A Pattern of Lies - (Bess Crawford Mysteries) by Charles Todd (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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 Times bestselling 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.

From the Back Cover

An explosion and fire at the Ashton Gunpowder Mill in Kent have killed more than 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 war-torn 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 lies that have 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.

Review Quotes

"[An Unwilling Accomplice] truly surprises and takes the series to a whole new level of complexity." - Bookreporter.com
"With careful attention to such details and a gift for storytelling, the Todd team has mastered the art of the historical mystery in the series set in the tragic days of the First World War." - Iron Mountain Daily News
"Bess is a character with depth and complexity, an army nurse during that awful war, so, like that series, not only intricate mysteries but engrossing historical fiction." - SCDemocrat.com
"Bess' seventh case. . . does its strong, determined heroine credit." - Kirkus Reviews
"As always, the Todds deftly juggle clues and red herrings, leading Bess and readers on a brisk chase. . . . Their intimate knowledge of rural England and the Great War period inject Bess' first-person account with a hefty dose of verisimilitude." - Wilmington Star News
"The seventh book in an excellent series featuring Bess Crawford." - Contra Costa Times
Praise for An Unwilling Accomplice: "An intricate plot populated by superbly drawn characters, not least of whom is the captivating and courageous Bess. With seamless prose, An Unwilling Accomplice--like all of Todd's work--offers a moving portrait of war's physical and emotional devastation." - Richmond Times-Dispatch