An Irish Hostage: A Novel

Written by Charles Todd

Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

“[Readers] are bound to be caught up in the adventures of Bess Crawford . . . While her sensibility is as crisp as her narrative voice, Bess is a compassionate nurse who responds with feeling.”— The New York Times Book Review

In the uneasy peace following World War I, nurse Bess Crawford runs into trouble and treachery in Ireland—in this twelfth book in the New York Times bestselling mystery series.

The Great War is over—but in Ireland, in the wake of the bloody 1916 Easter Rising, anyone who served in France is now considered a traitor, including nurse Eileen Flynn and former soldier Michael Sullivan, who only want to be married in the small, isolated village where she grew up. Even her grandmother is against it, and Eileen’s only protection is her cousin Terrence who was a hero of the Rising and is still being hunted by the British. 

Bess Crawford had promised to be there for the wedding. And in spite of the danger to her, she keeps that promise—only to be met with the shocking news that the groom has vanished. Eileen begs for her help, but how can Bess hope to find him when she doesn’t know the country, the people, or where to put her trust? Time is running out, for Michael and for Bess herself, and soon her own life is on the line. With only an Irish outlaw and a man being hunted for murder on her side, how can she possibly save herself, much less stop a killer?  

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jul 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063096554

Charles Todd

Charles Todd is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother-and-son writing team, Caroline passed away in August 2021 and Charles lives in Florida.

Reviews for An Irish Hostage

[Beth Nordquist · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I used to love Charles Todd novels, but lately they seem to be cranking them out too quickly and carelessly. The passages of musings are too long and drawn-out, and worse, are often just repeating thoughts that have already been shared, sometimes multiple times. Add in favorite phrases that come up again and again in every book, like "bearded in his den" and "if looks could kill," and it all gets pretty tedious for me. Regrettable, because I do like the characters in both series, and really want to keep enjoying the books. (I'm also not a fan of Bess tooting her own horn so much. She's less appealing when she's thinking or talking about her own heroics.)

[David Anderson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a good book. It's certainly thought provoking especially for those of us with ancestors from Ireland!

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although this is book 12, it was my first in the series. I will have to go back and read the entire set. Bess Crawford has been asked by Eileen Flynn to be a bridesmaid in Eileen's wedding to a former soldier, Michael Sullivan, in Ireland. However, since the Irish and the English are at odds due to Ireland's quest to be free, Bess's parents are concerned for her safety. When Bess arrives in Ireland, she is surprised that no one is awaiting her arrival. Worse, the groom is missing. Eileen is distraught, and Bess agrees to help find Michael. However, they don't realize how much danger they are in, and who is working for them or against them in the town, perhaps in Eileen's own home? Exciting series.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As always, the Todd books start slowly because the plots can be comp[lex and about complicated people and their interactions. Going to the wedding of a friend should be simple but not when you are an English nurse and the wedding is in Ireland. Bitterness about the Irish deaths during the Rising creates a very poisonous environment and sadly it will get much worse for this book and the decades of conflict that will follow. Bess and her family represent well the patronizing upper class of the English and despite some sympathy for the Irish cause always assume that the Imperial way is the best way. When WW2 was ending Churchill was scheming for the reestablishment of the Raj in India until FDR sorted him out. As the Todd books show, it will be a long hard slog until resolved. Painful but well portrayed pictures of these difficult times.

[tomdonaghey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An Irish Hostage (2021) (Bess Crawford #12) by Charles Todd. It is now several years after the First World War and Bess is safe at home and wondering about her future with the nursing sisters. Her friend Eileen Flynn has invited her to Ireland to act as bridesmaid and so Bess goes forward onto the Emerald Isle. But it is a time of trouble and peril for all things British throughout Ireland. The Easter Rising of 1919 that was severely squelched by British cannons in the streets of Dublin is still a burning fire of hatred.Upon arriving in Ireland Bess finds the Flynn family house in turmoil, The groom, an irishman who served in the British army fighting the Germans, has been abducted. There are only a few days left prior to the nuptials and no sign of who took him or where he is hidden. Or even if he is alive. Eileen’s cousin Terrence, a hero of the Rising that slipped away after being wounded, has assured both Bess and the British officer who was to act as best man as being under his protection.But for how long?There is a murder along the way and another abduction. Toss in a gypsy with his foul talking parrot, a dubious fiddler, a grandmother who hates anything British with a passion, and other family members and townspeople who come and go in the dark, and you start having something of a thriller.I found the story workable. The use of the harsh feelings of the Irish towards the British nicely underplayed, and the dawning upon Bess that there is a great deal of justice in the Free Ireland movement is admirably played. But the pacing of it all was a bit slow and the final reveal of the “bad guy” not so very revealing after all.Not the best of the Crawford tales, but a nice little jaunt across the Irish Sea.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The mother and son team that form the author Charles Todd provided two days of pleasurable reading. Bess flies off to Ireland, which is in the throes of the Irish fighting for independence from England, for a wedding of a friend. What happens is that Bess and the best man become hostages while waiting for the groom to heal from injuries at the hands of fellow Irish men. An Irish Hostage briefly explains the Easter Rising of 1916 and the feelings in Ireland for Irish men who enlisted in WWI on the side of England. The feelings provoke visions of the American Civil War where families fought against one another. The feelings of Simon and Bess still hamper their confessing their love for one another.

