Seriously, the WORST entry in an otherwise entertaining and interesting series. The mystery was contrived and convoluted. The reveal of the mystery was anticlimactic and dull. ( )

Yawn. I would go so far as to give this 2.5 stars if I could. It had a promising beginning and the ending wasn't bad. It was all that tedious slogging around in the middle that did me in. Overall, not worth the $1.50 library fines I incurred because I just couldn't get through this before it was due back. ( )

With An Unwilling Accomplice have I almost read all the Bess Crawford that's been published. It's a favorite series of mine and yes I did miss my favorite Aussie in this book, however, the case was very interesting. Bess finds herself accused of being neglectful when a soldier in her care goes missing, so she decides to find out the truth. Why the man in question left the hotel after being given a medal by the King.

Charles Todd (mother and son) has written a really good story. I did for a moment towards the end of the book feel a bit like not much happened other than Bess trying to find the right wounded man (yup there are more than one). And, I kind of wanted something to happen, rather than all this investigation. However, the ending is very satisfying. A nice confrontation finally revealed the truth about why the soldier deserted. ( )

Charles Todd's 2014 Bess Crawford novel “An Unwilling Accomplice” has an intriguing beginning and an equally intriguing ending, even if the long midsection of the book gets a bit tedious.

The Great War is winding down in 1918 when Bess, a nurse stationed near the front in France, is assigned to accompany a wounded soldier who is being presented a medal by the king at Buckingham Palace. That night Sergeant Wilkins asks Bess to give him some time alone with friends, then slips away in the night. Not only does he become a deserter, but Scotland Yard soon suspects him of murder.

Bess finds herself an unwilling accomplice to these crimes. To restore her good name, she sets out to try to track down Wilkins herself. She is accompanied most of the way by Simon Brandon, an officer attached to her father and a regular in this series of novels. He gets more to do than usual this time, allowing the relationship between the pair to develop a bit, but any reader hoping for romance to develop will be disappointed yet again.

The hunt for Wilkins becomes tedious because Bess and Simon seem to go around in circles, then back and forth a lot. There's a wounded man called the Major who may or may not be Wilkins. Then there's a couple of women who may or may not be hiding a wounded soldier in their home. Lacking official standing in the case — although as an officer in wartime it would seem Simon should have more clout than he displays — the pair stumble around a lot trying to discover what's really going on, instead of simply asking direct questions. It's also hard to understand how, with the war still going on in France, both Bess and Simon have so much free time to track down a killer in England.

The ending rewards the patient reader, however, making this, if not one of the best Bess Crawford mysteries, at least a worthy addition. ( )

Horribly disappointed. This is the first book by this author I've read. The book starts out slow, but ok. I like the setting. But about halfway through I've lost interest and began looking for something else to read. I'll put it aside and will try again at a later date. Disclosure: I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. ( )