Description (from cover):'When battlefield nurse Bess Crawford returns from France for a well-earned Christmas leave, she finds a bruised and shivering woman huddled in the doorway of her London residence. The woman has nowhere to turn, and, propelled by a firm sense of duty, Bess takes her in. Once inside Bess' flat the woman reveals that a quarrel with her husband erupted into violence, yet she wants to go home--if Bess will come with her to Sussex.
What Bess finds at Vixen Hill is a house of mourning. The woman's family has gathered for a memorial service for the elder son who has died of war wounds. Her husband, home on compassionate leave, is tense, tormented by jealousy and his own guilty conscience. Then, when a trouble house guest is found dead, Bess herself becomes a prime suspect in the case. This murder will lead her to a dangerous quest in war-torn France, an unexpected ally, and a startling revelations that puts her in jeopardy before a vicious killer can be exposed.'
My thoughts:
A lot of reviews that I read prior to reading this book, stated that this was one of the readers' least favorite in the series. I, however, enjoyed this one way much more than the rest of the readers apparently. I enjoyed the English country house murder mystery and I was glad that the author took the series there. It was a different change from the normal Bess Crawford mystery and was less focused on the war. I appreciated the different spin on the series and I can't wait to read the next installment in this series.
A lot of series that I have read in the past tend to get a little stale after the first two books and I didn't really get that feeling with this one. I think a lot of it has to do with the amazing character, Bess Crawford. To be honest, I really hope that her and Simon get involved romantically. I think that they would make a great couple and I hope that the author has this in store for those characters in the future installments of this series. Bess goes to Sussex with a woman she hardly knows, but feels pity for due to her dire family circumstances. She arrives to a house divided and in mourning and when one of the guests turns up dead she feels compelled to help solve the mystery.
Soon things are spinning out of control and before Bess knows it she is in over her head. Of course, the ever prevailing Simon is there to help her find her way and to help keep Bess out of harm. This one was a mystery that literally kept me guessing until the very end. I didn't suspect the killer at all and I was thrilled with the outcome. Of course, I have the next one in the series to read and I can't wait to see if I like it like the rest of these books.
Overall Rating: 4
Title: A Bitter Truth
Author: Charles Todd
Series: Bess Crawford Mystery #3
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: May 1, 2012 (Reprint)
Pages: 368
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was purchased by myself and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
