Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
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.
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.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
This book is 377 pages long. Even before I got past page 100 I knew what the motive was for the attempted killings. If you're read as many British mysteries as I have, and understand British upper-class culture even into the early part of the 20th century, you would also know the motive. I was feeling so proud of myself. Then it turned out I was wrong. The motive was even simpler than the one I had thought.
It wasn't until I understood the real motive, toward the end of the book, that I also understood why the book was 377 pages long. It took "Charles Todd" that long to lay the groundwork.
At least World War I is over and Bess will soon be home. I wonder what she will be doing in the upcoming books. She did receive two proposals of marriage in this one, but side-stepped both. I wonder if we have yet met the man she might marry.
It was a fascinating read and I zoomed through the book. I'd re-post it for those who have it on their WL, but the book has a binding issue. So it goes to a thrift store I volunteer at.
It wasn't until I understood the real motive, toward the end of the book, that I also understood why the book was 377 pages long. It took "Charles Todd" that long to lay the groundwork.
At least World War I is over and Bess will soon be home. I wonder what she will be doing in the upcoming books. She did receive two proposals of marriage in this one, but side-stepped both. I wonder if we have yet met the man she might marry.
It was a fascinating read and I zoomed through the book. I'd re-post it for those who have it on their WL, but the book has a binding issue. So it goes to a thrift store I volunteer at.
Larraine F. (phillyartlovesbooks) reviewed A Casualty of War (Bess Crawford, Bk 9) on + 59 more book reviews
Charles Todd is the pseudonym for an American mother/son writing team. Together they produce books that are rich in historical detail and written very much in the British manner.
The war is nearing an end, but drags on until the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month per the armistice agreement. Bess is reassigned and is waiting for her transport when she meets a British army office, Captain Alan Travis. He lives in Barbados and is yearning to return. He also tells her that he met a distant cousin his own age in Paris & liked him very much. She sees him again, but this time he is angry, insisting that his cousin tried to kill him - not once but twice.
Then she sees him again when he is in a clinic where he is tied down day and night because the doctors are convinced that he is suffering from a delusion.
Bess becomes involved in trying to prove there is nothing wrong with him and steps into a morass of evil and murder that is, as always, both complex and fascinating.
I had a hard time putting this one down. The wounds of war are described here in detail: those wounds are not just physical nor are they limited to members of the military. More politicians should have to read these books and understand what they are doing to their citizens when they engage in fruitless wars.
The war is nearing an end, but drags on until the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month per the armistice agreement. Bess is reassigned and is waiting for her transport when she meets a British army office, Captain Alan Travis. He lives in Barbados and is yearning to return. He also tells her that he met a distant cousin his own age in Paris & liked him very much. She sees him again, but this time he is angry, insisting that his cousin tried to kill him - not once but twice.
Then she sees him again when he is in a clinic where he is tied down day and night because the doctors are convinced that he is suffering from a delusion.
Bess becomes involved in trying to prove there is nothing wrong with him and steps into a morass of evil and murder that is, as always, both complex and fascinating.
I had a hard time putting this one down. The wounds of war are described here in detail: those wounds are not just physical nor are they limited to members of the military. More politicians should have to read these books and understand what they are doing to their citizens when they engage in fruitless wars.
The war appears to be nearly at an end and no one could be happier that Bess Crawford. However, even when the fighting ends, the wounded will continue to pour in. One of the soldiers she meets is a Captain Alan Travis, suffering a serious head wound. He makes an extraordinary claim: that his cousin, Lt. James Travis, is the one who shot him. The two are distantly related, as it turns out and an old dispute is how Alan Travis' branch of the family ended up in Barbados, while James Travis' branch remained in England. Of course, no one takes the Captain's accusation seriously and it is concluded that his injury must be more serious than first thought. Bess isn't convinced of that and goes in search of James Travis and his remaining family members still residing in England. What she finds is the matriarch of the Travis family, the town that she runs like her own kingdom and the truth behind a mystery going back to the last century.
A Casualty of War by Charles Todd is the 9th entry in the Bess Crawford mystery series. While not quite a true cozy series, neither is it a hard core series with a leading character like Harry Bosch or Lucas Davenport. Bess Crawford is quite feminine in nature, while at the same time very tenacious when she sets her mind on resolving a problem. I am working my way thru this series and have enjoyed all the books I've read so far. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys well-developed Tmystery without the violence of other more hard-core series. I would give this book 4/5 stars.
* A copy of this book is the only consideration given in exchange for this review.*
A Casualty of War by Charles Todd is the 9th entry in the Bess Crawford mystery series. While not quite a true cozy series, neither is it a hard core series with a leading character like Harry Bosch or Lucas Davenport. Bess Crawford is quite feminine in nature, while at the same time very tenacious when she sets her mind on resolving a problem. I am working my way thru this series and have enjoyed all the books I've read so far. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys well-developed Tmystery without the violence of other more hard-core series. I would give this book 4/5 stars.
* A copy of this book is the only consideration given in exchange for this review.*
