A Hanging at Dawn: A Bess Crawford Short Story

A prequel to explain Simon Brandon’s past.

Excellent! A really good "prequel" about Simon Brandon who plays roles in the Bess Crawford series. That multiple narrators told the story was interesting.

A nice prequel set in India. When the sergeant is in trouble, it is Bess's mom that must take charge.

I enjoyed this novella that gives a lot of insight into Simon from the Bess Crawford stories. I love how we get to learn about Simon and how he grew up and almost died while in India. Very good tale. I received a copy of this book from edelweiss for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Although I have not read that many Bess Crawford book, I really enjoyed this short background story about Simon. I loved hearing how he was so much a part of the family while Bess was growing up in India. It will add depth to my reading when I return to a Bess Crawford story.

Title: A Hanging at Dawn (A Bess Crawford Short Story)
Author: Charles Todd
Pages: 176
Year: 2020
Publisher: Witness Impulse
My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
This short story is set in India several years before WWI. Simon Brandon is a quiet, young teen, who is assigned to look over young Bess Crawford while her father is on active duty. This assignment is to help Simon and Bess’s parents keep his secret, as well as give Simon experience at a batman. Bess and Simon form a close friendship with Simon teaching Bess how to ride and shoot. He takes her to the market and accompanies her and her mother on various outings. He does his best to keep an energetic girl occupied and out of trouble.
An incident occurs while a young Indian princess is on her way to visit her mother. Simon is among the military retinue escorting the princess. The princess notices an expensive missing object of her young daughter, and upon searching everyone’s possessions, Simon has said object. One of the wagon drivers is discovered with his throat slit. Simon is arrested for the murder and the theft. A representative of the local Indian government wants Simon punished immediately, with the punishment being death by hanging.
With this short story added to the Bess Crawford Collection, readers are given a glimpse of Bess as a little girl, as well as Simon Brandon as a young teen. The story is told from the different perspectives of four characters. A tantalizing bit of information about Simon’s life before joining the army left this reader intrigued and wanting more! Readers also see the familial relationship develop between Bess, her parents and Simon, as well as those in the army that add to the making of this young man’s character. Look for the next full-length Bess Crawford mystery due to be released in July of this year titled, An Irish Hostage.
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.

Like other readers I know, I never used to like short stories, but I've learned to appreciate them in the past few years-- especially when they can illuminate the backstory of characters in long-running favorite series of mine. Not all story ideas are worth a full-length novel, but that doesn't mean they're not worth writing. Such is the case with Charles Todd's short story, A Hanging at Dawn.

A Hanging at Dawn is all about the mysterious Simon Brandon, Colonel Crawford's right-hand man, and Bess Crawford's savior in Todd's series featuring a nurse during World War I. The story is told through the older Crawfords (Aunt Melissa, Colonel Crawford, and the colonel's wife, Clarissa) as well as Bess herself, and I certainly enjoyed learning more about these characters.

Most of all, I really appreciated learning more about Simon Brandon himself through incidents that occurred during his and the Crawfords' time in India. What I found absolutely amazing is that the writing team of Charles Todd made this tale so suspenseful that I was worried about the outcome-- even though I'm an avid reader of the Bess Crawford series and know he survives! I don't know about you, but I consider that to be the mark of some excellent writing.

If you're a fan of the Bess Crawford historical mystery series as am I, I don't think you should pass up the opportunity to learn more about Simon Brandon and the other more mature characters who've stayed in the background. It's going to add to your appreciation of the series. If you haven't read any of the Bess Crawford mysteries, you'll probably find A Hanging at Dawn to be a fine tale about the British in India; you just won't be as invested in the characters. But who knows? You may find yourself wanting to know more about them, and you'll know right where to go. (The first book in the series is A Duty to the Dead.)

Great place to start the series!

A political mystery set in 1900 India. At this time a place of flux, with various kingdoms vieing to retain what autonomy they have, and unease at all levels of society, from the streets to the zenana.
I had never read a Bess Crawford mystery and this introduction already has me marking down books to read. Todd states you needn't be a fan to read the prequel, and let me just add that after reading this, if you're like me, you'll definitely be a fan!
I love the character of the woman behind the beginning of the story, Melinda Crawford, the well connected widow of a British army officer, who sees a young man in pain and decides to do all she can to assist him. She arranges an alternative path for young Simon Brandon in India where he excels at his now chosen path, until accused of murder when in charge of the Indian Princess Parvati's protection detail. That's also where we see more of the political tensions between the British and the Indians. What I enjoyed was the forceful and competent workings of Mrs Richard Crawford, wife to the Colonel in charge, Bess' mother, and Bess as a child as they seek to change the outcome for Simon. I was struck by the women in the story who, in many cases quietly and determinedly, use their positions and abilities to assist matters to satisfactory outcomes.
A satisfying read for someone like me who really loves historical fiction and mysteries set in India.

A William Morrow and Custom House ARC via NetGalley