[pennykaplan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bess attends an Irish wedding after the Great War and finds herself in the midst of anti English activity and kidnappings. Simon saves the day.

[lamb521 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Title: An Irish Hostage (A Bess Crawford Mystery #12)Author: Charles ToddPages: 336Year: 2021Publisher: William MorrowMy rating is 4 out of 5 stars.The First World War is over, and Bess faces a decision as to whether or not to continue with her nursing duties or resign her position. However, before she makes that decision, she is delighted to attend a friend and fellow nurse’s wedding in Ireland. A friend she met in Paris will fly her there, but he is very reluctant to leave her with the recent trouble in Ireland. He promises to fly by every night and if he sees her signal he won’t land and come to her rescue. The Irish want home rule and to be free of England’s yoke. There was an uprising in 1916 that led to many rebel deaths. Those leaders who didn’t die in The Rising were executed by the English. Therefore, there are many Irish who want nothing to do with anyone from England. Bess persuades her parents to let her go as her friend’s cousin has guaranteed her safety for the course of her stay in Ireland.Bess lands and upon entering the house where she is to stay with her friend discovers that less than a week before the wedding the groom has been kidnapped. Everyone searches for him, but as the days go by nothing is discovered. Who has taken this man and why? A body washes up on shore and Bess dreads finding out if it is the groom or not. Tensions run high at the house with her friend’s grandmother rude and hateful to Bess (and most others) because she is English. Then, the best man is kidnapped. Searchers are sent out to no avail. What is going on? Can Bess discover who is at the bottom of these kidnappings before another body is found? She also must face her growing feelings for her best friend Simon. Does he feel the same? Can they even have a relationship? Her father views Simon as the son he never had. What will she do?My only negative with this story is I thought the kidnappings and searching were a little too lengthy or drawn out too long. I liked how Bess interacted with the rude grandmother. Bess has a compassionate heart and a strength of loyalty. She will see things through to the end no matter what it might cost her. I look forward in anticipation for her next story to see what mystery she must solve and how things between her and Simon progress.Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bess Crawford is back in her twelfth book, and I am glad. World War II is over and its 1919. Bess has been invited to Ireland to be maid-of-honor at an Irish nurse’s wedding. But with the Troubles in Ireland and anger over the Easter Rising, the British are not welcomed in Ireland. The bridegroom, an Englishman, disappears just before the wedding and staggers into his nuptial mass bloodied and in great pain. Unable to tell anyone what happened to him, Bess finds herself unable to trust anyone as she tries to uncover what happened to him and the British best man who was kidnapped as well. Simon, of course, is there to help her in a highly creative Gypsy disguise. As usual, there is a lot of historical research that has been done before writing this mystery.

[eyes92c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Irish questionBess becomes embroiled in the Irish Troubles—after the 1916 Easter Uprising, and some of those involved. Having said she’d be bridesmaid for an Irish friend and nurse, Eileen Flynn, whose leg she saved when the ship they were on sank, she flies to Ireland despite her father’s (Colonel Sahib) misgivings. Eileen’s cousin, a leader with the Defenders during the Dublin Post Office stand, wanted for his actions by the British, stands as surety for Bess’s safety. When the groom goes missing and then later the best man, Bess finds herself in house where the matriarch is rampantly anti British. Who could be trusted, who was at the bottom of the kidnapping. Then Bess has a run in with the Constable. Should she confess her identity or try to solve the problem?Bess has some close calls. My heart was in my mouth. Simon Brandon is on hand fortunately—in a very different guise. But just exactly what is their relationship. The old ways of being are changing and Bess is unsure.Another historically accurate, defining episode in Bess’s story!A William Morrow and Custom House ARC via NetGalley

[cathyskye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In An Irish Hostage, the writing team known as Charles Todd shows us how explosive matters were in Ireland after the end of World War I. There may not be bombs and gunfire, but Bess is in just as much danger as she was when she was nursing in aid stations at the front lines in France. An Irish Hostage is steeped in tension, in hatred, in claustrophobia. Bess is reduced to doing a lot of sneaking around after dark, and the only reason why she's (usually) left alone is because this is a small, isolated village with no doctor, and her nursing skills come in handy.This is also a book about the futility of unreasoning hatred and grief, so much so that the book can be difficult to read at times. But it's also a book about a woman who's had four years of making her own decisions and living her own life now being expected to return to the role of dutiful daughter now that the war is over. Bess Crawford knows that there's no way she can return to that life. As this series progresses, it will be interesting to see the life she makes for herself.The bright spot that made me exclaim "It's about time!" is that-- after how many books now?-- the penny finally drops for Bess concerning Simon Brandon. It's something that all the fans of this series have been waiting for so long that, no matter what the main plot of the next book is, we're all going to want to know what's next for Bess concerning the more personal side of her life. An Irish Hostage brings readers right into the heart of the Irish fight for independence with all its danger and high emotion, and it has an escape scene that will have readers at the edge of their seats. I can't wait for the next book. (Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)