⋙ Download A Pattern of Lies A Bess Crawford Mystery Bess Crawford Mysteries Charles Todd 9780062386243 Books

A Pattern of Lies A Bess Crawford Mystery Bess Crawford Mysteries Charles Todd 9780062386243 Books

Download As PDF : A Pattern of Lies A Bess Crawford Mystery Bess Crawford Mysteries Charles Todd 9780062386243 Books

A Pattern of Lies A Bess Crawford Mystery Bess Crawford Mysteries Charles Todd 9780062386243 Books

This is another book in this series about Bess, a British woman who serves as a Nurse Sister, largely on the French front of World War I. As this book begins, Bess is caring for seriously injured soldiers as they are shipped back to Canterbury, England; after she checks her patients in at the local hospital, she discovers that the train that was to take her to London is seriously delayed. Luckily, she runs into an ex-patient who invites her to his family home.
There, unfortunately, she discovers that the Major’s dad is in serious trouble. Almost everyone in the small town blames him for a combination explosion and fire that killed the entire staff of the mill where they made explosives.
Bess becomes involved in the mystery of who is spreading dangerous lies, and her investigation leads her back and forth between England and France.
The Todds know how to write solid books, with interesting bits of history and fine descriptions of the scenes. And their characterization is detailed, and the plots are complex and fun to read. That’s why I think this book is a strong 3 or perhaps a 4. But I know the major characters (from the previous books), and they do not evolve much from book to book. And it’s really hard to see the hints of romance dribbled here and there, but they don’t go anywhere. And that’s why it’s not a 4.


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A Pattern of Lies A Bess Crawford Mystery Bess Crawford Mysteries Charles Todd 9780062386243 Books Reviews

I have very mixed feelings about the Bess Crawford mysteries, of which I've now read 5. They are well-plotted and well written and generally quite engrossing--and this one is no exception. On the other hand, Bess is start to seem increasingly like a "Mary Sue," great nurse, great detective, attractive to every many who meets her, speaker of multiple languages (Urdu!!! HIndi!!!), great shot--the list goes on and on. Add to that, the weird classicism and imperialism that pervades every novel and I find myself feeling guilty for reading these novels. To be sure, the stories are told from Bess' point of view so perhaps it is not surprising that she reflects the prejudices of the British gentry and the imperialism of the time, but every time she tells us how the Indians just loved her father "colonel sahib" I feel like throwing up. If Bess is as smart and observant as we are told she is, wouldn't she be a little more self-aware? And then there is Simon (the male equivalent of a "Mary Sue"), Bess' unacknowledged love interest, who seems to always to take time from spying behind German lines to help her solve her latest case.

The mother and son duo who write the novels are skilled writers but I think they need a dose of social consciousness. Their ruminations about the Great War and its human costs are spot on, but what about the rest of the story?
A historical World War One Novel. The background is set in Kent, England and aid stations and hospitals in France. The trains are delayed in Kent and Bess Crawford meets up with Mark Ashton whom she nurses in France. He invites to spend the night with the family. She learns that the gunpowder factory nearby had exploded and killed 100 men and many businesses and homes were damaged in the explosion. Almost every resident has lost a loved one in the disaster. Two years LIES are being circulated about Mark's father, Philip Aston. The only person who witnessed is fighting in France and refused to testify to what that morning. Bess tried to find the witness in France. Is she successful?
Bess Crawford is a very good nurse who always seems to have the devil's own luck in getting assigned to transport wounded men back to England so she can then go haring around the countryside to solve mysteries. Since A Pattern of Lies is one of the best books in this series, I don't mind a bit.

There is a great deal of suspense and lots of suspects in this mystery, but if you follow the tiny, carefully planted clues the writing team known as Charles Todd gives us, you will come to the solution before you're formally told. That didn't bother me much either. Why? Because the authors do a splendid job of showing us how easily people are deceived by lies, and to what lengths they'll go when they're determined to believe those lies. Not that that would have any connotations to the present day.... This entire scenario that Bess innocently wanders into fascinated me, and I was as equally interested in finding out what would be done to the Ashtons next as I was in identifying the person responsible for it all.

If you're in the mood for something similar to Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs mysteries, something with a solid historical background and a strong central character, I suggest that you become acquainted with Bess Crawford. I've enjoyed my journey with Bess, and I think you will, too. In this book, World War I is almost at an end, and I'm very interested in seeing what Sister Crawford does next.
I was so happy to receive this book from my order yesterday. I finished it early this morning. It was that good. Sometimes I wish I didn't hurry through such good books and would savor them just a little bit more. Bess is a wonderful character and makes this era so real to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series very much. I would have liked a little bit more of Simon in this book but maybe he will be around a little more in the next one. (Hint, hint, Charles Todd). I love reading about all of the parts of England that Bess visits and I love reading about the various life styles. I have become very interested in this part of history and feel that I have learned a lot from this series. I had never realized how absolutely brutal World War I was until reading Charles Todd's books. It seems beneficial to me to read a book that I like so much and learn some history, too, as I read. This is definitely a series that is well worth reading. It also gives me a whole lot to think about at a later date. I am looking forward already to the next Bess book.
This is another book in this series about Bess, a British woman who serves as a Nurse Sister, largely on the French front of World War I. As this book begins, Bess is caring for seriously injured soldiers as they are shipped back to Canterbury, England; after she checks her patients in at the local hospital, she discovers that the train that was to take her to London is seriously delayed. Luckily, she runs into an ex-patient who invites her to his family home.
There, unfortunately, she discovers that the Major’s dad is in serious trouble. Almost everyone in the small town blames him for a combination explosion and fire that killed the entire staff of the mill where they made explosives.
Bess becomes involved in the mystery of who is spreading dangerous lies, and her investigation leads her back and forth between England and France.
The Todds know how to write solid books, with interesting bits of history and fine descriptions of the scenes. And their characterization is detailed, and the plots are complex and fun to read. That’s why I think this book is a strong 3 or perhaps a 4. But I know the major characters (from the previous books), and they do not evolve much from book to book. And it’s really hard to see the hints of romance dribbled here and there, but they don’t go anywhere. And that’s why it’s not a 4.