World War I Battlefield nurse Bess Crawfords career is in jeopardy when a murder is committed on her watch, in this absorbing and atmospheric historical mystery from New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd.Home on leave, Bess Crawford is asked to accompany a wounded soldier confined to a wheelchair to Buckingham Palace, where hes to be decorated by the King. The next morning when Bess goes to collect Wilkins, he has vanished. Both the Army and the nursing service hold Bess negligent for losing the war hero, and there will be an inquiry.Then comes disturbing word from the Shropshire police, complicating the already difficult situation: Wilkins has been spotted, and hes killed a man. If Bess is to save her own reputation, she must find Wilkins and uncover the truth. But the elusive soldier has disappeared again and even the Shropshire police have lost him. Suddenly, the moral implications of what has happenedthat a patient in her charge has committed murderbecome more important to Bess than her own future. Shes going to solve this mysterious puzzle, but righting an injustice and saving her honor may just cost Bess her life.