Thursday, July 8, 2021

Charles Todd--An Irish Hostage

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Summer is really here! There's a new Bess Crawford novel from Charles Todd, an event I look forward to every year! Now I just need a little vacation day so that I can read it straight through!

For those who aren't familiar with the series, "Charles Todd" is mother/son writing partners Caroline and Charles, and they write two series, one featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge, set after WWI, and one featuring English nurse Bess Crawford, set during the war--and now after .

This 12th Bess Crawford novel sees the war over and Bess trying to chart a new course for herself. It takes her to Ireland for the first time. I wanted to know what drew the Todds to Ireland in this complicated post-war period. (Every time I learn even a little about Irish history, I realize how much I don't know.) Caroline explains:

CAROLINE TODD: Bess Crawford took us to the Great War to show how women stepped up to do their bit.  We followed her through the worst of the fighting to the Armistice and the Peace Treaty—even to the tragedy of men who were to become the long term wounded…

But there was one story we hadn’t told—that of the Irish Troubles—because it was a problem that wouldn’t go away for much of the 20th century.

The Irish had been struggling to find a path to home rule, and London made promises, but nothing seemed to come of it.  When war was declared in 1914, Irishmen enlisted in the British Army, in the hope that their service would be rewarded when it was over—dying for Britain in the worst of the fighting.

But others felt this was not going to move London—and the Easter 1916 Rising in Dublin sent Irishmen into the streets to take their freedom with armed insurrection. It was put down, the ringleaders executed—and people who had had mixed feelings about the Rising suddenly found themselves supporting the Cause.

And when the soldiers who had fought for Britain in France returned, they were treated not as heroes, but as traitors, shunned by their own people.

Into this turmoil, Bess is asked to stand up for Eileen, the Irish nurse who nearly died when Britannic went down in A Duty to the Dead. She has healed, her fiancĂ© has just come home from France—and she wants to be married in Ireland in spite of high feelings against both of them.  But Bess’s family is worried for her safety, and the only way they can see for her to travel is by aircraft. In and out for the wedding….

But it doesn’t quite work out as everyone hopes!

And before she knows it, Bess is involved in kidnapping, murder, no idea where to put her trust, and even dragged to a prison cell!

She feels a duty to help those caught in the middle of what is happening—and learns something about her own heart—but how she can save others when she herself is threatened?

DEBS: There is a great flying scene in the beginning of the book, and of course I thought of Caroline and Charles' adventure going up in a biplane


 Now I call that serious research!

But I've never been to Ireland, and I want to know more about their Irish background. Caroline and Charles, is Bess's friend's village a real place? Did you get all the material you needed for this book before the pandemic? Tell us more!


 And REDS and readers, have you visited Ireland?

67 comments:

  1. A new Bess Crawford story is always exciting news . . . . The story sounds quite exciting and I'm looking forward to reading it.

    Might you tell us a bit about your biplane adventure?

    Alas, I’ve only “visited” Ireland in the pages of books . . . but I would love to visit one day.

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    1. Joanne, it's a lovely place to visit. I've been there several times, and the people I've met and talked with make your stay so pleasant. There's a lot of history in that country too. You feel it, people talk about it. And you can visit the ruins of the country's past. One man tried to sell me a pony that had taken a liking to me. Hard to explain that to TSA, coming home. :-) Still, it was a fun moment. Great place to set a Bess!

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  2. I've only visited Ireland in the pages of books, sadly. Ironically enough, I read two books set there in June. Maybe it's a sign I should be planning on going there myself soon.

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    1. Find a good travel group to take you to the best places to visit. That takes the worry out of going to a new place. My first visit happened by accident, when our flight to Heathrow was turned back to Shannon because of engine problems. I'll never forget passing low over the runway while firetrucks looked to see if our landing gear was locked in place! It was, and we landed safely. And we were given the loveliest Irish breakfast while they checked out the aircraft. That was the first many visits--those planned!

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    2. What a memorable first visit. Glad you were safe and that it didn't stop you from going back.

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  3. Caroline and Charles, welcome to Jungle Reds! I look forward to reading the IRISH HOSTAGE. Look forward to reading a new Bess Crawford story.

    The Irish troubles reminds me of a recent novel - NORTHERN SPY by Flynn Berry. And I remember the peace accords in 1996.

    When I was at Oxford, we visited Scotland and Wakes during the weekends. Though I did not get to visit Ireland.

    Thought about visiting Ireland when I saw tour flyers at the bus station. They had ferries from England to Ireland. It would mean more time away and I planned to come back and visit Ireland.

