The Cliff’s Edge
Bess Crawford Book 13
William Morrow Pub
Feb 14th, 2023
The Cliff’s Edge by Charles Todd is not only a mystery who- done- it but delves into how those on the front lines must adjust to returning home after WWI ended. Bess Crawford is the main character, who must decide where she wants to go with her life after retiring from being an Army nurse. She appears restless and uncertain of her future including her feelings for Simon, her father’s military aide, which was explored a little in the previous book, An Irish Hostage.
In this book, Simon is MIA with only glimpses of him in Bess’s thoughts. This means that she is on her own trying to find clues as to what happened. The story opens with Bess agreeing to travel to Yorkshire to help her cousin Melinda’s friend Lady Beatrice, recover from surgery. Bess gets even more than she bargained for when her patient’s godson, Gordon Neville, suffers an accident, and she’s dispatched to help him. He was injured in a fall from a cliff, an accident that killed his childhood friend Frederick Caldwell. Both Bess and the police, called to investigate, wonder if it was an accident or something more sinister. After Gordon is accused of murder Bess struggles to find out if he is indeed the killer but is thwarted because of a feud between families.
Unfortunately, for fans of this series it has a cliffhanger regarding the relationship between Bess and Simon. There is no resolution on how they will react to one another, going back to just a friendship, wanting an intimate relationship, or just avoiding each other. Yet, as with all the other books, it does gives readers a glimpse into the era, the York setting, and believable characters.
Elise Cooper: Is this book written just by you?
Charles Todd: My mom died in 2021. We did the rough draft together for this novel, The Cliff’s Edge. The initial rough draft was turned in a month before she died. She went out with a full head of steam in August, not losing her mind and her physical ability. We are very thankful for that.
EC: Simon was MIA in this book?
CT: In the last Bess book, An Irish Hostage, readers learned all this information about Simon and what happened between them. To understand what is going on between Bess and Simon at least read the last 1/3 of An Irish Hostage. They did kiss and it was not paternal. In this book he makes no physical appearance, but sometimes one of the secondary characters reminds Bess of Simon in the way he looks. Bess and Simon will have to talk about their problems. We punted in this book with Simon playing scarce, which is driving Bess up a wall. Another important question is what direction Bess will go after resigning from the nurse’s corps.
EC: In the books the setting plays an important role?
CT: We has spent some time in York. It is a fascinating and unique place. There are local names for all the peaks. It is very remote. We looked around this place and thought it will be a great place to set a mystery. At dusk, where the shadows get long, people get an odd and uncanny feeling.
EC: How would you describe Lady Beatrice, someone under Bess’s care?
CT: Kind, thoughtful, caring, overbearing, direct, independent, and someone to be reckoned with.
EC: Two of the suspects, Mark versus Gordan?
CT: Mark is rude, has a bad temperament, angry, and is callous. Mark has an attitude problem, a chip on his shoulder. He manages through intimidation and when around, makes people walk on eggshells. Whereas Gordon is still suffering from grief, sometimes has a bad temperament, stubborn, and is reckless. Gordon inherited the farm, a man of the land. He is a hero and a solid person, who can be counted on in a pinch.
EC: The next book?
CT: The next book was written just by me. It will be an Ian book. I am putting quality over quantity so I might not put out a book every six months. As soon as I get one book done, I start on the next one. I will not find another writer to work with me because no one can automatically pick up where my mom left off. The next Ian book is with my agent, and we will see what happens from there since my contract is up, but it will go on to some publisher. I am also writing a short story, part of an anthology, based on titles of songs of the entire album, “Back in Black” by AC/DC. Each author wrote a story based on one of these songs.
THANK YOU!!
