Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 3
First Line: At sea...This morning the sun is lovely and warm.
It is 1916, and Bess Crawford is a nurse on board the hospital ship Britannic when it is torpedoed and sinks in the Mediterranean. She's sent back home to England to let her broken arm heal, and although it's wonderful spending time with her parents, she has a duty to perform. A duty to the dead.
Everyone was charmed by the young officer, Arthur Graham, and Bess sometimes wonders if she'd fallen in love with him. But no matter how hard they all tried, Arthur died of his wounds. Before he died, he made Bess promise to go to his home, Owlhurst, in Kent to deliver a message to his brother Jonathan. "Tell Jonathan that I lied. I did it for Mother's sake. But it has to be set right."
Bess and her mother have followed Bess's father ("Colonel Sahib") around the world. Bess knows the meaning of duty, and she feels that she has to do this one last thing for Arthur. Traveling to Kent, she delivers her message to Jonathan Graham, but has the feeling that he's going to ignore Arthur's request. While at Owlhurst, she helps the local doctor with some cases and learns that there is an older Graham brother who was locked away in an asylum at the age of fourteen after murdering a maid. The longer Bess is there the more questions she has. Since no one else seems to take Arthur's last request seriously, she will-- come what may.
I wouldn't expect anything less than an excellent book from the mother-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd, and they deliver. Their Ian Rutledge mystery series is superb, and once again they turn to World War I as their background. Bess is strong-willed, independent, and has a very keen sense of right and wrong. Dangerous situations that would have most people fly into a complete dither have her wading in to see how she can help. Bess is used to thinking on her feet, and wherever she goes, she never forgets to pack her common sense. I'm going to enjoy keeping an eye on her in future books.
The plot of A Duty to the Dead moves along at a good pace, at times humorously. But it can also be heartbreaking as Bess faces the willful ignorance people display when confronted with veterans suffering from shell shock. The story, the historical detail and the characters are going to keep me a willing prisoner of this new series.
I also like the fact that the Todds have chosen a World War I nurse as their main character. I've been fascinated with this rare breed of woman ever since reading Lyn Macdonald's The Roses of No Man's Land, and they finally seem to be making a strong move into the world of fiction. If you're already a fan of fellow World War I nurses Maisie Dobbs and Jade del Cameron, you should definitely give Bess Crawford a try.
It is 1916, and Bess Crawford is a nurse on board the hospital ship Britannic when it is torpedoed and sinks in the Mediterranean. She's sent back home to England to let her broken arm heal, and although it's wonderful spending time with her parents, she has a duty to perform. A duty to the dead.
Everyone was charmed by the young officer, Arthur Graham, and Bess sometimes wonders if she'd fallen in love with him. But no matter how hard they all tried, Arthur died of his wounds. Before he died, he made Bess promise to go to his home, Owlhurst, in Kent to deliver a message to his brother Jonathan. "Tell Jonathan that I lied. I did it for Mother's sake. But it has to be set right."
Bess and her mother have followed Bess's father ("Colonel Sahib") around the world. Bess knows the meaning of duty, and she feels that she has to do this one last thing for Arthur. Traveling to Kent, she delivers her message to Jonathan Graham, but has the feeling that he's going to ignore Arthur's request. While at Owlhurst, she helps the local doctor with some cases and learns that there is an older Graham brother who was locked away in an asylum at the age of fourteen after murdering a maid. The longer Bess is there the more questions she has. Since no one else seems to take Arthur's last request seriously, she will-- come what may.
I wouldn't expect anything less than an excellent book from the mother-son writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd, and they deliver. Their Ian Rutledge mystery series is superb, and once again they turn to World War I as their background. Bess is strong-willed, independent, and has a very keen sense of right and wrong. Dangerous situations that would have most people fly into a complete dither have her wading in to see how she can help. Bess is used to thinking on her feet, and wherever she goes, she never forgets to pack her common sense. I'm going to enjoy keeping an eye on her in future books.
The plot of A Duty to the Dead moves along at a good pace, at times humorously. But it can also be heartbreaking as Bess faces the willful ignorance people display when confronted with veterans suffering from shell shock. The story, the historical detail and the characters are going to keep me a willing prisoner of this new series.
I also like the fact that the Todds have chosen a World War I nurse as their main character. I've been fascinated with this rare breed of woman ever since reading Lyn Macdonald's The Roses of No Man's Land, and they finally seem to be making a strong move into the world of fiction. If you're already a fan of fellow World War I nurses Maisie Dobbs and Jade del Cameron, you should definitely give Bess Crawford a try.
Sherry C. (sheshe2madison) reviewed A Duty to the Dead (Bess Crawford, Bk 1) on + 24 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I have another author (in this case a mother and son duo) who I will definitely be reading more of! Bess Crawford is a great character and I cannot wait to read the next 3 adventures with her. This book moves along at a pretty good clip and keeps you guessing till the end. In my opinion, a very good read!
Ron K. (WhidbeyIslander) -
Helpful Score: 1
Even without the mystery of who-did-what, this would be a good read. Well written, evocative of a time and place (England in WWI), believable characters, and a mini-history lesson about the RMS Britannic to open the story.
Helpful Score: 1
A real page turner!
Bess Crawford, a nurse who fell in love with a dying soldier, returns to England after the hospital ship on which she is sailing sinks. Recuperating from a broken arm, she decides that she must pass a message the soldier gave her to deliver to his brother. What she finds is a tangled web of family issues that that are confusing. The truth is something she wished that she never knew. The family despises the eldest son who is believed to be mad and has been institutionalized. At the age of fourteen, he is believed to have savagely killed a servant. When he escapes, he manages to evade capture, threatens Bess and engages her help. He recovers his memory with Bess's help and the truth was warped by the adults around the fourteen-year-old. Fine read indeed.
Sherri H. (mamadoodle) -
Incredibly good. I couldn't put it down.
This is a great start to a great series. I've read them all now and really enjoyed them. The setting is WWI, one of my favorite eras to read about, and this series shares a lot of history of that time. The mother and son writing team does a very good job of weaving the characters into the history and horror of war. I highly recommend this series.
This is one of the best written books I have read. It was hard to put it down.An interesting insight to living in that era with a mystery of who dunnit right up to the end.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
Perhaps because I've recently read two un-impressive mysteries, I was somewhat leery about this one. After a couple of chapters, I remarked to myself, "Hey, this woman can write." Then I looked at the author's name again and realized it was a mother and son team.
I've read a couple of their "Ian Rutledge" series, but didn't like it much. So I was happy to enjoy this series with "Bess Crawford." The only problem being #2 in the series isn't currently available, and others are ahead of me on the WL.
I've read a couple of their "Ian Rutledge" series, but didn't like it much. So I was happy to enjoy this series with "Bess Crawford." The only problem being #2 in the series isn't currently available, and others are ahead of me on the WL.
If you like Charles Todd's series about Inspector Rutledge you will like Bess Crawford too! Set in WWI it follows Nurse Crawford as she solves mysteries and tends to the wounded.
Not awful, but I found that it dragged on some, especially towards the end. It has it's moments, but not one of my favorites.
