About A Pattern of Lies• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (April 12, 2016)
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review
A horrific explosion at a gunpowder mill sends Bess Crawford to war-torn France to keep a deadly pattern of lies from leading to more deaths, in this compelling and atmospheric mystery from the New York Timesbestselling author of A Question of Honor and An Unwilling Accomplice.
An explosion and fire at the Ashton Gunpowder Mill in Kent has killed over a hundred men. It’s called an appalling tragedy—until suspicion and rumor raise the specter of murder. While visiting the Ashton family, Bess Crawford finds herself caught up in a venomous show of hostility that doesn’t stop with Philip Ashton’s arrest. Indeed, someone is out for blood, and the household is all but under siege.
The only known witness to the tragedy is now at the Front in France. Bess is asked to find him. When she does, he refuses to tell her anything that will help the Ashtons. Realizing that he believes the tissue of lies that has nearly destroyed a family, Bess must convince him to tell her what really happened that terrible Sunday morning. But now someone else is also searching for this man.
To end the vicious persecution of the Ashtons, Bess must risk her own life to protect her reluctant witness from a clever killer intent on preventing either of them from ever reaching England.
This book takes place during WWI. Bess Crawford is a nurse. While she's in England, waiting for a train that's been delayed, she runs into a former patient, Mark Ashton, who takes her home until she can catch another train. While there, she learns about an explosion at his family's gunpowder mill that happened two years ago and how it's still affecting his family today. She becomes involved in helping the family figure out what really happened and clear their names for good.
This is the seventh book in this series and the first one I've read, so I'm not sure if this is the typical setup. There were parts that were confusing and characters that I felt I should know and didn't. However, the mystery itself was compelling. Bess was determined to help, even when her safety was at risk. She had a network of people that were able to help her when she needed information.
I kept wondering if she had a love interest and there are two men that seem to like her but she doesn't encourage either of them. I didn't feel like I got to know who Bess was personally, since the book focused more on what she was doing to help the Ashton's. I enjoyed the beginning, as we were getting to know Bess and the Ashton's. The story slowed down toward the middle and then picked up again at the end. I would love to read the entire series one day to get a better feel for Bess and her friends!
Purchase Links
Charles Todd is the author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother and son writing team, they live in Delaware and North Carolina.
Visit their website at Charlestodd.com and like CharlesToddNovels on Facebook.
Charles Todd’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, April 12th: FictionZealWednesday, April 13th: A Book Geek
Thursday, April 14th: #redhead.with.book
Monday, April 18th: Jayne’s Books
Wednesday, April 20th: Reading is My Super Power
Wednesday, April 20th: Mel’s Shelves
Thursday, April 21st: Tina Says…
Monday, April 25th: Mama Vicky Says
Tuesday, April 26th: Staircase Wit
Wednesday, April 27th: Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
TBD: I’m Shelf-ish
2 comments:
I hope you get a chance to read the previous books and get to know Bess better - she's a great character!
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
Yes, I've heard great things about Bess! I'm curious about the mystery, myself!
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