    Though I have visited England, Scotland and Wales, I have not had a chance to visit Ireland YET. Once the pandemic is over, I would LOVE to visit Ireland.

    Diana

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    1. Well worth adding that trip. There are so many stories in Ireland. And going there is so different from England, Scotland, and Wales. Each country has its own scenery, history, ruins. People are different too. We really did visit a great little pub and listen to the music, met the people. Made a great scene in the book, which set the stage for Bess to arrive, although everyone we met was friendly. As a writer you learn how to take the experience as you lived it, and turn it into part of your story. I've seen Debs do that in so many of her books too. She'll tell me about an experience, and then I find how she has used that for Duncan or Gemma or another character. It makes travel and writing such an exciting mix.

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  4. I've never been to Ireland, and my education has been sorely lacking about its history. Which is only one of the reasons why I'm excited about a new Bess Crawford novel. I know I'll learn something. Also, I'll get to revisit Bess, and Simon, and the whole lovely crew. Can't wait to read it!

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    1. :-) I love getting a favorite author and finding out what is happening in their world. Hint, hint, Debs, I'm waiting for another tale?! We were mystery fans, Charles and I, long before we stared writing. And finding out that a new title is coming out was always a big event. WE had to order two books. Neither of us wanted to wait to read!

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    2. Sorry, Caroline. I may be Debs' critique partner, but my lips are sealed. There IS a new one in the works, and it's good. That's all you get from me.

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  5. I am woefully behind on this series, but now I'm determined to catch up!

    I just finished Mountains Wild, which I learned about here, set mostly in Ireland. It's a stunning story, and I feel immersed the land of half my ancestors, although I haven't gotten there in person yet (pandemic canceled that trip in May 2020...).

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    1. I'll add that to my list. And now that AN IRISH HOSTAGE is written and on the bookshelves, we can read someone else's book! We are careful while we are writing not to read about a place we are working with, because it's easy to pick up something without realizing it. Afterward, we are often still intrigued, and want to see this or that place through the eyes of someone else.

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    2. You will love it. Sarah Stewart Taylor.

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    3. Oh, definitely, Caroline. Although I think I might love the new book, A Distant Grave, even more. But they should be read in order.

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    4. I'll be reading A Distant Grave this weekend. The Mountains Wild is a terrific book.

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  6. Congratulations on your new book Caroline and Charles.
    You are braver than me to fly in the biplane.
    I visited Ireland and I always like to read stories taking place in a country I visited.

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    1. The bi-plane was fantastic. There are more instruments in front of me in my car! And the feel of lifting off into air as the little plane rose was fantastic. You don't notice that moment in a big airliner. Here you did--and it was sooo exciting! Amazing the things you do for research. This was one of the most wonderful. We wanted to see what pilots saw rising over the battlefield. Of course there was no war below, but your imagination found sights and sounds that were amazing. A little train snaking through the trees, tall grain towers that might have been gun emplacements, or a farm that might have been a line of trenches. And as I held the stick, feeling the movements of the experienced pilot behind me, my feet on the rudders, it was so amazinng.

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    2. Caroline, you are much braver than me! Although you've described it so wonderfully that I might even be tempted.

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  7. Congrats on the new book!

    I have never visited Ireland but it is my top trip desire should I ever strike it rich and can afford to travel. For a few years, I subscribed to the tourism magazine IRELAND OF THE WELCOMES and got to at least learn about different places around the country.

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    1. Yes, I love some of the magazines that take you places you've never been. But there are some nice tours available. I get info about them and plan a dream trip. Still places I want to go and see in Ireland--well in a lot of places! Not just Ireland! And it is fun to sit and plan a journey. Especially if you think there may be a book in it. Charles and I did a lot of "planning" during Covid. We missed two trips to England, which was heartbreaking. But it was part of dealing with what everyone else was facing. When friends in England finally got their jabs, I was so glad to hear it. For a time it was touch and go, whether the virus in Kent was going to get them before the vaccine arrived. Later we learned how worried they were about us.

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    2. Caroline, I was really worried about my friends there, too, but thank goodness everyone I know has had their jabs now. I think I read the other day that 85% of the UK population is now vaccinated. I'll have to check on that.

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  8. Welcome to JRW, Caroline and Charles and congratulations on your new release. The Bess Crawford series of historical mysteries is on my TBR list now, (thanks again, Debs) and I will start with book 1. I am woefully lacking when it comes to this period of history and know very little about Ireland at this time. I have not been to Ireland, yet.

    As for the flying research, whee! Tell us all about it. How did you manage to do it? Did both of you go? Was other "hands-on" research of this type necessary for your other books?

