06/28/2021
Set in 1919, this subpar 12th Bess Crawford mystery (after Mary Higgins Clark Award–winner Todd’s 2019’s A Cruel Deception ) takes Bess, who served as a British army nurse during WWI, to Ireland to attend the wedding of Eileen Flynn, a nurse whose life she saved at the war’s start. Upon arriving in Eileen’s village, Bess discovers that her friend’s fiancé, Michael Sullivan, an Irishman who fought for England during the war, has disappeared, but it’s not clear who might have abducted him, or if he’s even still alive. Bess gets a mixed reception from the locals, many of whom are openly hostile to her as an Englishwoman and regard Michael’s choice to aid Britain as traitorous. The capable nurse ends up with a murder to solve as well. Todd (the pen name of mother-son team Caroline and Charles Todd) normally has a steady hand at creating solid characters, but doesn’t do so with the Irish who are seeking independence, and the whodunit is less gripping than usual. In addition, Bess acting as an amateur sleuth in peacetime makes it harder to suspend disbelief. Todd is capable of better. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, DeFiore and Co. (July)
"As usual, Todd mixes historical verisimilitude with exemplary character design and sharp plotting. Another fine entry in this popular series.
Booklist on A Cruel Deception
Terrific . . . A Cruel Deception shows that there are still plenty of stories left for Bess Crawford, and I cannot wait to see what happens next."
null Book Reporter on A Cruel Deception
"Bess is among the most compassionate and intelligent characters, whose observations on life and people are advanced for the era in which she lives.."
null The Sun-Sentinel (Florida)
"As always, the mother-son writing team of Charles Todd does a magnificent job with atmosphere and dialogue, all while keeping their good-hearted heroine one step (but only one) ahead of the bad guys .”
%COMM_CONTRIB%BookPage on A Cruel Deception
02/01/2021
World War I has ended, but after the 1916 Easter Rising tensions are still high in Ireland, where nurse Bess Crawford has traveled to be part of a friend's wedding party. She arrives to find the groom missing, and when the sea surrenders a dead body, partisan issues explode. With a 75,000-copy first printing.
2021-05-05 In 1919, a trip to a friend’s wedding reminds Bess Crawford once again that hatred doesn’t come to an end when war does.
On leave from Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service, Bess is free to travel to Ireland to serve as a bridesmaid for Eileen Flynn, another nurse whose leg she helped save from amputation. It’s clear that venturing across the Irish Sea will be anything but routine. Instead of taking trains and motorcars subject to hijacking by nationalist fanatics, Bess asks American pilot Capt. Arthur Jackson to fly her to tiny Killeighbeg, where all is in readiness except for the groom, Michael Sullivan, who’s presumably been abducted by members of the Rising in retaliation for his wartime service to the Crown. But Bess doesn’t need to venture outside Eileen’s home to find furious conflicts raging. Granny Flynn seems to hate Eileen, whose mother is Anglo-Irish, as much as she hates Bess, and Eileen’s cousin Terrence Flynn, a Rising star, suggests that the bride made her own bed when she chose an Englishwoman for her bridesmaid and her intended chose an English officer, Maj. Ellis Dawson, as his best man. Days after local painter Fergus Kennedy turns up coshed to death, Eileen decides to forge ahead with her preparations for the ceremony in case the groom happens to show up, and a half-dead Michael appears in a superb theatrical stroke that confounds plausibility and logic. No sooner has Bess packed him off to bed than Ellis Dawson disappears. It’s enough to make you wonder who the title refers to: Michael, Ellis, or Bess herself.
The mystery is peripheral to this worm's-eye view of the struggles that tore the Emerald Isle in two.
