A Duty to the Dead (Bess Crawford, #1) in Ask Rhys Bowen, Deborah Crombie, and Charles Todd!

Sep 04, 2010 Jan C rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, england, wwi

I'm a big Charles Todd fan. Love the Ian Rutledge stories.

Now they branched out to the story of a nurse in WWI. She is on a ship that explodes, breaks her arm or something, and gets sent home to recuperate. Prior to the explosion, she had nursed a young man who asked her to take a message home to his brother. It seems as though there was something more than a nurse-patient relationship here. But we don't really know for a while.

Her father, known as Colonel Sahib for his service in India, where o ...more

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Oct 05, 2013 Sue rated it liked it

Shelves: england, mystery, wwi

"Tell Jonathan I lied. I did it for Mother's sake. But it has to be set right." WWI nurse Bess Crawford hears this from a dying soldier and promises to carry the message to his family. Later when she's on medical leave recovering from injuries, she follows through with delivering the message. The family receives the message with seemingly cold indifference. Bess begins to wonder what they're hiding.
I'm still trying to decide what I thought of this. Goodreads recommended it because I've read th ...more

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Oct 30, 2009 Gina rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, historical, british

Another WW I era British mystery by Charles Todd. The main character, Bess, is a nurse serving on a hospital ship. The ship is heading home when it is torpedoed by the Germans. Bess is lucky to survive given the chaotic scene on board the sinking ship. After recuperating from wounds she received, she heads for a visit to a former patient's family home. It was his dying wish that she deliver a message to them. Several events occur during the visit inspire her learn more about the mystery surround ...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Barbara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-historical

I haven't been keeping up with my reviews lately - its hard to say something at times, without feeling like you are repeating yourself or saying the same thing. I did want to comment on this book though.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fairly long, complicated, just a bit annoying at times, but very interesting and engrossing. The lead character, Bess Crawford is very engaging and very likable; though at times, I don't understand or like how she doggedly pursues the threads of the mysterie ...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Shelly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I don't know why I put off starting this series from Charles Todd. I love their Ian Rutledge mysteries but I thought that a nurse in World War I would be too depressing to read about. How wrong I was! Bess Crawford is a delightful character, strong and smart. The supporting cast is well-crafted too: her father, the retired Colonel; her father's batman, the ever useful Simon; and her landlady. There was an excellent mystery to be solved, with interesting characters which kept you guessing through ...more

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Sep 18, 2013 Teresa rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2013

Fun book, think I'll keep reading this series. ...more

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Jun 23, 2013 Wendy rated it it was amazing

A powerful beginning to this series about an English woman serving as a nurse in WW I. Bess Crawford is an interesting character in her own right, but the backdrop of war and loss makes for a riveting story.

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Jan 08, 2011 Beth rated it really liked it

another series from Charles Todd -- good

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Mar 20, 2012 Stephanie Curran rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery

I stayed up too late finishing this book last night. I couldn't put it down. The writing is fantastic and the story drew me in to the point where it was hard to stop reading. ...more

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