Reviews

An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd

zbmorgan's review

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4.0

Lovely, brooding complex mystery with an amateur sleuth with the dogged determination of a pro. Audio version read beautifully by Rosalyn Landor. Great for WWI buffs and fans of Maisie Dobbs.

tsumommy's review

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1.0

Sooooo dry and boring, I couldn't keep track of the characters, and I didn't care enough to even finish the last 40 pages...I should have given up long before then.

thatssoshauna's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

midlife_reader's review

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5.0

4.5 stars. Another great mystery. The WWI setting is so interesting, and I love the characters!

autumnhopegreta's review

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3.0

3.5 stars

wphraner's review

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Bored

reydeam's review

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4.0

Loved this book. I will post my thoughts soon.

joyreadsinnc's review

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3.0

I don't think this book was as good as the first in the series. The characters were not as well fleshed out and were more predictable. I had an idea of who the killer was after reading about 100 pages and it turned out to be true. The mystery in itself was predictable and therefore the killer was easy to determine.

I am going to try the next in the series soon, but I hope it gets little more interesting.

margardenlady's review against another edition

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mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Bess didn’t intend to get caught up in a murder inquiry, but she’s just too curious and observant. She sees the wife of a patient at the train station and the wife is killed later that day. And Bess can’t help but try to figure out what happened. Interesting period mystery set in 1914

kathydavie's review

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4.0

Second in the Bess Crawford historical mystery series revolving around a battlefield nurse during World War I in 1917.

My Take
I found this one more believable than his first. I really like how well Todd conveys the feel of England in the first World War. He brings out the style and mores as well as the privation suffered by the English, although it has a softness to it. Although I am rather surprised at how much driving around Bess does when supposedly petrol is in short supply!

I'm also curious as to what might happen between Bess and Simon…it's a possibility. In the meantime, it's interesting to watch Bess detect within the culture of the time…and as she can get leave from her duties as a nursing sister on the Continent.