(2009) Very good introduction to another WWI character, Bess Crawford who is a nurse who is on board the hospital ship Britannic taking care of a wounded soldier who dies as the ship is sunk by the Nazis. She is drawn into a family scandal and tries to determine who had killed a servant many years ago. These novels by the Todds are such a pleasure to read.KIRKUS:World War I nurse keeps a burdensome promise.Relinquishing for the moment Inspector Ian Rutledge (A Matter of Justice, 2008, etc.), the Todd writing partnership presents Bess Crawford, invalided home when the hospital ship she nursed on is shot out from under her. She's bent on relaying a dying message¥matters must be set rightÂ¥from favored patient Arthur Graham to his brother Jonathan. Another matter, however, takes precedence for the Graham family: Peregrine, the Graham brother confined in an asylum since he was barely a teenager for murdering Lily the housemaid, is near death from pneumonia and needs nursing care. Providing it, Bess is struck by how rational Peregrine seems. Meanwhile, another village patient, a traumatized war victim who has fallen under her care, commits suicideÂ¥or does he? When Peregrine regains his strength, he takes Bess on the run to help him recover his memory of Lily's death. A visit to the village rector reveals several other fatal calamities over the years that cast suspicion on other Graham family members: clubfooted Timothy, Mrs. Graham and, to Bess's dismay, the late Arthur himself. A gruesome denouement lays bare all the family secrets and misalliances and releases Bess from her deathbed vow to Arthur.Will readers miss Inspector Rutledge? You bet. But anyone who cares to loll in early-20th century English villages and mores and follow a plucky heroine as she confronts the stupidity of war will find solace in this old-fashioned mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2009ISBN: 978-0-06-179176-5Page Count: 336Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollinsReview Posted Online: May 20, 2010Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2009

Excellent period piece about a nurse involved with a dysfunctional family, all because of her promise to deliver a dying soldier's last words to his brother.
I felt this could've been a bit shorter, and at times there were sentences that were long and confusing (all reminders to keep my own work easy to read), but overall I"m glad I ran across it. Great English atmosphere. ( )

Excellent! It took many pages to set the purpose of this book but they were well worth it. Bess is at once a very competent woman, a very compassionate woman, a very curious woman, and, most of all, a very determined woman. Alas, the conclusion is very much like a battle between Wyatt Earp and the Clantons. Still, all balances out. The author's descriptions of the countryside put one right in the middle, albeit shivering. The description of flowers is even better. One is not certain of Bess' feelings at the end. There can't be satisfaction but maybe there might be acceptance. ( )

I did enjoy it, well some of it, sortof, but I don't really want to read more of these ( )

I have previously read book seven in the series; A Pattern of Lies a little while ago and I just absolutely loved that book. And, of course, I wanted to read the series from the beginning and lucky me; I own the first book as an eBook.

Bess Crawford works as a nurse during WW1 and is home now after being onboard a hospital ship that sunk. She survived with a broken arm and since she can't work decides to travel to Kent to visit the mother and sibling of a dying soldier last word; "Tell Jonathan that I lied. I did it for Mother's sake. But it has to be set right." But the strange thing is that neither the mother nor the brothers admit knowing what the message is about. But then Bess learns that there is another brother, incarcerated in a lunatic asylum…

I think this series is starting to be one of my favorites. Now I have only read two books, but I feel that the WW1 milieu and the characters are truly well-done. Bess Crawford is not an amateur sleuth, she is a nurse and the mystery she happens to stumble on isn't something she had planned to solve. She just happens to be the one that starts it all, the one that sets everything in motion. And, that is one thing I really love about this book, Bess feels like a solid character with her feet steady on the ground. There is no romance luring left and right on the book. No sweetheart. I mean I'm not against romance in books, but mostly I want it to have a smaller place in the story.

I found the first book in the series quite good. The mystery of the message and the brother everyone is trying to forget was really good and I was gripped by the whole story.

I think one of the reasons I find this series so appealing is that it does remind me of Laurie. R. King's series about Mary Russell. I stated the same thing in A Pattern of Lies and I feel it still. I believe if you like of Laurie. R. King's series about Mary Russell you will like this series too. ( )