor narrated beautifully. The perfect stand-alone novel, in a series about a nurse, in the middle of WW1, embroiled in a murder mystery.
July 15, 2018
Set in 1917 between France and England, “Impartial Witness” opens when Bess Crawford returning to the front lines notices a woman sobbing at the train station and holding on to the arm of a man who shows her nothing but cold contempt. Returning to England weeks later with a convoy of wounded soldiers, one a severely burned pilot with the picture of his wife pinned to his tunic, she discovers that the woman she saw at the station has been murdered. After giving a statement to a Scotland Yard Inspector, Bess quickly becomes swept up in the case after the suicide of Marjorie Evanson's husband and the imprisonment of a man she suspects is innocent.
Set against the bloodshed and violence that follows the nurses and doctors struggling to save lives near the front lines in France during WW1, the story is told from the viewpoint of Sister Bess Crawford, a compassionate and caring nurse whose concern for her badly burned patient Lieutenant Evanson sparks her search for the truth behind his wife’s murder after his suicide. In an intriguing murder-mystery with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat, Bess with the help of her friend Sergeant Major Simon Brandon uncover clues and a host of suspects that include a cold, calculating and vengeful sister, the Lieutenant’s sister, and the man who never stopped loving Marjorie Evanson.
The plot builds quickly when its discovered Marjorie was pregnant, one of her friends is assaulted, and the provisos of her father’s will come to light. Well-developed, and gripping the story flows quickly and smoothly to a plausible ending and the promise of further sleuthing adventures in other novels in the Bess Crawford series.
Sister Bess Crawford is a strong, compelling character whose empathetic and listening nature sparks her emotional attachment to her patients. Doggedly determined and keenly perceptive she quickly uncovers secrets that may have led to the murder. Sergeant Major Simon Brandon is her stoic, astute and protective friend who watches her back especially when her investigation puts her life in danger. It is these personalities and others that bring the plot to life, making it a captivating murder - mystery.
Although not my favorite book in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed “Impartial Witness” and intend to look for Bess Crawford's next adventure.
Set against the bloodshed and violence that follows the nurses and doctors struggling to save lives near the front lines in France during WW1, the story is told from the viewpoint of Sister Bess Crawford, a compassionate and caring nurse whose concern for her badly burned patient Lieutenant Evanson sparks her search for the truth behind his wife’s murder after his suicide. In an intriguing murder-mystery with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat, Bess with the help of her friend Sergeant Major Simon Brandon uncover clues and a host of suspects that include a cold, calculating and vengeful sister, the Lieutenant’s sister, and the man who never stopped loving Marjorie Evanson.
The plot builds quickly when its discovered Marjorie was pregnant, one of her friends is assaulted, and the provisos of her father’s will come to light. Well-developed, and gripping the story flows quickly and smoothly to a plausible ending and the promise of further sleuthing adventures in other novels in the Bess Crawford series.
Sister Bess Crawford is a strong, compelling character whose empathetic and listening nature sparks her emotional attachment to her patients. Doggedly determined and keenly perceptive she quickly uncovers secrets that may have led to the murder. Sergeant Major Simon Brandon is her stoic, astute and protective friend who watches her back especially when her investigation puts her life in danger. It is these personalities and others that bring the plot to life, making it a captivating murder - mystery.
Although not my favorite book in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed “Impartial Witness” and intend to look for Bess Crawford's next adventure.
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