Mystery

In 2012 I won all four books of Charles Todd's Bess Crawford Mystery Series from Criminal Element. I wasn't able to dive right into them and normally I'm a stickler about reading things in chronological order, but one thing I'm discovering about myself in early middle-age is that I'm much more willing to let go of old patterns and traditions that no longer suit my needs. Therefore, I've thrown caution to the wind and read the fourth and most recent Bess Crawford Mystery, An Unmarked Grave, first. Crazy, I know.

Diving into a series that was already fully underway was like hopping on a ride already in motion. There was no slow introduction of characters and how they've come to know one another, what their motives are, etc., which may have added to the suspense for me (is Simon a trusted friend or is he involved in the murder?) On the other hand, stepping into this series four books in, the characters weren't described very well but it was easy enough to glean from the action what roles they must typically play within the series.

Much of the description of the war front and nursing was standard (deeply rutted roads, long lines of wounded to tend, the dread/desire to return to the front) and therefore I thought the atmosphere a bit lacking as these realities came off sounding like cliches at times. What was different was the emphasis here on people needing to show their papers/orders to move about, get transport, or use resources. It was not a feeling of "we're all in this together and you're wearing the right uniform," but rather that soliders and nurses often went wild and had to be disciplined, as well as the threat of spies being a real danger. The need for papers also heightened the dramatic tension of the plot.

And as far as the plot goes, there were some nice twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Overall, I thought the mystery was good, but that more care could have been taken to create a stronger atmosphere as well as a stronger sense of time and place. ( )

The year is 1918 and the Spanish flu epidemic is rampaging, killing both soldiers and civilians. Battlefield nurse Bess Crawford and the rest of the nurses and doctors are swamped with patients. But, then Bess discovers that among the dead bodies are the body of a murdered officer that used to serve in her father's former regiment. However, she falls ill in the terrible flu herself before she can report it...

The Bess Crawford series has quickly become a favorite of mine. One of the reason is that I find Bess Crawford to be a competent young woman that happens to stumble over problems now and then. Like this time where she must find out who killed an officer that she knew and respected. But, she has also just been terribly ill, the body of the dead man is buried and the only other witness to it has hanged himself. So, there isn't much to go on. But, she won't give up, and luckily she has Simon Brandon and Captain Barclay, a Yankee with a poor knee to help her.
This is the first book in this series that I just couldn't find myself really engrossed with. It could be because of the absence of my favorite Aussie, but I think that most of the problem lies in the fact that the case just doesn't draw me in. I don't say that the book was bad, it was just not memorable. I definitely felt that when I started to write the review and for a moment was I at a loss to why the man, in the beginning, was killed. The conclusion of the book was just not that thrilling.

Thankfully, Bess makes this book worth the while, she is still a strong and interesting character despite the rather lackluster storyline. There are those that favor a romantic relationship between her and Simon, but I just don't see it. For me, he is an older brother. Then again, this may because I have already in my mind a perfect candidate for her heart. And, that's Sergeant Larimore who is mostly tragically absent from this book. The books most precious parts are when she arrives back in France and he is there to greet here and Bess learning that he is the one that alerted Bess mother that she was ill.

Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede ( )

The year is 1918 and the Spanish flu epidemic is rampaging, killing both soldiers and civilians. Battlefield nurse Bess Crawford and the rest of the nurses and doctors are swamped with patients. But, then Bess discovers that among the dead bodies are the body of a murdered officer that used to serve in her father's former regiment. However, she falls ill in the terrible flu herself before she can report it...

The Bess Crawford series has quickly become a favorite of mine. One of the reason is that I find Bess Crawford to be a competent young woman that happens to stumble over problems now and then. Like this time where she must find out who killed an officer that she knew and respected. But, she has also just been terribly ill, the body of the dead man is buried and the only other witness to it has hanged himself. So, there isn't much to go on. But, she won't give up, and luckily she has Simon Brandon and Captain Barclay, a Yankee with a poor knee to help her.
This is the first book in this series that I just couldn't find myself really engrossed with. It could be because of the absence of my favorite Aussie, but I think that most of the problem lies in the fact that the case just doesn't draw me in. I don't say that the book was bad, it was just not memorable. I definitely felt that when I started to write the review and for a moment was I at a loss to why the man, in the beginning, was killed. The conclusion of the book was just not that thrilling.

Thankfully, Bess makes this book worth the while, she is still a strong and interesting character despite the rather lackluster storyline. There are those that favor a romantic relationship between her and Simon, but I just don't see it. For me, he is an older brother. Then again, this may because I have already in my mind a perfect candidate for her heart. And, that's Sergeant Larimore who is mostly tragically absent from this book. The books most precious parts are when she arrives back in France and he is there to greet here and Bess learning that he is the one that alerted Bess mother that she was ill.

Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede ( )

I really wanted to like this series and this book but now I feel as if I have to simply break up with it. I was very interested in this book in particular because it dealt with the Spanish Flu, something I'm quite interested in. But the story was very lacking. What detective work was Bess doing? The detective work I did see was done by a secondary character, Simon and we never see the story from his eyes.

very disappointed. ( )