"So much happens within this complex plot, and there is a level of suspense throughout the book that readers of the previous 11 novels haven’t experienced. Those who are aware of the historical events that drive this story will find themselves torn between the sentiments of the British and Irish characters. An Irish Hostage is yet another triumph for Charles Todd and one of the most memorable additions to the series." — Book Reporter on An Irish Hostage
"The Crawford series has been consistently strong, each book as crisply written and suspenseful as the last." — Booklist on An Irish Hostage
“[A] fast-paced historical mystery…Bess demonstrates presence of mind under fire, strong nursing skill, and adept calls of judgment.” — New York Journal of Books on An Irish Hostage
“A captivating mystery of treachery and bravery during the post WWI Irish troubles!” — Fresh Fiction on An Irish Hostage
“Sensitive, beautifully written, disconcertingly familiar.” — Kirkus Reviews
“[Readers] are bound to be caught up in the adventures of Bess Crawford . . . While her sensibility is as crisp as her narrative voice, Bess is a compassionate nurse who responds with feeling.” — The New York Times Book Review
"Bess is among the most compassionate and intelligent characters, whose observations on life and people are advanced for the era in which she lives.." — The Sun-Sentinel (Florida)
“Intensely personal, as all great stories should be.” — Anne Perry, Internationally Bestselling Author
"As always, the mother-son writing team of Charles Todd does a magnificent job with atmosphere and dialogue, all while keeping their good-hearted heroine one step (but only one) ahead of the bad guys .” — BookPage on A Cruel Deception
“I love series that follow particular characters over time and through their experiences, so I automatically read the latest installments from . . . Charles Todd.” — Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Times Book Review
"As usual, Todd mixes historical verisimilitude with exemplary character design and sharp plotting. Another fine entry in this popular series.” — Booklist on A Cruel Deception
“Terrific . . . A Cruel Deception shows that there are still plenty of stories left for Bess Crawford, and I cannot wait to see what happens next." — Book Reporter on A Cruel Deception
“As with all other Bess Crawford mysteries, this one is historically accurate, entertainingly written, and thoroughly enjoyable.” — New York Journal of Books on A Cruel Deception
"The Crawford series has been consistently strong, each book as crisply written and suspenseful as the last."
Booklist on An Irish Hostage
[A] fast-paced historical mystery…Bess demonstrates presence of mind under fire, strong nursing skill, and adept calls of judgment.
New York Journal of Books on An Irish Hostage
A captivating mystery of treachery and bravery during the post WWI Irish troubles!
Fresh Fiction on An Irish Hostage
"As always, the mother-son writing team of Charles Todd does a magnificent job with atmosphere and dialogue, all while keeping their good-hearted heroine one step (but only one) ahead of the bad guys .
BookPage on A Cruel Deception
[Readers] are bound to be caught up in the adventures of Bess Crawford . . . While her sensibility is as crisp as her narrative voice, Bess is a compassionate nurse who responds with feeling.”
The New York Times Book Review
"So much happens within this complex plot, and there is a level of suspense throughout the book that readers of the previous 11 novels haven’t experienced. Those who are aware of the historical events that drive this story will find themselves torn between the sentiments of the British and Irish characters. An Irish Hostage is yet another triumph for Charles Todd and one of the most memorable additions to the series."
Book Reporter on An Irish Hostage
Intensely personal, as all great stories should be.
"Bess is among the most compassionate and intelligent characters, whose observations on life and people are advanced for the era in which she lives.."
The Sun-Sentinel (Florida)
I love series that follow particular characters over time and through their experiences, so I automatically read the latest installments from . . . Charles Todd.
As with all other Bess Crawford mysteries, this one is historically accurate, entertainingly written, and thoroughly enjoyable.”
New York Journal of Books on A Cruel Deception
Terrific . . . A Cruel Deception shows that there are still plenty of stories left for Bess Crawford, and I cannot wait to see what happens next."
Book Reporter on A Cruel Deception
Rosalyn Landor returns to narrate the 12th installment in this series featuring Bess Crawford, former WWI nurse. When Bess is invited to Ireland to stand up at her friend’s wedding, she wades into political upheaval taking place there—and then the groom disappears under mysterious circumstances. With a crisp upper-crust English accent, Landor remains true to the indomitable Bess, who is sharp-witted, kindhearted, and determined. Landor employs a soft lilt for many of the locals in the bride’s village. With skillful portrayals of colorful characters, especially the bride’s vitriolic grandmother and the local constable, Landor delivers an entertaining whodunit. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Rosalyn Landor returns to narrate the 12th installment in this series featuring Bess Crawford, former WWI nurse. When Bess is invited to Ireland to stand up at her friend’s wedding, she wades into political upheaval taking place there—and then the groom disappears under mysterious circumstances. With a crisp upper-crust English accent, Landor remains true to the indomitable Bess, who is sharp-witted, kindhearted, and determined. Landor employs a soft lilt for many of the locals in the bride’s village. With skillful portrayals of colorful characters, especially the bride’s vitriolic grandmother and the local constable, Landor delivers an entertaining whodunit. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine