Author: Charles ToddGenre: Historical Mystery, Series #1
Published: 2009
Personal Rating: 3.5/5 (good)
Yearly Count: 94
Bess Crawford, a nurse in WWI, is at the bedside of a soldier during his last days. He elicits a promise from Bess to pass on a message to his brother. Bess follows through and discovers a family with many secrets.
I found it extremely difficult to not compare Bess Crawford to Maisie Dobbs (Winspear series), so I finally gave up and compared to my heart's content. The end result is that I prefer the Maisie Dobbs series by far and for several reasons, but still enjoyed this introduction to Bess.
The Todds (mother and son team) created Bess as an intelligent, independent woman, and the setting of France and Britain during WWI seemed authentic. The problem for me was within the plot. The actions of one of the brothers was beyond reasonable, therefore, shifting the story into the unbelievable. Regardless, I'm still interested in Bess and thought the venture with her was a good one.
Well, I do like that Bess is intelligent and independent!
ReplyDeleteBermudaonion ~ I don't know if you meant that to be funny, but I laughed. I suppose intelligence and independence are better than their opposing attributes. :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like something I might enjoy, but I think I'll wait and finish with the Maisie Dobbs series first.
ReplyDeleteI see you're reading Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. Are you enjoying it as much as SuziQ? It's at the top of my stack!
Les ~ I'm curious about the second Bess Crawford mystery. It just came out in August, so I'm hoping I can stay on top of this series. I think she's going back to nursing in the war, so the focus might be there. I'm not sure.
ReplyDeleteAs for CL, CL, I am really enjoying it. The tone is prime for immersing oneself in it, but life keeps getting in the way. It's one that would be best read in only a few sittings, instead of piecemeal.
I have yet to read Maisie Dobbs, but this one sounds good too!!!
ReplyDeleteStaci ~ Oh! I loved the first Maisie Dobbs. I hope you get to it soon. :) My hope for myself is that I get attached to Bess Crawford as much as I have to Maisie Dobbs.
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