The daughter of a distinguished soldier, Bess Crawford follows in his patriotic footsteps, volunteering to serve her country as a nurse during the Great War. In 1916 she promises Lieutenant Arthur Graham that she will carry his dying request to a brother.

When Bess arrives at the Graham house in Kent, Jonathan Graham listens to his brother's last wishes with surprising indifference. Neither his mother nor his brother Timothy seems to think it has any significance. Unsettled by this, Bess is about to take her leave when sudden tragedy envelops her.

She quickly discovers that fulfilling this duty to the dead has thrust her into a maelstrom of intrigue and murder that will endanger her own life and test her courage as not even war has.

Listening Length

9 hours and 49 minutes
Author

Charles Todd
Narrator

Rosalyn Landor
Audible release date

September 2, 2009
Language

English
Publisher

Blackstone Audio, Inc.
ASIN

B002NVYE5Q
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	9 hours and 49 minutes
Author	Charles Todd
Narrator	Rosalyn Landor
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	September 02, 2009
Publisher	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B002NVYE5Q
Best Sellers Rank	#177,998 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #2,042 in Historical Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) #5,473 in Women Sleuth Mysteries #10,379 in Historical Mystery

Customer reviews

5 star		55%
4 star		31%
3 star		9%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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Mrshagrid

A fascinating tale

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2022

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The was a riveting tale of murder and betrayal. When Bess Crawford carries out the death wish of a soldier she nursed, the message to his family stirs up secrets from the past. Best is determined to discover the truth no matter the cost. The plot kept me guessing and I found the characters, especially Beth, engaging. Glad to have found this writing duo.

One person found this helpful

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DBaur

Slow and obvious

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017

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Todd's books are competently written, so they are never terrible but in my opinion this may be the closest the writing duo has ever come to it. It is exceedingly slow with long passages of introspection that seem to be an attempt to make up for the total lack of background for the characters. Bess was already a nurse and the inciting action, the death of a soldier she had nursed and fallen in love with who gave her a mysterious message to take to his brother, happens before the novel even begins. Unfortunately the effect of the musing, introspection and speculation (invariably wrong) is to slow down what little action and sleuthing there is. I was interested in finding a female WWI sleuth but she was so slow in picking up any clue as to what had actually happened that I frequently wanted to slap her. She didn't even suspect the solution when it was quite obvious from early on and invariably misinterpreted every clue. I doubt that I'll bother with another in this series. This one was definitely not up to par.

31 people found this helpful

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Tina L. Tinch

Best book I have read lately

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2022

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This book will hook you in the first few pages! Female lead character is a nurse during the war. she is captivating, smart and tenacious in solving the case.

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Barbara Blythe

A Duty to the Dead

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2015

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The first book in the series featuring Bess Crawford, a nurse injured in England during WWI was very good. I enjoyed the different location (northern England) and really got a feel for that part of England during the war. Author takes us through the emotions and confusion during that difficult time. The story, however, concerns a mystery uncovered as Bess, on convalescent leave from her own injuries, vows to keep a promise to a dying former patient. I look forward to reading more stories about this independent young woman. Likeable and well crafted characters in this book.

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Great book!!

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2017

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5 stars

1916 in the Mediterranean Bess Crawford and her fellow nurses are aboard the Britannic sailing toward their next posting. When the ship was hit by a mine or torpedo, panic ensues. The order is given to abandon ship and even though she sustained a broken arm, she aids the other nurses in boarding the lifeboats. Fortunately, they had no wounded aboard. Sadly they watched the Britannic go down.

Once back home in England, with her arm healing, she Bess recalls her promise made to a dying soldier, Arthur Graham. It is to tell his brother Jonathan that he lied to protect his mother and that Jonathan has to set it right. Arthur did not explain any further. Bess journeys to the Graham home and meets Jonathan, his brother and his mother. She and Jonathan go out to Arthur’s memorial and Bess tells him what his brother said. Jonathan seems both indifferent and unmoved by the message.

Peregrine, the eldest brother who has been confined to an asylum due to his young age when he was supposed to have murdered a woman has pneumonia. He is brought back to Owlhurst basically to die. None of his family wants anything to do with him, which Bess thinks is both odd and unkind. He is very ill by the time he gets there and doesn’t know where he is. She delays her going home so as to nurse him.

When a local man named Ted Booker who was suffering from shell shock killed himself, Bess gets a visit from Inspector Howard. Bess tended to the man during some of his episodes. Bess suspects that not all was as reported with the suicide, for Jonathan was very angry with Ted and reportedly went to see him shortly before he killed himself. Mrs. Denton, Ted’s mother-in-law was also very much against Ted.

At Ted’s inquest, the Graham family receives a distressing letter. Has Peregrine died? They hurry home. Bess is summarily packed up and told to leave. When she reaches her flat in London, she is startled to be awakened by Peregrine in her kitchen. She is frightened, for she still believes Peregrine to be a killer. Her belief begins to change.

In an exciting denouement, we finally learn the truth. Who did kill the young maid? Why?

