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A Bitter Truth

(Bess Crawford #3)

Charles Todd (Goodreads Author)

3.89 · Rating details · 6,643 ratings · 619 reviews

World War One battlefield nurse Bess Crawford is featured for a third time in A Bitter Truth . Bess reaches out to help an abused and frightened young woman, only to discover that no good deed ever goes unpunished when the good Samaritan nurse finds herself falsely accused of murder.

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published August 30th 2011 by William Morrow

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Aug 07, 2015 Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2015

Bess Crawford is on leave from the front when she stumbles over a woman outside her house. She takes pity on her and learns that the women has been struck by her husband and has fled to London. She slowly gains the woman's trust and learns that her name is Lydia and that her husband's name is Roger. Bess agrees to travel with her home to her house in the country. But this act of kindness will result in quite a lot of trouble as everyone in the household inclusive Bess will be suspected in a murd Bess Crawford is on leave from the front when she stumbles over a woman outside her house. She takes pity on her and learns that the women has been struck by her husband and has fled to London. She slowly gains the woman's trust and learns that her name is Lydia and that her husband's name is Roger. Bess agrees to travel with her home to her house in the country. But this act of kindness will result in quite a lot of trouble as everyone in the household inclusive Bess will be suspected in a murder case.

Once again has Charles Todd written an engrossing historical novel with where Bess en up having to find out the truth. She must try to figure out why anyone would kill a houseguest, but this time, even she is a suspect. Prior to the man's death has he asked Roger at dinner about a child that looked like Julianna, Rogers little sister that died when she was just 6 years old. But who is the child in question and could that simple question really be the reason for his death?

As much as I enjoyed the book and the mystery was I also a bit puzzled why it all had to be such a hush-hush thing. When the truth finally was revealed about the child was not that overly surprised, I would have liked a more interesting and perhaps surprising mystery than that. I felt that the family mourning of Julianna was frankly a bit over-the-top sometimes that it could affect the present time that much. Yeah, it was tragical, and yeah she was a beautiful child. But sometimes the truth could perhaps save some heartache and time. Still I enjoyed finding out the truth even though it was a little let down that it wasn't that complex.

But the murders is all whole other story, I failed to realize who the murder was. It wasn't until Bess and Simon Brandon realized who it was and then everything made sense.

One thing that really pleased me (and confused me) was that Sergeant Lassiter Larimore has finally made his first entrance in this book series. I am a bit confused about the name of him since I read about him A Pattern of Lies where he was Sergeant Lassiter, but here is he called Sergeant Larimore. Could there really be two different Aussie Sergeants with the same trademark Kookaburra laughter?

I just have to read on to figure it out...

4.5 stars ...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Jennifer Mccann rated it it was ok

So installment 3. Pretty good. A solid 4.

A few things I didn't like: 1) Lydia. Spoiled and making demands of Bess to stay or do things. Jesus woman, just say no. 2) Simon finds a connection between the dead that no one knew of creating motive for another character- how about a wee bit if foreshadowing? Otherwise it looks contrived for a different ending than the illogical mess that came before. 3) Give Bess a love life, a wee bit of romance in her life. Don't make her so flat and only driven by ...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Judith Starkston rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-mystery, mystery, strong-women

Charles Todd’s A Bitter Truth interweaves the vices of war with the failings of families into a psychologically and historically compelling mystery set in England in 1917. Bess Crawford, an intelligent and fearless nurse working on the front lines in France, comes home on leave to discover a frightened young woman with a bruised face hiding on the doorstep of her London flat. Unable by nature to leave the mysterious stranger out in the cold winter night, Bess convinces her to take shelter inside ...more

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May 14, 2019 Kirsten rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: collecting-dust, my-kindle

Another excellent Bess Crawford mystery. I got behind in this series - in all my series, really - and finally got around to finishing this one.

I love this time periof and this one is a little claustrophobic. It is an English Country House mystery with extended circumstances. Bess was very patient with Lydia. Much more patient than I would have been! (She didn't even get to spend time with her family while she was on leave from France!)

Good mystery with good characters!

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Sep 07, 2011 LJ rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, ww1_1914-18, mystery, 1900s_early, france, england, traditional_mystery, writing_pair

First Sentence: A cold rain had followed me from France to England, and an even colder wind greeted me as we pulled into the railway station in London.

Returning from the battlefields of France to England for Christmas leave, WWI nurse Bess Crawford encounters a desperate woman, rain-drenched and bruised in her building’s entry. Offering her shelter, Bess slowly learns the woman, Lydia Ellis, had been struck by her husband during an argument. Lydia begs Bess to return to the family’s house in Su First Sentence: A cold rain had followed me from France to England, and an even colder wind greeted me as we pulled into the railway station in London.