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    1. Charles went up first. He had the leather helmet, goggles, leather jacket, and white silk scarf--just as pilots did in 1914. It was a cloudy, windy day, and I was freezing to death as we went over the checklist before getting in. Then it was my turn to go up, and as the big engine fired, this lovely draft of warm air came back into my seat. Funny story? It was hard for someone my size to get aboard,--I'm not tall, and there are only so many places where you can put your feet as you get into the forward cockpit. I made it--but getting out afterward was--according to Charles--hilarious to watch. But out I got!

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    2. When you describe Bess getting out of the plane in An Irish Hostage, you can tell that you've really done that!

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  9. Congratulations on your new release! I'm looking forward to Bess's trip to Ireland.

    Yes, I've traveled all over Ireland. My favs were Dublin, Killarney, the Aran Islands, and the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. I remember walking around St. Stephen's Green in London learning the history of 1916.

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    1. Lovely places! To those I'd add Connemara, the churchyard there. The Book of Kells, in Dublin, that marvelous illustrated manuscript the monks created--so many other examples. You are lucky to have seen so much!

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  10. I have never been to Ireland, but I surprised The Hubby by marking two trips in the latest AAA travel magazine to Ireland. We aren't sure we want to travel internationally though just yet.

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    1. Best wait another year, and go in the spring! That's what we're doing, going back to England--June 2022. As a good friend said to me, It will all still be there to see! But losing two years has been hard. Fortunately we had enough material to write the books we needed to write. Charles and I use cards in our camera, and just fire away wherever we go. That often translates into far more shots than we need, because we are THERE, or passing though or unexpectedly find a place we want to write about later. Research is work and fun and exciting, and then the characters start popping up and telling you, Here's a story for later!

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    2. So where in England next June, Caroline?

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  11. Oh, I am cheering with delight! You know I am such a huge fan, and cannot wait to read this. I have not been to Ireland, and I’m wondering… Does it seem like a different world? Did you have to learn a whole new culture and set of rules and traditions and even manner of speaking? Or maybe you learned it along with Bess!

    congratulations you too – – you are amazing!

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    1. Ireland is different, so is Scotland and Wales. And England. In all four countries, the people are also different, and learning why is part of the research. No one would think in England to ask you how much you earn in a year--but a Welshman might, or an Irishman. They are not shy abut that. And yet in Ireland writers are a National Treasure and so people are curious. I'd never thought of myself as a National Treasure, but it's a country where music and words and poetry thrive, and people appreciate those who create. In Wales, there is the great poetry contest that draws Welsh speakers from all over the world. Amazing!

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    2. Caroline, you (and Charles) are a National Treasure--the stories you produce are so well-written. The first Rutledge book had me digging into my family history--fleshing out the experiences of my Grandpa Church, who fought in the trenches in WWI. It explained so much about the man I knew.

      And then along came Bess and more books to enjoy! You've provided countless hours of relaxation and enjoyment, moments of respite from hard times, and given me glimpses into places new to me. And now, Ireland! Ireland is at the top of my list of places to visit.

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    3. Thanks for the kind words! So many people have told me about their search for people who served in the Great War on both sides of the pond. Some are terribly sad, others give the family a glimpse into the past. I remember one story I was told in England--how Uncle John needed quiet for the rest of his life, and the children in the family were taught that he was a brave man but ill. Later, they learned he was shellshocked, but by that time he had died, and they couldn't ask questions. Even their parents hadn't wanted to know what he'd done or experienced in the war. Other men came home and looked after their families and kept what was wrong so deeply hidden that no one guessed. Amazing stories. We are glad you are among the lucky ones who have been able to find out about a relative in the war.

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  12. Never been to Ireland, but would love to.

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  13. Caroline, where exactly is this village? And is it a real place we can visit?

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    1. Like so many of our settings, the place is real, but we change the name a bit because that allows us to do whatever we need to do--borrow names from the churchyard, use the main house, set up a scene in the harbor or the church--all of which we've done, people who live there are more or less protected. But this village is one of a string of tiny places on the western most coast of Galway. There are two donkeys in the story, by the way, and they were such a delight. THey liked to be scratched behind the ears!

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  14. I got to about page 80 before I conked out last night. It's so good!! I love the way you throw Bess into these immediately tense situations, where neither she, nor we, know what the undercurrents are.

    I definitely need to visit Ireland. Caroline has been nudging me for a couple of years to set a book there. I did have an idea for a book set in County Cork once, and I was all set to go and do the research, which involved a cooking school. But my agent didn't think an Irish book would sell, so that story morphed into Scotland and whisky and became Now May You Weep.

