A review by nonna7
A Cruel Deception by Charles Todd

3.0

Charles Todd's books seldom disappoint and this is no exception. I prefer the Ian Rutledge series to the Bess Crawford series for the most part, but I have to admit I'm wondering exactly where the author(s) (Charles Todd is a pen name for a mother/son writing team) are going to take Bess. The Great War is over. Bess has been taking care of wounded men with long term care needs. However, the phase is coming to an end. Bess prefers not to teach, but neither is she interested in assisting a doctor with run of the mill surgeries. Her friends are leaving the service to get married in many cases, but Bess is not quite read to settle down and marry nor does she have a young man with whom she has fallen in love. Or has she. The elusive Simon, late of her father's regiment, is off in Scotland. The family doesn't know what he is doing. Bess wonders if he has found love there. When she is summoned by Matron, she is fully expecting to be discharged. Instead, Matron asks her for a special favor: her son is missing. He was in Paris for the peace talks but has disappeared. She arranges for her to stay with friends in Paris, Dr. Moreau and his wife. When she gets there she discovers that the young man is staying with a friend in the village of St Ives. When she gets there she discovers a young woman who is taking care of him because he saved her father's life. He is in bad shape mentally, addicted to laudanum and experiencing horrendous nightmares. He was fine when they went to dinner a short time ago, then he started having nightmares and got addicted to drugs in order to stop them. The first half of the book is devoted to Bess trying to figure out what is going on with the young man and not figuring it out. I would have liked to see this part shortened to be honest. The reader is half way through the book before she starts doing some serious investigation. Still, all in all it's an interesting book with a rather dramatic, perhaps even slightly melodramatic, plot. Simon doesn't make an appearance nor do we learn what orders Bess has from Matron. Next book!