Returning from the battlefields of France to England for Christmas leave, WWI nurse Bess Crawford encounters a desperate woman, rain-drenched and bruised in her building’s entry. Offering her shelter, Bess slowly learns the woman, Lydia Ellis, had been struck by her husband during an argument. Lydia begs Bess to return to the family’s house in Sussex with her and, fearing Lydia may have a concussion. Bess agrees, entering a home filled with tension and, ultimately, murder with Bess being an initial suspect.

The mother and son team of Charles Todd write some of the most evocative descriptions creating a wonderfully strong sense of time and place. The alternating settings of London, and English country house and the stark reality, cruelty and death of war are deftly handled. Even more, they deal with the front and the wounded in a manner which is strongly impactful, yet not overly graphic.

The dialogue is so well done; it is atmospheric…”The forest is—I don’t know—not haunted, but most certainly, it broods.” with a well-placed sense of irony and occasional wry humor. The language doesn’t work hard at reflecting the period, but the sense of it is still there, particularly with the use of the old collective noun “a crocodile of children.”

Bess is a character who has grown on me with each successive book. She is a dedicated nurse, but the authors have restrained her from coming across as prissy. The relationship with Simon, her father’s ex-Sergeant Major and now assistant, is one handled with proper decorum and appropriateness to the period, but one rather hopes to see grow as the series progresses. Lydia, the wife in trouble, is very well constructed as a character who is difficult to like, but one who elicits one’s sympathy.

There were a couple weaknesses to the book. It did become tiresome that some of the characters were continuously referred to by their full names and, although I suppose necessary for the plot, I did have a problem with on significant decision made by Bess to not tell the police about a piece of evidence. Both of these are minor points, however, when weighed against the book’s strengths.

“A Bitter Truth” is the best, so far, of the three books in the Bess Crawford series. How lucky are we readers to have two such good series from Charles Todd.

A BITTER TRUTH (Hist Mys-Bess Crawford-England/France-1917/WWI) – VG
Todd, Charles – 3rd in series
Wm. Morrow, 2011, Unc. Proof – HC ISBN:
...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Katherine rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed

At the outset it is necessary to say that I have not read the first two Bess Crawford Mysteries so Bess' background and her relationship to Simon, who seems to appear anytime Bess is in dire straits, is not familiar to me. As a result I found the relationship confusing. But, even it I understood that aspect of the story, I would be hard-pressed to believe the whole basis of the book. That a war-time nursing sister would take in an abused woman in the middle of the night in London was a stretch f ...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Deborah rated it it was ok

While I like the character (nurse Bess Crawford) and the time and place (England, WW I), this story was very disappointing. The premise was very weak and the events that followed felt very forced. It lacked an emotional center. This book bore little comparison to the Ian Rutledge mysteries by the same mother/son writing team. Those books are emotional, intelligent and much more engaging.

A more fulfilling series that involves a WW I nurse is the William Monk/Hester Latterly books by Anne Perry.

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Jun 30, 2012 Marielle rated it liked it

This book does little to answer The Question of Simon. When introduced in the first book, I assumed he must be gay. Why else would a nice guy, still young enough to fight (I'd guess in his 40s), still be single and opt to live in a small cottage by himself? I mean, it's war time, an eligible man who doesn't have to go fight would have women following him around. Then, as I read the books, I thought possibly he was in love with Bess (he goes wherever she goes in England). Or maybe it's her mother ...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Monica rated it it was ok

Shelves: crime-and-or-evil, historical, british

So so. Bess is an inconsistent character, the family that she is drawn in to help is full of stereotypes - and their obsession with a dead perfect child is a bit over the top. The plot is full of red herrings, and bogs down as a result. The war time scenes are good, and the character of the Aussie sergeant Larimore is a welcome bright spot in the midst of all the starchy and angst ridden types.

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May 14, 2018 Rhea rated it liked it

3.5 stars. Good, but wasn’t a compelling read for me - seemed a bit draggy in spots. Protagonist is morally refreshing - enjoyed the author’s characterization of this resolute nurse in an interesting WW 1 timeframe! I believe I did enjoy the 1st one of this series a bit more - “Duty to the Dead” which I recently read.

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Aug 16, 2011 Cate (The Professional Fangirl) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2011-reads

This is a Reading Good Books review.

* In compliance with FTC guidelines, it should be noted that I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

I have a love-hate relationship with the mystery/thriller genre so I’m constantly on the hunt for new titles to see how an author will twist the well-known and loved genre into something new. I haven’t read anything by Charles Todd before so I was quite looking forward to reading this one.

A Bitter Truth is third in the series of mystery n ...more

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Mar 01, 2016 Leah rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I liked this book but I also found it really slow.

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Nov 17, 2017 Melissa rated it it was ok

Maybe it was me,but I found the plot on this one highly improbable. Why would Bess Crawford get herself mixed up with these folks?

