The usual as Sister Crawford meets a soldier in WWI who needs care. That care leads to murder and a whole host of unlovely characters. Alas, the author treats us unfairly by introducing a critical player very late into the book. The author is able to place us in an era where none of now alive have any experience. There are no lapses and one is able to function quite well in very strange surroundings. ( )

A Casualty of War
4 Stars

In the days following the Armistice, WWI nurse Bess Crawford learns that a former patient, Captain Alan Travis, is believed to be delusional and has been confined in an asylum. Convinced that there may be some truth behind the captain's claims that his cousin tried to kill him on the battlefield, Bess travels to Suffolk and unwittingly stirs up a hornet's nest of intrigue and murder.

Unlike some of the previous installments, Bess's decision to investigate Travis's claims is much more plausible as she feels partially responsible for his predicament. That said, much of the book is still Bess interfering in other people's business - no wonder the local detective was infuriated with her!

The plot itself is intriguing with several twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. The ultimate resolution is both exciting and credible.

Unfortunately, there is still very little development on the personal front. Bess receives a proposal of marriage, but it is more or less glossed over, and her relationship with Simon Brandon is still stagnating. When will she realize there is more between them than an almost sibling-like affection?

Overall, a solid addition to the series and it will be interesting to see where the Todds take their intrepid heroine now that the Great War is over.

( )

I'm a big fan of the Bess Crawford series and I have read almost all the books so far. A Casualty of War shows just what a wonderful mother and son writing team Caroline Todd and Charles Todd are when it comes to writing books.

In A Casualty of War must Bess help Captain Alan Travis who is convinced that his cousin shot him, but it's impossible since his cousin couldn't have been the one to do that so now his sanity is questioned. Bess together with Sergeant-Major Simon Brandon travels to the cousin, James Travis's hometown to try to find out more about the cousins and why their families are estranged.

Without giving too much of the plot away do I want to say that this is one of the strongest books in the series. Once again Bess is confronted with a strange mystery with a lot of suspicious and distrustful people in a small village. Bess herself is thinking about her future now that the war is going towards the end. What is she going to do next, she has been a nurse for so long that it has become her whole life, living with fear and the prospect of death any minute. If you have read any my previous review do you know that I'm a big fan of Sergeant Lassiter and I was thrilled that he showed up for ... just a small cameo. Bah! I wanted more of him, not just a small part. Although it was a sweet moment, that Bess kind of destroyed (for me).

A Casualty of War is a great book. You can read this book without having read any of the previous books. It's easy to get to know the characters and the stories in the books are stand-alone.

4.5 stars

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review! ( )

A intriguing story a crime has been committed with the final days of the western front in World War I as a backdrop. ( )

I have a longheld fascination for all things World War I, and after reading Lyn MacDonald's excellent The Roses of No Man's Land, I've found myself reading both fiction and nonfiction about the women who went to France and Belgium to nurse the wounded. Charles Todd's mysteries about Bess Crawford are very good, and A Casualty of War is no exception, although I would imagine that Bess's parents are sick of her solving mysteries instead of spending time with them on her infrequent leaves home in England.

The chaos of trench warfare is a fertile ground for mysteries, and the mystery in A Casualty of War is intriguing indeed. How and why would Captain Travis's cousin want to kill him... if indeed it was him in the first place? Why are the people of the village of Sinclair so hostile to Bess? There are many questions to answer, and it's fun to attempt to find answers for them all before Bess does.

Another reason why this series is so strong is that the writing team of Charles Todd does an excellent job of giving readers a real feel for the time, the attitudes of people from all walks of life, and what it was like to be a nurse at the front lines. When the end of the war is announced, Bess, the other nurses, the doctors, the soldiers all experience a feeling of relief, but also a sort of disbelief. They've been fighting for so long, and when Bess goes to England, it's plain to see that everyone will have many adjustments to make. Things aren't going to go back to normal. At least, no time soon.

I like the character of Bess. I like seeing how she feels about people and the lengths to which she'll go to do what's right for them. There's also the added fillip of possible romance when Bess and Brandon spend a great deal of time in each other's company.

If you like reading books with a strong female main character who solves intriguing mysteries set in a well-researched time period, I recommend Charles Todd's Bess Crawford series. They. Are. Good. ( )