TLC Book Tour: A Pattern of Lies

My friend Kristin has been expressing her love of the Bess Crawford mysteries by Charles Todd for some time.  When TLC offered Pattern of Lies, the latest Bess Crawford mystery as a selection to be reviewed on a book tour, I knew I needed to take advantage of the opportunity to try out one of these books for myself.

Pattern of Lies is the seventh installment in the series, and although it may have been better to have started with the first Bess Crawford, I didn't feel like I was missing anything having skipped over the earlier books (although I do want to go back and read them at some point).  

Bess Crawford runs into Mark Ashton, a man she once nursed while at war, at  train station.  He invites her to spend time at his home as she has missed her train, and it is there that she learns of the explosion at the Ashton family gunpowder factory that killed hundred of men.  Although the Ashtons were devastated by the explosion and loss of life, it is now two years later that people are trying to pin the accident on Mark's father.  However, even after the arrest of Mark's father, there are still people out there who are harassing the Ashton family.

Bess sets off to find the one man who witnessed the explosion and might help clear the Ashtons of wrongdoing. Bess puts herself in harm's way more than once in this novel which is full of suspense.

I love the time period this book is set in (end of World War I) and the mystery Charles Todd created.  This book reminded me a bit of Maisie Dobbs, another great historical fiction mystery series.

Thanks to TLC for inviting  me to be a part of this book tour and for providing the book Pattern of Lies to me.  All opinions expressed are my own.