Mystery Book Review: Question of Honor by Charles Todd

Release Date - September 2013

Charles Todd
William Morrow

Book Review by Bob Walch

The memory of a horrendous crime, the murder of five people, resurfaces when a dying soldier on the battlefields of France tells nurse Bess Crawford that the man responsible for the crimes and thought to be dead is still alive.

Not only is this unwelcome news a shock, but Bess also takes some time off while on leave to investigate to see if there is any truth to the dying man’s claim.

Years earlier when Bess was living in India while her father served in the military, one of his officers was accused of committing a series of murders in England and India. Lieutenant Wade, the supposed murderer, tried to flee and disappeared trying to reach Afghanistan. Bess’s father has had to live with the thought that one of his trusted men was a disgrace to his uniform.

Now, a decade later, Bess is going back to the English village where three of the killings took place. While many locals think Wade was innocent, the present owner of the house where the crime took place believes otherwise. He also thinks Bess’s father had something to do with helping Wade flee the country.

The inquisitive English nurse may well regret ever digging into this closed murder case for there are some secrets here that will shake her to her very core. Not only is Wade still alive, as Bess was told, but she’ll learn what his real story is.

Another remarkable story in this well written historical mystery series, A Question of Honor is a thoughtful read with an exceptionally well fashioned cast of characters.