This book is extremely well written and plotted. The tension in the story starts out immediately and continues. I appreciate the professionalism and compassion with which Bess carried out her duties. She is the very illustration of an excellent nurse, whether it was in 1916 or today. This book illustrates very well the effects shell shock has on the individual and the family. I must say that Bess’ psychological insights were very advanced for her day. I have read the Todd’s Inspector Ian Rutledge novels, but this is my first foray into the Bess Crawford series. I will most certainly continue to read them.

2 people found this helpful

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L. Howard

A long time favorite, finally located the first book and now plan to read all stories. The young female protagonist is a modern women and perfect role model even by today’s standards.

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2018

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The first book lacks some of the dangerous feel that later books featured. But the earlier bumps are smoothed over in more recent novels. It is a NANCY DREW story for current times. No coincidence in that the time period of both series are early 20th century. Pick one up and you’ll be in 7th grade again.

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Al Britton

Good read!

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2017

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This is a good period "who done it". The boldness and freedom of movement displayed by the heroine makes the story interesting, but might be out of of the norm for WWI England. The story flows with the twists and turns of a good mystery. Super detective who's not afraid of breaking the conventions of the day.

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Piping Plover

A Duty to the Dead

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2013

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This was my first reading of a Bess Crawford Mystery by Charles Todd. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. For some reason I like this period of time in history, and, in particular, the setting in Great Britain during this time of turmoil and conflict in France. The story is exciting, informative and keeps one guessing until all the pieces come together in the final chapters. I will read all the rest of the books in this series.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

What a disappointment

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2015

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A surprisingly unsatisfying read.
Bess, a nursing sister (WW1) returns to England after her hospital ship is sunk. She is recovering from a broken arm and while on sick leave takes the opportunity to visit the family of an officer who died whilst under her care. Before dying, this officer entrusted her with a very important message to one of his brothers, and the delivery of this message becomes a sacred duty for Bess. As the story unfolds she spends her time between London and parts of the South East saving lives, following up clues, hunting for witnesses and trying to put right the effects of a great injustice.
Overall, the plot is too busy, and seems to have been written with an eye to fast camera work- shifts between scenes- small pieces of the truth being revealed - onto the next location for the next revelation. Characters are uneven. We get unnecessary details about some minor characters, but major characters are left half drawn and their actions/motivation seem unreal or contrived.
The main male character, Peregrine, is completely unbelievable. For some reason, he was not loved by his mother, was considered to be educationally subnormal as a child, kept separate from his siblings, was prone to fits of violence, murdered a young servant, was incarcerated in a lunatic asylum- the list goes on. As the story rattles on, we find that his family has conspired against him so that he only APPEARS to have been these things. In fact, after years kept isolated and sedated in the asylum, he manages to trace our heroine by reading her address from an envelope, outwits his doctor, escapes from the asylum and tracks her to her digs in London (where he successfully evades the eagle-eyed landlady)!
Minor irritations such as an Edwardian child remembering eating "milk and cookies", the use of the Americanese "gotten" and "I could use" only serve to add to the general feeling that this is not a well-crafted book. In another writer's hands It could probably be the basis for a mini-series on t.v. or a film, but as it stands, this book just isn't well-written enough to deliver a satisfying story.

5 people found this helpful

H. Lacroix

Unputdownable!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2013

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Once again the weakness of the Todd writing team seems to be that they are unable to write an ending that isn't somewhat frenzied and also implausible. The mystery, once revealed,leaves you nonplussed how to how on earth events would have turned this way. But however unsatisfactory this may seem, the rest is so good that I am becoming a fan. I read this one in twenty four hours as I just couldn't put it down. Bess Crawford 's hospital ship, Britannic, encounters a German mine in the mediterranean that nearly sends them all to a watery grave. Having suffered a broken arm during this episode she is convalescing in Britain and decides to finally fulfill a promise. A few weeks before, a young officer for whom she had come to feel more than she ought to, had, on his dying bed, made her promise to repeat a certain message to one of his brothers.She was to tell him that he had lied for his mother's sake but that he wished things to be set right. When she is received by the Graham family, no one seems to take the dying man's wishes seriously and they even seem to fail to understand what he may have meant. And yet, there is a half brother not five miles away in a lunatic asylum, who has been shut up in there for over 14 years. As a child he is supposed to have butchered a young woman and has been locked away ever since. What if he had had nothing to do with this crime? And this is where Bess will have to come into action and where the Todd writing team will have us on tenterhooks, reading page after page until all is revealed. Not perfect as I have written before but still very entertaining and to be highly recommended!

One person found this helpful

c swan

very good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 19, 2018

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an excellent read

Dorset customer

Well written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2012

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I bought this book having read a number of the "Inspector Rutledge" series by this author. It is set in the period of WW1 and I thoroughly enjoyed it, perhaps because Bess Crawford the heroine comes over as a warm and believable charecter. I shall look forward to reading more in this series.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

Good "new" series from talented authors, a different perspective on the Geat War and its aftermath.

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