The Cliff's Edge
A Novel
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4.7 • 15 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In the aftermath of World War I, nurse Bess Crawford is caught in a deadly feud between two families in this thirteenth book in the beloved mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd.
Restless and uncertain of her future in the wake of World War I, former battlefield nurse Bess Crawford agrees to travel to Yorkshire to help a friend of her cousin Melinda through surgery. But circumstances change suddenly when news of a terrible accident reaches them. Bess agrees to go to isolated Scarfdale and the Neville family, where one man has been killed and another gravely injured. The police are asking questions, and Bess is quickly drawn into the fray as two once close families take sides, even as they are forced to remain in the same house until the inquest is completed.
When another tragedy strikes, the police are ready to make an arrest. Bess struggles to keep order as tensions rise and shots are fired. What dark truth is behind these deaths? And what about the tale of an older murder—one that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the Nevilles? Bess is unaware that when she passes the story on to Cousin Melinda, she will set in motion a revelation with the potential to change the lives of those she loves most—her parents, and her dearest friend, Simon Brandon…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1919, bestseller Todd's stellar 13th Bess Crawford mystery (after 2021's An Irish Hostage) sends the former WWI front-line nurse to Yorkshire. There, a cousin of Bess's has a friend, Lillian Taylor, the companion to Lady Beatrice, who's scheduled to have her gallbladder removed. The surgeon insists that Lady Beatrice have a nurse in attendance on her discharge from hospital, but she's refused. Lillian wants Bess to try to change Lady Beatrice's mind. In the end, the domineering aristocrat persuades Bess to serve as her post-op private nurse. Bess gets even more than she bargained for when her patient's godson, Gordon Neville, suffers an accident, and she's dispatched to help him. She finds Neville recovering from a fall off a cliff; Neville's friend Frederick Caldwell suffered fatal injuries while apparently attempting to save him. A wound on the back of Frederick's skull suggests a different story, and Bess's investigation uncovers a complex web of secrets and possible motives for murder. Todd has few peers at both keeping readers turning pages for the reveal and making every character on those pages feel real. Those seeking emotional depth in their mysteries will be richly rewarded.