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Dec 09, 2017 Bonnie rated it it was amazing

I have read the Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd mother and son writers, so I was expecting a great read and I was not disappointed with A Bitter Truth. The main character is Bess Crawford who is a nurse in France during the war. On her way up the stairs to her apartment in London, she sees a woman huddled under the stairs. The weather is bitter cold and Bess can see the woman has on a thin coat and is shivering uncontrollably. She invites the woman in and gives her hot tea ...more

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Mar 17, 2019 Carol Storm rated it liked it

Much like A DUTY TO THE DEAD, this Bess Crawford mystery is long on intriguing characters but short on mystery and suspense. Bess' involvement with Lydia and her family starts out plausibly enough but there are so many eccentric family members and so many dangling plot threads that the whole story becomes unintentionally funny by the end of the book. I wanted more, more, more of sexy Lydia and her headstrong reckless ways, and less, less, less, of creepy old ladies pining over graveyard memorial ...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews rated it it was amazing

A stranger on your doorstep with bruises, a stranger you let into your home, and a stranger who became your friend and brought trouble when you arrived at your new friend's home. Could you make friends that quickly and feel comfortable enough to go to their home?

Bess thought it was possible, and when she arrived at Lydia's home she immediately knew there was something strange about Lydia and her entire family. This became even more apparent when a family member was murdered and Bess became one o A stranger on your doorstep with bruises, a stranger you let into your home, and a stranger who became your friend and brought trouble when you arrived at your new friend's home. Could you make friends that quickly and feel comfortable enough to go to their home?

Bess thought it was possible, and when she arrived at Lydia's home she immediately knew there was something strange about Lydia and her entire family. This became even more apparent when a family member was murdered and Bess became one of the suspects in the investigation. How did a well-bred girl get herself into such a mess....being nice definitely didn't pay off in this case.

The case involved Mr. Hughes who drank too much that evening and blurted out a family secret in front of unknowing family and a few town guests. Could that have been the reason Mr. Hughes was murdered. Who would revert to murder to keep something quiet? Everyone in the household was questioned, and being the last one to speak to Mr. Hughes before his death, was incriminating for Bess.

When the police thought they found the murderer, everyone was free to leave. Bess left but not without having to promise Lydia she would find someone for her. Bess hesitated but knew the person in question may be the root of the reason for the murder so she promised to look in France. Bess's nursing career kept her busy, but she managed to "try" to search. This search was the key to many secrets.

The story took place in the early 1900's with scenes from makeshift hospitals in France and the house where the family lived...Vixen Hill. The home, the town, and the family life of that era were well described...the lack of phone communication was frightening...also the "motorcar" that had to be cranked to get it started.

The book was slow at first, but once the murder took place, the interest picked up. The murder and some of the story's characters were somewhat bizarre, but interesting.

I can honestly say the book wasn't bad but it did get too much with the patient care and such. I have never read a Bess Crawford mystery by Charles Todd, but have read the Inspector Rutledge ones. It won’t disappoint you, but finding out who committed the crime will surprise you and how the police operated in the 1900's will keep your attention.
4/5 ...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Kathleen (Kat) Smith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, historical-fiction, supense-thriller-fiction

Life is about to change for battlefield nurse, Bess Crawford on a dark and blustery night in London. When the police are searching for a deserter, Bess heads home to her flat alone. Yet on the stoop of her doorway is a woman, hiding and wearing a thin coat, trying to find temporary shelter from the storm. When Bess offers her a cup of tea and a respite from the weather for a few minutes, she sees that the woman's face bears a battered and bruise hand print along with endless tears down her face. Life is about to change for battlefield nurse, Bess Crawford on a dark and blustery night in London. When the police are searching for a deserter, Bess heads home to her flat alone. Yet on the stoop of her doorway is a woman, hiding and wearing a thin coat, trying to find temporary shelter from the storm. When Bess offers her a cup of tea and a respite from the weather for a few minutes, she sees that the woman's face bears a battered and bruise hand print along with endless tears down her face.

Fearing the worst but don't wanting to frighten the poor woman, she learns that she is running from her husband, Roger Ellis. Not prone to violence against his wife, Bess learns that the woman's name is Lydia and offers her a place to stay. Lydia fears the worst could happen the longer she stays away and asks Bess to accompany her home to Vixen Hill.

There Bess will meet the Ellis family of three generations of widows and meet the spirit of Julianna, who died a young girl and one whom the family can't seem to forget. Bess is talked into staying a few days to help care for Lydia and help her deal with issues involving her husband's jealousy. During her stay, the family is planning a memorial service to lay the headstone of one of the sons that was killed in the war. Only on the eve of the memorial service, one of the house guests George Hughes confides a deep family secret to Bess when neither of them can sleep. When the house awakens in the morning, George is soon discovered murdered and someone in the house is the prime suspect.

