by Charles Todd
First published 2014
Bess Crawford takes leave from her battlefield nursing duties to escort Wilkins, a wounded war hero in a wheelchair, to Buckingham Palace for decoration by the King. The next morning, Wilkins has vanished from his room. The Army and nursing service blame Bess for losing her patient. An inquiry looms over her career. Then the Shropshire police deliver worse news: Wilkins has been seen, and he killed a man. Bess must track down her missing patient to clear her name, but Wilkins disappears again before police can catch him. What started as professional negligence becomes something deeper for Bess. A patient under her care has committed murder. She cannot let this stand, regardless of what it costs her career. Bess sets out to solve the mystery behind Wilkins and his crime. The truth may save her reputation, but pursuing justice could cost her life.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, mystery, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family
Setting: Buckingham Palace, Shropshire
Period: World War I
352 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: war