A Forgotten Place audiobook

I've read almost all the books in the Bess Crawford series and it's always with nice to get a new book in my hands. In A FORGOTTEN PLACE by Charles Todd, one would think now that the Great War is over that life would be easier for Bess. That her work as a nurse would be less demanding. However, there are still a lot of wounded soldiers, many of whom have lost limbs. In this book, Bess is worried about her Welsh patients. Their spirits seem to be broken. With the loss of limbs, they have no job to go back to home. Bess receives a letter from their officer, Captain Williams, who writes about the soldier's despair after they have left the hospital. Bess worries so much that she decides to travel to Wales during her leave and she doesn't tell anyone about her plans. At the village, she learns the captain has moved on and is now living with his brother's widow. Afraid that he will kill himself, Bess makes the decision to follow him to the isolated peninsula where he has settled. However, soon she finds herself stranded there...READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

** spoiler alert ** TODDS HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!Just finished the newest (#10) in a cherished series and A FORGOTTEN PLACE is now one of my faves! The mother-son team of Charles Todd does a splendid job of evoking the raw beauty and utter remoteness of the Gower Peninsula of South Wales.PLACE AS PROTAGONISTHere, place is the most important character — even more so than nurse Bess, fresh from French field hospitals, who goes there to check on former patients and finds herself fighting for her life while caught in clannish violence. POETIC POIGNANCY The authors have taught this history major more than any classroom about the War to End All Wars and they’ve done so with poetic poignancy. Grievous injuries to body, mind and soul ... searing losses that forever alter families ... all depicted in heartbreaking detail that explains Europe’s reluctance to later risk another world war.PLEASE HEAR MY PLEA!As an unabashed romantic, my only wish is that the Todds would finally bring together Bess and Simon, the family friend who saves her, always, in the most dangerous situations. CHARMING COUPLETheir coupleship need not end the series. Think Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence, charmingly portrayed in the PBS “Partners in Crime” series by Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) and David Walliams (Britain’s Got Talent). RSVP ... YES!When that happens, I want an invitation to the wedding. No discussion! A FORGOTTEN PLACE, published September 18, is available on Amazon.

I like reading series, and I have read all of the books from this duo over the years. It is similar to visiting old friends though not every visit can be equally rewarding. The Great War has come to a close, but there are amputees to care for in various clinics as Bess continues her work as a Sister. Here she becomes invested in the fate of a group of Welsh soldiers and takes her well deserved leave into the windswept shores of the Gower Peninsula. First stop is a mining village where she discovers her former patients have chosen suicide and an avalanche of earth sends her on her way to Swansea after tending to injured.Next stop is a village fit for Halloween. This results in hundreds of pages of Gothic villagers hiding secrets, burying bodies in the night as well as other assorted unfriendly acts. It all happens in such darkness that no one can ever be sure who is causing mayhem and murder. "Watchers" are stationed nightly, so that makes for enjoyable walks in the rain and wind. Yes, this is her leave!No vehicle for Bess to escape in, as her driver is scared off in middle of the night and she is well and truly stranded in this hostile environment for rather longer than the reader can tolerate. Eventually Simon comes to the rescue. Overall, not my favorite Bess chapter.

I don’t know why, but unlike some of the other reviewers, I liked this Bess Crawford mystery better than some of her other books. Yes, it does take place in one small area, but that’s really part of the story. I was guessing until the end and was surprised by the ending. There were times I thought it was a bit slow and repetitive- but I think that was part of the story in this one small area that everything takes place. If you like Bess Crawford, Simon Brandon, etc, then don’t skip this one.

Really enjoyed this; best of the Crawford series so far. One of the things I most appreciate in the Ian Rutledge series is their strong sense of place, they are usually set in a very distinct place in Britain, one with its own landscape, culture and history. This hasn't been true before of the Bess Crawford series but definitely is with this novel . . . the Great War is over and while the first few pages are set in a France hospital, soon Bess finds herself serving as a rehab nurse in Britain. When she gets leave, her concern for a group of Welsh amputees sends her off to their mining village to check on how they are faring and then to the Gower Peninsula, a very isolated coastal area, where their Captain has moved. (Always the weakest link in these Bess Crawford mysteries but I suppose if one wants a female protagonist in this time period, nosiness is the only option for involvement.) Loved the descriptions of the sea, the storms, the isolation of the little village and the mystery, involving a 500 year shipwreck was very good, too. A real pleasure reading this.

