Review by Booklist Review
Bess Crawford, a British battlefield nurse in WWI, keeps getting involved in murder mysteries. Here, in the sixth novel in the series, Bess is honored to be asked to accompany a wounded soldier to Buckingham Palace, where the soldier is supposed to receive an award. But the soldier vanishes, and Bess is accused of dereliction of duty, an accusation that Bess takes very seriously. When the missing man turns up, apparently having murdered someone, it isn't just her professional reputation Bess must save; it's her own life. The Crawford novels aren't quite as captivating as those in the mother-and-son writing team's better-known Inspector Ian Rutledge series, but perhaps it's not fair to compare them. The Crawford novels are lighter and less freighted with psychological and metaphysical overtones than the Rutledge books, and Bess clearly isn't intended to be as complex a protagonist as Rutledge is. Fans of the previous books in the Crawford series will enjoy this one.--Pitt, David Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Is Bess Crawford an accomplice to military desertion and murder? In her sixth outing (after A Question of Honor), the World War I nurse is in trouble with the army and the police, and facing the possibility of being terminated from the nursing service. On leave in London, Bess gets a surprise request to accompany a wounded soldier, Sergeant Wilkins, to a ceremony at Buckingham Palace to receive a medal for bravery from the king. Wilkins is in Bess's charge for the event and through the night. But when morning comes, Wilkins has vanished. Bess, already facing an inquiry into whether she knowingly or through negligence aided a deserter, learns that the soldier has killed a man and again disappeared. With her reputation on the line and a possible murderer on the loose, Bess has no time to waste. -VERDICT Todd's mystery is a puzzle that readers will enjoy trying to solve, but lead characters Bess and her friend Simon keep the pages turning. It is also very timely as people will doubtlessly be interested in World War I books since the centennial of the start of the war is this summer. Recommended for fans of cozies, historical fiction mysteries, and strong female sleuths. [See Prepub Alert, 2/10/14.]-Susan Moritz, Silver Spring, MD (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
