Bess Crawford # 4
Charles Todd
William Morrow
June 5, 2012 / ISBN 978-0062015723
Historical Suspense / World War I / Nurses
Reviewed
by Bob Walch
In the spring of 1918 the Spanish Flu was responsible for as many
deaths as the enemy on the French Front. Battlefield nurse Bess
Crawford must deal with influenza patients as well as the steady
stream of wounded who are brought to her hospital.
What Bess doesn't need is a further "complication" that
goes beyond the ravages of disease and war, but that's what she's
dealing with in this novel. Concealed among the dead awaiting burial,
Bess stumbles upon the body of a man who has obviously been murdered.
What's more, Bess recognizes the victim as not only a member of
her father's former regiment but also a family friend.
Before she can report the grisly discovery the nurse falls victim
to the deadly flu herself. By the time she recovers the corpse has
been buried in an unmarked grave and the only other person who has
seen the body and can corroborate what Bess saw is dead as well.
Supposedly the man hanged himself but Bess isn't so sure.
Using her family's military connections, Bess launches her own
private investigation to see that justice is done, but she's placed
herself in grave jeopardy. As the only surviving witness to what
happened, Bess is clearly in the sights of a determined individual
who is going to make sure no one ever sheds light on his secret.
Launched in 2009, the Bess Crawford series has become an instant
success. Set against the backdrop of the First World War, these
novels not only explore life in this most difficult period and the
challenges facing the battlefield doctors and nurses but they are
also a very entertaining read.
I suspect it won't be long before Bess Crawford becomes the featured
heroine in a series of BBC mysteries that will eventually be aired
on this side of the Atlantic.
Reviews of other titles in this series
Duty to
the Dead, #1 [review]
Impartial Witness, #2 [review]
Bitter Truth, #3 [review
1] [review
2]
An Unmarked Grave, #4 [review]
A Question of Honor #5 [review]
An Unwilling Accomplice #6 [review]
A Pattern of Lies #7 [review]
The Shattered Tree # 8 [review]
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