    Maybe I should start looking at Irish tourist magazines! I loved the Irish part of our Jenn's Paris Is Always a Good Idea.

    Gigi, any Irish book would have to have sheep dogs!

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    1. But Deborah I am so glad you did Now May You Weep. It was wonderful! But I have to say, one of your books set in Ireland would be wonderful too. Your agent (still with the same one?) needs to wise up!

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    2. Judi, in her defense, that was just before Irish mysteries became so popular. And I certainly don't regret Now May You Weep!

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    3. Oh, I am glad that book ended up in Scotland! It's one of my favorites. I don't know how Duncan and Gemma would be allowed to do official business in Ireland. Very different legal system. But I can think of any number of plots that might take them there! Genealogy? Visiting a cousin who dies there under suspicious circumstances as they are leaving, putting them into the frame--are they who they say they are??? Irish horse racing. Even tracing paintings from a Great House that wind up in a London street market....

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    4. Caroline, you are a font of plot ideas!! Making notes...

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  15. My granddaughter and I had planned to go to Ireland when she was 17, which she won't be for much longer. This summer is out but I am hoping for next summer. For me anticipation is part of the fun.

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    1. I know what you mean about part of the fun. We love travel brochures, the more exotic the better. The idea that you might go.... maybe even could go... makes it even more delicious to think about.

      I think 2022 just might work for anyone who is thinking about going somewhere overseas.

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  16. Congratulations on the book birthday! Time to get my Bess fix.

    I’ve been to Ireland several times. All four grandparents were from western Galway and we have many relatives there. I’m doing genealogy research and I’m finding more cousins.

    As soon as I finish Linda Castillo’s latest I’ll start AN IRISH HOSTAGE.

    -Marianne in Maine

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    1. What I think people have commented to us about HOSTAGE is that Bess comes to see both sides of the Troubles. And that was important to us. The Irish appear to be the villains--and yet there are some who feel strongly, others who think differently, and still others who are driven by their emotions and even sometimes their greed for power. Bess has to learn what motivates them. And yet even as she tries to find the reason for kidnapping and murder, she can't be sure where to put her own trust. That's difficult for anyone in a strange place. But there are people who depend on her getting it right. And so she does her best. Still, it makes it plain to her too that her own future hasn't been decided, that she too is facing changing times...

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  17. I still think I'd like to visit County Cork. Has anyone done that?

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    1. When I go, that will be one of my stops, including a visit to Sheila Connolly's cottage. ;^(

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  18. What you'll find is that Ireland is like England or Scotland--all sorts of interesting and intriguing places to visit! Take a turning here and find yourself on the Shannon river, or amongst the graves of Connemara's celtic crosses. The Ring of Kerry is beautiful, but so are the wild caves where the composer Franz Liszr set music. There are the Giant Steps in the north, or shopping for Waterford in the South. And Dublin is wonderful, lots to see. And the food is wonderful too. Not to mention the beer and the whiskey. The dead of shipwrecks lie here too. From war and from peace...

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  19. Hi Caroline! I watched you and Charles on the Poisoned Pen event last night. Since Rutledge's and Bess's timelines are getting closer now is there any chance their paths will cross in future books?
    I've been on driving trips in Ireland twice. Loved the scenery and the people. It's a blur now. The first trip was in 1996 and the more recent was with my mother-in-law around 2004 or so. I was tickled by how many older, retired men were hanging around just waiting to give us directions. Some of them were real characters! I would love to visit Northern Ireland. Some of my ancestors moved there from Scotland on their way to the U.S. eventually.

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    1. Hey Pat, glad you got to see that event. It's always fun when we can actually go out to AZ, but we are glad to do it by Zoom when the temperature is so high out there. Northern Ireland is actually very different, and touched on that about your ancestors leaving from there to Scotland, before moving on to the US. A dear friend of ours told me the story of her family leaving for Scotland, three brothers, who traveled on to the US from Glasgow. At the last minute they decided to take their sister as well. And her name was Annie Laurie Scott. She was the ancestress of our friend! The family had kept the history of their journey over the years, and were proud of their Protestant roots. So very different from those who came from the South, proud of their Catholic heritage. Just interesting to see what matters to people, but in both cases, people wanted a better life.

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    2. I forgot to add, there will always probably be two years between Bess and Rutledge. They know each other, especially through Melinda Crawford, one of our favorite people, who appears in both books. But we intended that, in a way, because Bess and Rutledge will take different paths. And we wanted them to be free to do just that.

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    3. Good to know! As for my Huston ancestors some of them left the Borders in Scotland, went west to Northern Ireland, and finally on to the Colonies in the 1700s. I don't know what drove them west, wanderlust?

