What do readers think of A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd? Write your own review.

A Bitter Truth is another wonderful entry in the Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd. This mother-son writing team is strong on character development and have given the reader some fantastic characters to watch grow and change throughout this satisfying mystery. Some of the characters begin as sympathetic and then become irritating and childish; some are brave; some are stubborn and arrogant; some are threatening and cruel and become sympathetic over the course of the story. There are enough red herrings and a very satisfying conclusion to the central puzzle to satisfy any mystery lover. The introduction of Sergeant Larimore, who is as resourceful as Bess and totally charming if impulsive, brings hope that this strong heroine may find a worthy love interest. Modern concerns about sexual scandal, the right to die with dignity and the problems of readjustment to civilian life make this book quite topical although it is set during the horror of the First World War.

I highly recommend this book and the others in the series for anyone who enjoys a ripping good yarn, thoughtful characters, moral dilemmas and fine writing.

Once again the authors of the Charles Todd books have a winner. In this third book of the Bess Crawford series, Bess finds herself helping a woman in need. This, however, leads her into a complicated family situation that becomes worse when murder happens. What makes this series so interesting is the WWI setting and how it affects various characters. From England to the battlefields of France the story unfolds. The variety of strongly developed characters and intricate plot makes this novel one of the best in the series of Todd books. How a mother and son who live in different states can keep coming up with such fascinating books is a "mystery" to me.

A historical mystery set during World War 1. Really enjoyed the book, fell in love with an Australian chap, hope the author uses him again. A good clean read but not boring. Will read more books from the author.

There are many things to commend about "A Bitter Truth." The authors have a wonderful ability to create multi-dimensional characters and to evoke the sense of what it must have been like during World War I. And the plot twist at the end kept me guessing whodunnit until the big reveal. But I feel the Bess Crawford character suffers in comparison to Todd's other protagonist, Ian Rutledge. Lacking the Inspector's internal demon, Crawford just comes across as a busybody, and a busybody that happens to be in the right place at the right time, at that. She may be a plucky heroine, but the plot relied upon too many external characters and coincidences to keep my interest piqued throughout the novel.

I enjoyed the third installment of the Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd. A complicated plot, although a bit far fetched. It gives one a look into the life of a nurse during WW1. I am looking forward to see what happens with Bess next.

I am a true lover of mysteries and not a lover of history but Charles Todd has managed to make me forget that there is historical background in this mystery by using a great main character of Bess Crawford whose loving and nurturing character just makes you want to see how things turn out when she gets involved in messes around her. I am going to go find the books preceding this in the series and read them too.

I highly recommend this historic novel for perfect summer beach reading! It is a well written description of a complicated family situation during World War I with murder as the backdrop. There is good character development and twists and turns that make you love and hate some characters at the same time! It would make a great discussion for a book group. ENJOY!

I read this book in one sitting. I have never read any of the other Kim Crawford books so I have nothing to compare this one to. I do not normally read mystery books but I do think this book was very interesting.

The characters were well developed and the plot was twisty. The time covered in history was something I know little about so that too was sort of fun to learn about. I will recommend it to the members of my book club that enjoy mysteries and may explore the other Kim Crawford mysteries.