I have longer fan of the Bess Crawford series and the tenth book did not disappoint. The war was over and Bess is assign to an amputee ward. Where she met Captain Hugh and his men. They all had missing legs or arms as they had been ambushed in the last few days of the war. It wipe out most of the men in platoon. Bess becomes found the men who were from Welch and work in the cold mines.They can no longer work in the mines and there is no other jobs for them. Bess on a ten day furlough travels to the Welsh village. She is dismay to find all but two are dead and Captain Hugh has moved to the Welsh coast to live with his sister-in-law.She travels to the village and becomes strand there. Bess must know the answer to several questions in order to leave the village. What is village's secret? Who is beaten up the men? Why won't the village call in the police/army? The ending was tricky and it caught me unaware. I highly recommend this book and and series.Disclosure: Many thanks to Edelweiss and WilliamMorrow for a review copy.The opinions expressed are my own.

Really enjoyed this; best of the Crawford series so far. One of the things I most appreciate in the Ian Rutledge series is their strong sense of place, they are usually set in a very distinct place in Britain, one with its own landscape, culture and history. This hasn't been true before of the Bess Crawford series but definitely is with this novel . . . the Great War is over and while the first few pages are set in a France hospital, soon Bess finds herself serving as a rehab nurse in Britain. When she gets leave, her concern for a group of Welsh amputees sends her off to their mining village to check on how they are faring and then to the Gower Peninsula, a very isolated coastal area, where their Captain has moved. (Always the weakest link in these Bess Crawford mysteries but I suppose if one wants a female protagonist in this time period, nosiness is the only option for involvement.) Loved the descriptions of the sea, the storms, the isolation of the little village and the mystery, involving a 500 year shipwreck was very good, too. A real pleasure reading this.

It's so exciting to come back from vacation and find a book in the mail, just waiting for you! Especially a pre release book! I really enjoyed the story, the series has moved beyond WWI now so we'll see how the authors continue to build Bess' life. I liked the descriptions of the small Welsh villages. The mystery was good, it didn't do what I expected. I would love to see more between Bess and Simon.

WWI has ended and Nurse Bess Crawford is back home in England tending to the many wounded vets. Not long after a group of men from a small mining town in Wales are released, she receives a letter from their commanding officer who is from the same town. Captain Williams is worried about them. They were all too injured to return to their former jobs in the mine and they seem to be suffering from severe depression - already some have committed suicide. He asks her to come and check up on them but when Bess requests leave to do so, she is told that there is nothing the army can do. However, a while later, when her supervisor notices she looks tired and recommends she take a few days off to recover, she heads to Wales without telling anyone. When she arrives, she learns she is too late to help the men. She also learns that Captain Williams has left for a village on an isolated peninsula to help his widowed sister-in-law. Worried about his mental state, Bess follows him. When she finds him, he warns her that it is not safe and she should leave immediately. But she is tired and decides to stay the night – she had come by taxi and, reluctantly, the driver decides to also stay although at a neighbour’s. However, the next morning, she discovers that he has left and there is no way to contact him. Nor is there anyone in the village who can or will take her the long distance to the nearest town. Worse, since she hadn’t told anyone where she was headed, no one will know where to look for her.As she reluctantly settles in to wait for any opportunity to leave and despite William’s warnings, she decides to investigate the area. It becomes clear, quickly, that the villagers have a secret, one that they are willing to kill for and, as the body count rises, so does the villagers’ hostility toward her.A Forgotten Place is the tenth installment in the Bess Crawford Mysteries series by the mother/son team that makes up author Charles Todd. The pacing here is somewhat slow but what it lacks in action, it makes up for in atmosphere. If anything, the slow pacing serves to heighten the suspense and the sense of claustrophobia created by the isolation, the open hostility of the villagers, and the over-arching feel of imminent danger. For anyone who enjoys a well-written and atmospheric historical mystery, this is a definite ‘must read’.Thanks to Edelweiss+ and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

The Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd transports me to wild, vibrant Wales and to a time after WWI when the world attempts to recover from the horrors of war. The Welsh men that have survived the trenches, but have lost a limb, must attempt to return to a job and family. A Forgotten Place depicts the suffering and despair of these returning veterans. The description of the men elicits a grim picture of the war’s aftermath, with most of the men committing suicide rather than becoming a burden for the family. Charles Todd, the mother-son writing team paints a vivid scene of the Welsh community and the harshness of life by the sea, which is intensified by the music and language of the Welsh. The story showed me the frustration and loneliness caused by a war, and that life does not return to normal as soon as the war ends.

I always await the next Bess Crawford book with breathless anticipation, wondering if perhaps this book will finally be the one that has some kind of change in relationship between Bess and Simon but alas this book saw no new development and was sadly light on Simon which I never like. Despite that I really liked the book and give it a solid 5 which is high praise indeed especially for it being light on Simon.:)The 10th installment in the Bess Crawford series takes us to the very dark aftermath of WW1 where the brutal war is over but it has left many embitter and broken men. Bess finds herself in the wilds of Wales that seems like a different world where she is trying to help the struggling amputee Captain Williams where she is regarded as an outsider. As people turn up dead and with a killer on the lose will Bess be able to figure out what is going on before it is too late?The mystery was solid and I really liked the character development. I liked how they developed a side romance that was sweet especially since Bess's romance with Simon isn't going anywhere fast.Well written and engaging this was a fine addition to one of my favorite mystery series.Thanks to Edelweiss+ and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Title: A Forgotten Place (A Bess Crawford Mystery #10)Author: Charles ToddPages: 357 (ARC)Year: 2018Publisher: William MorrowMy rating is 4 out of 5 stars.Bess Crawford is still working in service to the Queen’s military forces as a nurse. The war is over, but the wounded still need care. They didn’t just miraculously heal once the war ended. She is tasked with caring for a Welsh unit that all had amputations. Most came from the mines in Wales, and with their injuries were not sure how they were going to support their families. They felt they would have been better off dying in the war and not returning half a man. Bess encourages them as best she can. They are all released together for the return home journey. A couple of months later Bess receives a letter from their commanding officer, himself an amputee, asking for her help. Several of the troop have died from illness, accident or their own hand. Bess has some time off due her, so she heads to Wales. She plans to spend a day or two there and then return to finish out her leave visiting her parents in England.After tracking down Captain Williams, Bess finds herself on a beautiful but desolate space of land at the furthermost region of Wales. There are no telephones, mail service, grocery stores or police force. The small village is not tolerant of strangers. Once Bess is dropped off by her driver, she plans to leave the next day as a storm approaches. However, during the night her driver takes off, leaving her stranded. Bess has no way to contact anyone, and she soon discovers the villagers have a secret they don’t want known. Bess is now constantly watched wherever she goes. A couple of men are beaten badly, but don’t know the culprit’s identity. There are dead men washing ashore and secretly buried. The village’s wealthy widow seems to visit rarely, but when she does her home is slowly being dismantled from the inside. What is going on? Bess has a sense of justice and curiosity that is going to get her in trouble. Will she end up a permanent resident in the churchyard?I enjoy the mysteries of Charles Todd because they are so much more than just a “whodunnit” for me. The deeper thoughts and psychological aspects of the characters are intriguing. How will a certain character act in a certain situation? How will Bess react? I like watching the characters interact and develop along the path of the story, reaching a conclusion with a twist. Each story can stand alone but does progress in time, so it would be best to start with book one of the series. Enjoy this wonderful British mystery series set during WWI and immediately thereafter!

WWI is over, and Bess Crawford is home. She's still tending patients who have survived the war but at great physical and emotional cost. Her attachment to one set of patients puts her life in danger as she tries to support them. I really enjoyed this book despite the fact that it's somewhat depressing. The authors created a great atmosphere to go along with the plot too.