After the First World War, Bess, who worked as a wartime nurse, travels to Yorkshire to take care of a lady going through surgery but a series of mysterious events need investigating.

The writing is good and effective and I enjoyed the characters, especially Bess. Her relationship with Simon is complex, when the book opens she’s very indecisive about whether or not she should follow her heart. Not sure I’ll read the other books in the series this wasn’t my favourite historical mystery, it was very slow and I would have preferred more levity, but it was very decent.

Another amazing book! A wonderful stand alone mystery or compelling part of the series. I couldn't put it down! The ending has left me wanting the next book in the series! I simply can't wait for more!

Once again Bess Crawford finds herself in an isolated, hostile environment among strangers, called upon to nurse a man recovering from an accident. Was his companion's death accidental or murder?

For me, this formula has gotten very thin and the unresolved romance with Simon has dragged on too long.

Just what I needed, a complete escape. Really caught my attention and held it. Very satisfactory! Love Bess Crawford. A little lighter than Maisie Dobbs, but just as engaging. Thank you to the Charles Todd team. Long may they write. I don't know if this is one of the last that Caroline Todd participated in or if this was Charles on his own. It had all the best elements that I look forward to in their writing. Thank you to Morrow and NetGalley for gifting me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another good book in this series. Complex plot. Interesting period of time and class distinctions. Of course it ends with a teaser to the next book.

A new Bess Crawford mystery is always something to look forward to and this one does not disappoint.
Even though the war is over the repercussions seem to follow everyone around and in this case jealousy, betrayal and murder are the end result. The story in this book is very good with a bonus of more information on the mysterious Simon.

I do love this series, enjoyed every book, so I found it especially sad to read this latest installment knowing one half of this dynamic family writing team is no longer with us. Another great story, but please if there’s another book cement the relationship between Bess and Simon positively once and for all.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review. Bess is back again, being her bold, inquisitive, assertive self. This was a supremely well paced, researched, written and plotted book. I totally enjoyed the older matron character who just barrels in and politely, in that delightfully British way, makes things happen. The twists in the last few chapters were just-chef's kiss-leaving me gasping and going "no no no no WAIT" over and over. As ever, I can hardly, impatiently, wait for the next installment.

As a favor to a friend, Bess travels to nurse a woman following gall bladder surgery, only to be sent on when that woman's godson is injured. The mystery is full of questions - was a man murdered or was the death accidental, why does a recovering soldier seem to hate Bess, and what secrets is the family hiding. Exceptional!

Once again, Todd brings a complicated, delicately balanced, layered mystery to the series about Bess Crawford, a young nurse during WWI, now released from service in 1919. This story finds Bess helping out a friend of a friend which moves Bess into Yorkshire and into the scene of an accidental death that is suspicious. As with all the stories, the plot gradually and suspensefully uncovers secrets, personalities, and fatal decisions, while giving readers an immersive sense of place and period.

Todd has created a deeply layered, thoughtful and appealing character in Bess. Throughout all of her adventures in the past stories, there is a graceful and painful acknowledgement of the price of war - both physically and mentally - to those who participated, as did Bess, and to those who stayed at home. Todd also excels in atmospheric plotting that keeps the pages turning.

This series is highly recommended. Some descriptors that come to mind for this series are literate, compassionate, enlightening, and beautifully crafted.

Fans will greatly enjoy this new story, and those new to the series can enjoy it on its own merits. I recommend for those new to the series, as this is the 13th book, to start at the beginning of this superb series for fullest enjoyment. This is a series to savor.

Nurse Bess Crawford signs on to help a dowager recuperate from gallbladder surgery but winds up investigating two murders.

Two brothers lucky to live through World War 1 confront local resentment for having survived. One is accused of killing both the man who stole his beloved and the woman who warns him of another threat.

Bess's lifelong relationship with Simon gets thorny just when a happy ending seemed so close.

I have enjoyed every book in this series, and this one was no exception. The writing and character development are excellent, as usual. One of the things I enjoy so much about this series is that the books are set during and shortly after the First World War, instead of the countless books that are set during the Second World War. I
look forward to recommending this title to our patrons.

