A Hanging at Dawn

A Hanging at Dawn is a short story in the Bess Crawford universe, looking back to Bess's childhood on the Northwest Frontier in India, where she grew up under the watchful protection of the young soldier Simon Brandon. The story uncovers the mystery at the center of Simon's past, a secret the Crawford family has guarded for years, and changes the way both Bess and the reader understand the loyalty that binds them.

Rosalyn Landor's narration has defined the audio version of the Bess Crawford series, her voice well suited to the Victorian and Edwardian settings where Perry places her heroines. The compressed length of the short story, under four hours, suits Landor's precise storytelling instincts, and the emotional weight of Simon's secret comes through cleanly in her careful delivery.