I received the novel A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd compliments of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. It feels like a historical version of the game, Clue, as Bess Crawford attempts to solve the mystery surrounding the Ellis family secret and the murder of George Hughes. Set in London during the middle of World War 1, the mystery continues to grow as more and more people turn up missing or murdered as well. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars and is perfect for you crime solving sleuth fans! ...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Andrew Macrae rated it liked it

Bess Crawford is an English army nurse traveling home to spend Christmas with her family in a brief respite from 1917 war-torn Europe. At least that was the plan before she encountered Lydia Ellis, a woman with a badly bruised face fleeing her husband.
This is the third novel featuring WWI British army nurse Bess Crawford and in it, the author weaves a complex tapestry of murder and betrayal out of an almost dizzying assortment of disparate threads. “A Bitter Truth” features a large cast of chara ...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Michael rated it it was amazing

Shelves: amature-detective, read-in-2011, family-relationships, wwi, reviewed, mystery, free-book-for-honest-review, historical, series, own-it

"A Bitter Truth" is an engrossing depiction of the life of a battlefield nurse in WWI and an upper class family in rural England. We observe the interactions of this family as they attempt to deal with a particularly embarrassing situation.

Bess Crawford is a nurse who returns to England on leave from her duties in the battlefields of France. She is surprised to find a well dressed woman huddled in her doorway. When Bess sees that the woman, Lucy Ellis, has a bruise on her face, Bess's compassion ...more

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Oct 30, 2015 Lauren rated it liked it

Shelves: world-war-i, historical-mystery, early-1900s

A Bitter Truth
3.5 Stars

On leave from the front, WWI nurse Bess Crawford, encounters a woman alone on a rainy night in London. After taking the young woman in, Bess quickly learns that not everything is as it seems and soon finds herself embroiled in a nasty case involving a missing child and a murder.

Slow to start and the mystery doesn't make a great deal of sense. Nevertheless, Bess is a likable heroine and the historical detail is fascinating.

The mystery is the weakest aspect of the book as ...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Roberta rated it liked it

This mystery, one of the many I've read by Charles Todd, is part of his new series which "stars" Bess Crawford, a nursing sister in the first World War. This is the second book in which Todd and his mother are listed as collaborators even though her name does not appear on the book cover. I found the pace of the story very uneven-- fascinating at the beginning with descriptions of Lydia's home where the moor and forest are bleak in winter and at the end where the discovery of the actual murderer ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Donna rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 04, 2012 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries-todd

I like this book least of the four in the series--still well-written, still loved the characters and especially Simon, who gets showcased in this book. But the people Bess is helping are unsympathetic at best and selfish to the max at worst, so that just makes you want to get her away from them. That makes it harder to enjoy the book. Is there a slight homage to Austen going on here, with great guy Simon Brandon--almost as longsuffering as Mary Anne Dashwood's Colonel Christopher Brandon--and th ...more

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Oct 01, 2016 Jonathan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, cozy-mysteries, read-10-16, mystery, cruisin-through-the-cozies-2016

Excellent, simply excellent. Fast-paced from the beginning, and it really kept you going. Recommend!

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Oct 11, 2016 Charmaine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, 4-star-books, clean-reads

Another clean novel by this author with an intriguing and multi-faceted plot.

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May 05, 2020 Paula DeBoard added it

Shelves: audioreads

Not my favorite of the series... it seemed pretty unbelievable, and I'm someone who will believe a heck of a lot in fiction.

It also struck me during this book (probably because I was busy being annoyed at the plot) that there hasn't been any humor in these books--other than the odd moment with a wounded patient. Maybe I'll go back to Charles Lenox for a while.

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Dec 28, 2018 Courtney rated it liked it

Shelves: series, mystery, fiction, crime, historicalfiction, borrowed

Not my favorite in the Bess Crawford series -- I found it inconsistent that she would travel far away with a strange woman, then get tangled up in her family's crisis. It dragged on a bit.

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Mar 22, 2020 Janet rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction

Audio version read by the amazing Roz Landers, whom I had forgotten about for some time and was reminded about from a friend.

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Mar 30, 2020 Shirrapop rated it liked it

This was my least favorite of the series. I love the way Charles Todd writes, they are one of my favorite mystery authors.

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Dec 06, 2018 Hapzydeco rated it liked it

Due to the verbose plot, this may not be the best WWI Nurse Bess Crawford Mystery. But a delightful new character, Australian sergeant Larimore, saves the day.

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About Charles Todd

Charles Todd

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Charles Todd is the pen name used by the mother-and-son writing team, Caroline Todd and Charles Todd. Together they write the Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford Series. They have published two standalone mystery novels and many short stories.