Order of Book Series
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Bess Crawford Books in Order

Bess Crawford by Charles Todd contains 16 books, published between 2009 and 2023. The first book is A Duty to the Dead (2009) and the newest is The Cliff's Edge (2023). One more title is announced: A Deadly Cost (2027). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
16 + 1 announced
Published
2009–2023
Confirmed
16 of 17 titles
Pages on record
3,281 in 10 of 17 books
Reading time
55–82 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 3,281 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 10 of 17 titles with a page count on record.

See all 17 books in order Printable Bess Crawford checklistNext: A Deadly Cost (2027)

Bess Crawford is a nurse in the First World War, and the mysteries built around her run to 17 books. Charles Todd began the series with A Duty to the Dead (2009) and has A Deadly Cost scheduled for 2027. Murder investigations set in England during the war years give the books their plots, with The Cliff's Edge the most recent published title.

How many Bess Crawford books are there?

Bess Crawford has 16 published books, released between 2009 and 2023. One more, A Deadly Cost (2027), is announced.

Bess Crawford Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 17 Bess Crawford books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd, book 3 of the Bess Crawford series (2010)
  2. Cover of A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd, book 4 of the Bess Crawford series (2011)
  3. Cover of An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd, book 5 of the Bess Crawford series (2012)
  4. Cover of A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd, book 9 of the Bess Crawford series (2015)
  5. Cover of The Shattered Tree by Charles Todd, book 10 of the Bess Crawford series (2016)
  6. Cover of A Cruel Deception by Charles Todd, book 13 of the Bess Crawford series (2019)
  1. 1
    A Duty to the Dead2009 · 329 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2009329
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Girl on the Beach2010 · confirmed 2/4
    2010–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    An Impartial Witness2010 · confirmed 3/4
    2010–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    A Bitter Truth2011 · 340 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2011340
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    An Unmarked Grave2012 · 262 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2012262
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    A Question of Honor2013 · 336 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2013336
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    An Unwilling Accomplice2014 · 368 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2014368
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Maharani's Pearls2014 · confirmed 3/4
    2014–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    A Pattern of Lies2015 · 325 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2015325
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Shattered Tree2016 · 287 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2016287
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    A Casualty of War2017 · 377 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2017377
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    A Forgotten Place2018 · 354 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2018354
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    A Cruel Deception2019 · 303 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2019303
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    A Hanging at Dawn2020 · confirmed 3/4
    2020–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    An Irish Hostage2021 · confirmed 3/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    The Cliff's Edge2023 · confirmed 3/4
    2023–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    A Deadly Cost2027 · confirmed 3/4
    2027–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for Bess Crawford?

No separate chronological order is on record for Bess Crawford, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.

Do you have to read Bess Crawford books in order?

You should read the Bess Crawford books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Bess Crawford book also stands alone.

Where to start with Bess Crawford

Start with A Duty to the Dead (2009), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Bess Crawford book?

The Cliff's Edge (2023) is the newest Bess Crawford book released so far.

Is there a new Bess Crawford book coming?

Yes. A Deadly Cost (2027) is the next Bess Crawford book announced in the catalogue. A publication year announced this far ahead moves, so it is worth rechecking: every announced title dated after 2026 sits on the upcoming book releases page.

Bess Crawford at a glance

Still running
Bess Crawford is still running. A Deadly Cost is announced for 2027.
Release pace
Bess Crawford books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
3,281 pages across the 10 of 17 books with a recorded length, a median of 332 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Bess Crawford books, 12 of 17, were published in the 2010s.

What the Bess Crawford books are about

12 of the 17 Bess Crawford books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: nurses is tagged on 11 of 12. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by Charles Todd

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.

Other series by Charles Todd

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.