An Unwilling Accomplice: A Bess Crawford Mystery by Charles Todd

                I feel as though the relationship between Bess and Simon is going backwards.  In some of the other Bess Crawford mystery series books there was at least some sign of romantic affection between the two.  Now that I have read the final book for the series so far, it seems as though things are going down a more platonic road.  There were a couple teeny tiny hints that it might not stay that way, but that may have just been my interpretation based upon what I want to happen.  I’m very disappointed.  When I picked up this book I was hoping to find some progress in Bess’s and Simon’s relationship.  Now I’m starting to wonder if it will ever happen.

                This time around, World War I nurse Bess Crawford finds herself in trouble in a way she never has been before.  She was called upon to take care of a wounded soldier as he receives an award from the king.  Sergeant Jason Wilkins is being honored for his acts during battle but is too injured to attend the ceremony unattended.  Bess is supposed to take him to the ceremony and look out for him until he is picked up by an orderly the next morning.  It seems like an easy enough task, and Bess is happy to accept.  At least she is until Sgt. Wilkins disappears the morning after the ceremony.

                Bess cannot figure out how Sgt. Wilkins could be missing.  She checked on him the night before as she was scheduled to do and everything seemed to be fine.  Also, Sgt. Wilkins is far too wounded to get anywhere on his own.  The wheelchair Sgt. Wilkins needed to go to the ceremony is still in his room and it does not make sense as to how he could leave without it.  No matter how hard she tries, Bess cannot make sense of the situation.  She knows she has to report Sgt. Wilkins as missing, but she does not suspect the ramifications the disappearance will have for her.

                When Bess reports Sgt. Wilkins missing, she is the one that ends up in trouble.  The Army and the Military Nursing Service believe Sgt. Wilkins defected and that Bess knowingly played a part in it.  She of course denies this, but they don’t want to listen.  Their minds were made up before Bess could ever tell her story.  To make matters worse, Sgt. Wilkins becomes the main suspect in a murder.  Bess knows the only way to clear her name is to do it herself.  She has to find Sgt. Wilkins and discover the truth behind his disappearance.  If she doesn’t, her good name and career could be marred forever.

                Just like a few books ago, I was not as thrilled with An Unwilling Accomplice as I have been with many of the others in the series.  Other than the usual characters, I had a hard time finding anyone I liked.  So many of the characters were nasty or on the negative side.  For me, that can make it hard to get through a book.  Also, I spent a lot of time confused.  Facts and clues didn’t always add up and I spent a lot of time going back and rereading things.  Sometimes I found the answers I was looking for, but other times I didn’t.  Part of my confusion had to do with the constant travel of the characters.  I found it very difficult to figure out who was where and why.

                Despite all that, I did enjoy the book.  I always do.  One of the greatest things about this one is that Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon is in it nearly the entire time.  Yeah!  I can never seem to get enough of Simon.  It would be fascinating to learn what he is up to when he’s called away to perform a duty for the military.  His past is still a mystery and I’m curious about that too. 

                      I’m still not sure what is going to happen next with the series. This book was set in the autumn of 1918. There are only weeks left to the war. Will the next book (I’m assuming there’s a next book) have the war end and the series will as well? I don’t know, but it will be interesting to see how the war wraps up for Bess. She’s very good at what she does and I’m sure her nursing skills could be used somewhere. Maybe she’ll want to pursue some other avenue that was put on hold because of the war. No matter what direction Bess decides to take, I really hope it includes a life with Simon Brandon.