World War I battlefield nurse Bess Crawford goes to dangerous lengths to investigate a wounded soldier’s background—and uncover his true loyalties—in this thrilling and atmospheric entry in the bestselling “vivid period mystery series” (New York Times Book Review).
At the foot of a tree shattered by shelling and gunfire, stretcher-bearers find an exhausted officer, shivering with cold and a loss of blood from several wounds. The soldier is brought to battlefield nurse Bess Crawford’s aid station, where she stabilizes him and treats his injuries before he is sent to a rear hospital. The odd thing is, the officer isn’t British—he’s French. But in a moment of anger and stress, he shouts at Bess in German.
When Bess reports the incident to Matron, her superior offers a ready explanation. The soldier is from Alsace-Lorraine, a province in the west where the tenuous border between France and Germany has continually shifted through history, most recently in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, won by the Germans. But is the wounded man Alsatian? And if he is, on which side of the war do his sympathies really lie?
Of course, Matron could be right, but Bess remains uneasy—and unconvinced. If he was a French soldier, what was he doing so far from his own lines . . . and so close to where the Germans are putting up a fierce, last-ditch fight?
When the French officer disappears in Paris, it’s up to Bess—a soldier’s daughter as well as a nurse—to find out why, even at the risk of her own life.
Author Bio
Charles and Caroline Todd are a
mother-and-son writing team who live on the east coast of the United
States. Caroline has a BA in English Literature and History, and a
Masters in International Relations. Charles has a BA in Communication
Studies with an emphasis on Business Management, and a culinary arts
degree that means he can boil more than water. Caroline has been married
(to the same man) for umpteen years, and Charles is divorced.
Charles and Caroline have a rich
storytelling heritage. Both spent many evenings on the porch listening
to their fathers and grandfathers reminisce. And a maternal grandmother
told marvelous ghost stories. This tradition allows them to write with
passion about events before their own time. And an uncle/great-uncle who
served as a flyer in WWI aroused an early interest in the Great War.
Charles learned the rich history of
Britain, including the legends of King Arthur, William Wallace, and
other heroes, as a child. Books on Nelson and by Winston Churchill were
always at hand. Their many trips to England gave them the opportunity to
spend time in villages and the countryside, where there’a different
viewpoint from that of the large cities. Their travels are at the heart
of the series they began ten years ago.
Charles’s love of history led him to a
study of some of the wars that shape it: the American Civil War, WWI and
WWII. He enjoys all things nautical, has an international collection of
seashells, and has sailed most of his life. Golf is still a hobby that
can be both friend and foe. And sports in general are enthusiasms.
Charles had a career as a business consultant. This experience gave him
an understanding of going to troubled places where no one was glad to
see him arrive. This was excellent training for Rutledge’s reception as
he tries to find a killer in spite of local resistance.
Caroline has always been a great reader
and enjoyed reading aloud, especially poetry that told a story. The
Highwayman was one of her early favorites. Her wars are WWI, the Boer
War, and the English Civil War, with a sneaking appreciation of the Wars
of the Roses as well. When she’s not writing, she’s traveling the
world, gardening, or painting in oils. Her background in international
affairs backs up her interest in world events, and she’s also a sports
fan, an enthusiastic follower of her favorite teams in baseball and pro
football. She loves the sea, but is a poor sailor. (Charles inherited
his iron stomach from his father.) Still, she has never met a beach she
didn’t like.
Both Caroline and Charles share a love
of animals, and family pets have always been rescues. There was once a
lizard named Schnickelfritz. Don’t ask.
Writing together is a challenge, and
both enjoy giving the other a hard time. The famous quote is that in
revenge, Charles crashes Caroline’s computer, and Caroline crashes his
parties. Will they survive to write more novels together? Stay tuned!
Their father/husband is holding the bets.
Author Links
http://www.charlestodd.com/https://www.facebook.com/CharlesToddNovels/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/131.Charles_Todd?from_search=true
Purchase Links
HarperCollins Amazon B&N
Giveaway
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