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  20. I'm constantly amazed at 1) the brilliant quality of Charles and Caroline's writing, book after book, 2) their dedication to research, which makes both the Rutledge and Crawford books feel as if you're living through those turbulent times with them and 3) the fact Caroline is out there writing and publicizing books every year. As someone who has just had a milestone birthday, you're an inspiration!

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  21. I am so woefully behind in reading these wonderful series. It just seems such a daunting number of books. I've read several of the Ian Rutledge and one of the Bess Crawford, and I do love them. I also love hearing Caroline and Charles talk about WWI. I think I may have decided upon a method to tackle the number of books, by inserting one a month into my other reading. Wish me luck.

    Oh, and I'm really interested in the Troubles history of Ireland, so I'm sure that An Irish Hostage is a brilliant read.

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    1. I know the feeling--as fans ourselves we have a stack of books to get to--so many really good writers, so much to read. That's why I have a Kindle, so I can take lots of books with me wherever I go--on a train, waiting in the doctor's office, flying somewhere. It's the only way I can stay ahead of the list! I picked up the latest VERA when I was at Murder on the Beach in Delray. Joanne had a signed copy and I was thrilled to have it. And there it sits, waiting. But once Bess is out and settled in the world, I know I have some good reads waiting for me the fan!

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  22. This is thrilling - always a happy day when there's a new Charles Todd mystery and I love that you're delving into Irish history - and I love the bi-plane research! Wow, just wow!

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    1. I think the Troubles in the period during and just after the war are particularly interesting, because those in power made mistakes that led to a lot of bloodshed over that century, culminating in the IRA and the long history of deaths and families torn apart. We tend to forget that part. Here was the beginning, in sense, and choices were made on both sides. This involved the Great War, and is a part therefore of Bess' world. And so the story needed to be told. Over time, it became sheer attrition. How many of you do I need to kill, to see Ireland free? And how many of YOU do we need to kill to stop you?? So terribly sad for England and for Ireland.

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  24. I have been a long time fan (although I have been known to grump about one of your story lines), I feel like I have learned so much history from your series. When I went to the WWI museum in KCMO and saw items related to medical care I was once again so awestruck by the heroism of nurses and doctors like Bess. I also wanted to say your scene in a previous book with Bess and Simon at 11:11 am 11-11-1918 was wonderful. I don't think anything could have been more touching. I'm tearing up just writing this. The simplicity was brilliant. I am looking forward to reading An Irish Hostage, and I am counting on some clarity about The Troubles. I understand it on one level, but then never having personally having such a history and level of hatred its hard to understand. I'm in my sixties, so
    I remember the bombings and the hunger strikes and the English responses. Thank you so much for your books.

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  25. Some years ago, Charles and I were given a private tour of the KCMO, and then gave a talk there. It was so impressive! The collection is really remarkable, and we were taking pictures and taking notes--the US version of the Imperial War Museum in London. I hope to go back soon to see what has been added. When we were in NO for Bouchercon a few years back, we went to the WW@ museum there. And spent a whole day there. I think that's why we were able to write that scene when the Armistice stopped the fighting. We had come to understand what it must have meant to know it was over and you had somehow survived. I remember my father talking about VE and VJ day in 1945, and the sheer relief that the members of our family who were in harm's way had a chance of living.

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  26. Since the Rutledge books, we have heard from so many people who fought in so many wars, personal accounts or the fact that something in one of the books resonated. And such a large number of women who served as nurses in various wars. It is rather humbling to hear their stories. They were the Bess of their day. They lived it. And saved as many lives as they could. Amazing women...

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  27. I have been outside battening down the hatches. Elsa is on her way and there are storms ahead of her. I don't know how much we will get, but took in trash barrels and flower pots, chairs and other things the wind could pick up. Hope most of you won't have an encounter with her, but she has been busy all day, and we've kept an eye to the sky because there are other storms ahead of her. Thank all of you for giving Bess and AN IRISH hOSTAGE such a warm welcome as she makes her debut. This is a great group and we always enjoy visiting!

    Thank you all for making the debut of AN IRISH HOSTAGE such a fun and happy event! From both Charles and me. And thank you, Debs!

    If you are coming to New Orleans, be sure to say hello! As Guests of Honor for the Historical Mystery, we're really exited about going.

    Most of all, Happy Reading!

    Caroline

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  28. I am so looking forward to this. I love Bess, and I am in awe of your seamless writing as a team. <3

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  29. Caroline, stay safe! Thank you for being a wonderful guest, as always.

    And I have to say I finished the book, and you have done it again!! What a great read!!!!!

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