The Cliff's Edge is the 13th Bess Crawford mystery. The setting is post-WWI England. As is the case with the Charles Todd novels, The Cliff's Edge is carefully plotted, with a small grouping of nicely developed characters. The only significant difference in this novel is that Bess is able to rescue herself, without the need for Simon to manage her rescue. The mystery itself is tautly constructed, with careful foreshadowing and just enough hints to keep readers never wanting to close the book. Todd has a good hand with plot development.

The Cliff's Edge is a stronger and more effective novel than the previous novel in this series. The mystery is not as contrived and many of the characters unspool spoken carefully that little is given away. Perhaps because Bess did not need to be rescued, Simon was not missed as much in The Cliff's Edge, except by so many of the fans, who would really like some resolution to the romance that readers have been anxious to see happen. Could readers please have some crumbs thrown our way and things between Bess and Simon finally happen?

I have read both of Charles Todd's series--the Ian Rutledge and the Bess Crawford novels, and I recommend both series. Thank you to the author and to HarperCollins for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I also appreciate all the hard work done by NetGalley to make these books available for request.

Bess Crawford is home and looking forward to spending time with her mother when a request for her help arrives. Her aunt Melinda wants her to speak to a dear friend who is facing surgery. Bess goes and ends up being the friends nurse until news of an accident arrives. Bess agrees to go to the Highlands and care for the fiend's godson. The Highlands are beautiful but there is alot going on besides the recent accident. Old grudges surface, there are accusations of murder. Bess does her best to care for her patient while sifting trough the clues and emotions.
This is a review of an ARC provided by NetGalley.

Through a series of contrived incidents, former WWI nurse Bess Crawford ends up alone in deepest Yorkshire. She tends to Mr. Gordon Neville, who may or may not have accidentally on purpose killed Mr. Frederick Caldwell, his former rival in love. Both families are trapped in the claustrophobic manor house until the upper class-hating Inspector Wade can pin the murder on one of them.

Bess doesn't actually do much in this installment of the long-running series. The stakes are low because really, who cares about some unknown Nevilles or Caldwells? After 13 books, I want to know what the deal is with Simon. Stop stringing it out. I'm tired of Bess pining away like she's a teenage girl in Forks, Washington. The woman just spent three years in the Queen Alexandra's nursing corps on the front lines in France, for crying out loud. Respect her character!

Evocative setting and an engaging mystery. For this reader, the tension between Bess and Simon has gone on too long, and the big coincidence about Simon's history felt a bit contrived after so much foreshadowing.

Nurse Bess Crawford returns in Charles Todd's latest adventure, The Cliff's Edge! In doing a favor for a family friend, Bess becomes embroiled in another mystery, this time in the Yorkshire Dales.

This is one of those installments that focuses more on the mystery at hand, versus furthering Bess’ personal plot and character development. While that can be a bit frustrating for readers who’ve read the books in order, this volume is one that new readers can pick up and enjoy, as the intriguing mystery about two men who topple over a cliff unfolds.

That said though, there's a twist at the end (that was a bit confusing even for me!), but does set up the next book and keeps me hooked. As always, I recommend this series to lovers of historical mysteries.

4 stars

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for this copy, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Number 13 in the Bess Crawford series. Bess served as a nursing sister on the battlefields of WWI in France. Now it is 1919 and the war has ended. Bess is asked to nurse a formidable (and delightful) Countess Dowager through a gall bladder surgery in Yorkshire. But when the Dowager’s godson is gravely injured and another man killed during a terrible accident, Bess goes to help and becomes enmeshed in a bitter feud.

Oddly enough I find this series very calming (for me, not the characters!). The pace of life was slower at that time, and the authors (a mother and son team who go by the pseudonym “Charles Todd”) do an excellent job of blending action, context, interactions, and scene setting to keep the interest of different types of readers. This particular story was more gripping than usual, and I found myself wildly swiping my kindle pages to get to the end. Complete closure on the mystery but an additional little cliffhanger about the personal background of one of the series’ main characters has me wriggling with anticipation.

Another winner from this historical fiction duo. As always, excellent writing with just enough tension to keep the reader eager to keep moving forward without being on pins and needles. I was wondering with the last few books what Bess could do next, after the war ended, that would be interesting enough to read about but I should have known it wouldn't be an issue. It's a pleasure reading about smart, gutsy women who solve problems with calm logic. Oh, and the last chapter contains a very ingenious twist -- but don't read ahead because finding out won't make sense without reading the book first!