A Pattern of Lies
4 Stars

When her train is delayed in Kent, WWI nurse Bess Crawford has a random encounter with a former patient and stumbles into a mystery. Someone is spreading malicious lies about Major Philip Ashton's family, and Bess is determined to get to the bottom of it when the vicious rumors turn deadly.

Better than the previous installment, but it always amazes me that so many people allow Bess to meddle in their business, not to mention the fact that she is consistently able to uncover details about particular soldiers in the trenches of WWI.

Nonetheless, the mystery in this one is quite compelling as it demonstrates the destructive nature of rumor and inuendo. It is very distrubing that people are so eager to believe terrible lies about their friends and neighbors in the face of virtually no evidence at all. As Mark Twain once said: "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."

One aspect of the series that could be improved is the development of Bess's character as well as her relationship with Simon Brandon. The Todd's really need to get the action going more in these directions.



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I hoped I would like this book, I had no idea how much I would come to love it. It's not always easy to start a series with the latest book instead of with the first, but this one was easy to get into.

Bess Crawford is a nurse during WW1 and she spends a lot of time in France tending to the wounded soldiers and that is how she got to know Mark Ashton. Now, later on, she runs into him again, this time in England where he is visiting his family before getting back to France. She learns that his family is having a troublesome time. Some time before the Ashton Gunpowder Mill in Kent exploded and killed over a hundred men and even though it was judged to be a tragedy are there a lot of rumors in the village that Mark's father Philip is behind the explosion. Someone is feeding the people in the village with wicked rumors and Bess witness herself how the people treat the Ashton. Who is behind the rumors and why is the person hell-bent on ruining the Ashton?

It didn't take me long to get swept into the story in this book. Then again a well written historical fiction is something I always love to read, especially one with a mystery involved. Bess (Not Mary, for some reason I try to write Mary Crawford, but I think that's because she reminds me of Mary Russell from the Laurie R. King series) Crawford is not an amateur sleuth, she is a nurse, home on a leave and soon back to France and that is why she gets involved with Ashton case, partly because she saw how the Ashton was treated and her witness Philip Ashton getting arrested, but also because the only witness is in France fighting and she is the one that can try to get to him to get Philip Ashton free. But nothing is that easy and trusts me sometimes the book is really nerve-racking to read.

One thing I truly enjoyed reading this book was that there was no romance between Mary Bess and any of the male characters. That was refreshing, sometimes I feel that romance takes up a too large role in books and it sometimes gets in the way of the story or it gets too cheesy. But I do admit that even though there is no romance have I started to ship her with Sergeant Lassiter, the wonderful Aussie she turns to in France for help to finding the witness. He is flirtatious and I have completely lost my heart to him (Just think Hugh Jackman in a WW1 uniform) and I hope to God if in the future Bess do find a sweetheart it will be him.

I recommend this book warmly to anyone that wants to read a really good historical fiction; you can read this book without having read any book before.

I received this copy from William Morrow through Edelweiss in return for an honest review! Thank you! ( )

Autumn 1918 and Bess Crawford is on leave for a few days. While waiting for a train she meets ex-patient Major Ashton who invites her to stay at the family home in Cranbourne. Onlyto become embroiled in their troubles. Lies are circulating the area which if true or believed will result in the death of one of the family.
An enjoyable well-written mystery ( )

Pros of this book: Another great British WWI period mystery featuring the persistent Bess Crawford character. I just always get sucked in to this series. Cons: The plot got a little muddled for me. And, of course, the mystery comes to a tidy resolution. But I've said that before regarding some of the Charles Todd books and yet I read on, forgiving these flaws (from my perspective) because I just love the books overall. ( )

A small community blames the Ashton family, owners of a gunpowder mill, for the explosion that killed hundreds of workers and permanently closed the mill. The hatred overflows into dislike for Bess Crawford. Stranded in Kent due to unreliable trains, Bess agrees to help discover what really happened. The search takes Bess over the area, but many people refuse to speak to Bess. The two writers that pen the Bess Crawford series compose a detailed novel of the beauty of England and the horrors of WWI. Charles Todd depicts the plight of nurse’s life during war time, and the rigid rule of Matron, the head of the nurses. This, A Pattern of Lies, is the real portrayal and not an idealized picture of war. ( )