A "Charles Todd Lite" offering, with two stories each featuring Rutledge and Bess. None of the stories is particularly engaging, and the two that involve a crime to be solved are rushed and not served well by the short running time. The one set in India when precocious Bess was 10 was interesting for background on her early life, but was sort of silly. These characters are better served in full length novels, despite the Todd's over-reliance on coincidences to move the plot along. Note: the Witness Impulse edition also contains a 60-page sneak peek at a new-at-the-time Bess Crawford mystery, so the actual length of the four short stories is more like 102 pages.

Share/Like this Review?