74 pages 2 hours read

Diana Gabaldon

An Echo in the Bone

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009

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Part 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 5: “To the Precipice”

Part 5, Chapter 42 Summary: “Crossroad”

William parts ways with the Hunters in New Jersey to avoid accusations of spying that might complicate Denny’s enlistment. William gives the Hunters all of the money that Ian left for him. After he leaves, Denny warns Rachel that William may be a British deserter and tells her that William is dangerous to both body and soul. Rachel calls Denny a hypocrite for criticizing William while taking her to join an army and asks him if he would have preferred if William had allowed them to be murdered. Denny concedes in good humor.

Down the road, William encounters Arch Bug, though William does not know him. Arch asks William if he knows where Ian Murray is. William answers that he knows Ian but has no idea where he is. William declines to give Arch his own name and rides on. 

Part 5, Chapter 43 Summary: “Countdown”

In a letter to Brianna dated June 1777, Claire details the military preparations at Fort Ticonderoga and writes of the arrival of the Hunters. Claire likes Denny, who has some knowledge of early germ theory, more than her assistant, Mrs. Raven, who is attracted by the most gruesome events of the hospital. Reading the letter, Bree realizes that Burgoyne will soon attack Fort Ticonderoga and worries for her mother.