Trying to help a woman in distress, World War I nurse and accidental sleuth Bess Crawford learns that no good deed goes unpunished 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's flat, the woman reveals that a quarrel with her husband erupted into violence, yet she wants to return home—if Bess will go with her to Sussex. Realizing that the woman is suffering from a concussion, Bess gives up a few precious days of leave to travel with her. But she soon discovers that this is a good deed with unforeseeable consequences. 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 died of war wounds. Her husband, home on compassionate leave, is tense, “Find some cures for the post-Downton Abbey blues ... Charles Todd has been producing a series of highly praised detective novels set in the years immediately after World War I.” - Tulsa World Scene “Charles Todd has developed believable characters that carry along this story with lightning speed from the first page to the last.” - New York Journal of Books on A Bitter Truth “Makes fine work of the brooding atmosphere.” - New York Times Book Review on A Bitter Truth “A lovely picture of a slower world.” - Charlotte Observer on A Bitter Truth “A thoughtful mystery with an excellent plot, well-drawn characters and wonderful atmosphere.” - Indianapolis Star on A Bitter Truth “Combines believable characters, gut-wrenching suspense and a sobering commentary on the ravages of war.” - Deseret News on A Bitter Truth “A thoughtful mystery with an excellent plot, well-drawn characters and wonderful atmosphere.” - Associated Press on A Bitter Truth “The Todds excel at complex characterizations....For lovers of upper-drawer British whodunnits and Anglophiles in general, A Bitter Truth should prove a sweet treat indeed.” - Wilmington Star-News on A Bitter Truth “A well-envisaged plot, a deep sense of time and place and characters drawn with care and compassion.” - Richmond Times-Dispatch on A Bitter Truth “Outstanding.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A Bitter Truth “Bess is a very strong series lead, the historical setting is as well developed here as it is in the Rutledge books, and the mysteries are just as elegantly constructed. Readers who have yet to sample the Crawford series should be strongly encouraged to do so.” - Booklist on A Bitter Truth “Few writers surpass Todd in depicting the insanity of war.” - Kirkus Reviews on A Bitter Truth “A superb whodunit―just when you think you have it figured out, Todd throws a curve―and a moving evocation of a world at war.” - Richmond Times-Dispatch on An Impartial Witness “A smartly plotted, well-told mystery.” - Booklist on An Impartial Witness “A book rich in atmosphere and dense with plot.” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch on An Impartial Witness “Highly recommended―well-rounded, believable characters, a multi-layered plot solidly based on human nature, all authentically set in the England of 1917, make A Bitter Truth an outstanding and riveting read.” - Stephanie Laurens, New York Times bestselling author “Readers who can’t get enough of Maisie Dobbs, the intrepid World War I battlefield nurse in Jacqueline Winspear’s novels, or Hester Latterly, who saw action in the Crimean War in a series of novels by Anne Perry, are bound to be caught up in the adventures of Bess Crawford.” - New York Times Book Review “Todd brings World War I England and France to life with an intriguing plot and an intrepid sleuth.” - Library Journal on A Bitter Truth “Todd’s excellent second mystery featuring British nurse Bess Crawford smoothly blends realistic characters with an intricate plot.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) on An Impartial Witness “Readers will enjoy Todd’s plucky, determined sleuth and a thrilling mystery that proves murders on the home front don’t stop just because there’s a war.” - Library Journal on An Impartial Witness “Bess Crawford is a strong and likable character.” - Washington Times on An Impartial Witness Trying to help a woman in distress, World War I nurse and accidental sleuth Bess Crawford learns that no good deed goes unpunished 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’s flat, the woman reveals that a quarrel with her husband erupted into violence, yet she wants to return home—if Bess will go with her to Sussex. Realizing that the woman is suffering from a concussion, Bess gives up a few precious days of leave to trave