An Unmarked Grave

A Bess Crawford Mystery, Book 4

By: Charles Todd

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

World War I nurse and amateur sleuth Bess Crawford matches wits with a devious killer in this exciting and suspenseful adventure from New York Times best-selling author Charles Todd.

In the spring of 1918, the Spanish flu epidemic spreads, killing millions of soldiers and civilians across the globe. Overwhelmed by the constant flow of wounded soldiers coming from the French front, battlefield nurse Bess Crawford must now contend with hundreds of influenza patients as well.

However, war and disease are not the only killers to strike. Bess discovers, concealed among the dead waiting for burial, the body of an officer who has been murdered. Though she is devoted to all her patients, this soldier's death touches her deeply. Not only did the man serve in her father's former regiment, he was also a family friend.

Before she can report the terrible news, Bess falls ill, the latest victim of the flu. By the time she recovers, the murdered officer has been buried, and the only other person who saw the body has hanged himself. Or did he?

Working her father's connections in the military, Bess begins to piece together what little evidence she can find to unmask the elusive killer and see justice served. But she must be as vigilant as she is tenacious. With a determined killer on her heels, each move Bess makes could be her last.

©2012 Charles Todd (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

One of the best Bess Crawford mysteries!

I've listened to all of the Bess Crawford mysteries and this is my second favorite, next to A Duty to the Dead.

Charles Todd must be SO imaginative!

This story has a lot of characters, and each one was brought alive in his own way! It made Bess and whichever character she was with cross from England to France many times! It was an exciting story! And ended with an exciting ending!

Charles Todd hasn't disappointed me yet!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I first 'discovered' him with the Ian Rutledge series and I keep hoping some more of
the earlier books will be on audible.com. He has mayhem, of course, and the voice in his head, but Todd has a wonderful way with the English language

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Now I see what an awful critic I am since I have listened to other audible books
since "An Marked Grave'!!

Have you listened to any of Rosalyn Landor???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Only in the Bess Crawford series. She is very, very good..

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Sorry.... I'm old... sniff...

FANTASTIC SERIES AND NARRATOR

Great book; great series; great authors; great narrator! Having read all of the Ian Rutledge books by Charles Todd and now having finished the fourth book in the Beth Crawford series, I can say that both series are exceptional. While the setting for these stories is World War I (not a pleasant topic for sure) the characters that emerge from these stories are totally believable and memorable. Anyone who enjoys detective stories, mysteries, historical fiction, etc. will no doubt enjoy both this book and the two series as did I. And the narrator IS Bess Crawford, Simon, the Colonel, in fact all the characters are truly brought to life by her. Look forward to more to come in both series!

Fascinating, Dramatic and Spellbinding.

A wonderful story of wartime hardship with a Downton Abbey feel. A nurse discovers an inner strength that she would never have known apart from the stark ruthlessness of her own illness and the First World War. From a privileged military family in Britain, the heroin determines to return to France to serve the wounded after having, herself, survived the Spanish Flu pandemic that rivaled the war in numbers of fatalities. There is intrigue coupled with valor. This is a tribute to the strength and determination of women. It was hard to put down. Well narrated, I highly recommend this easy listen.

More adventures for Bess Crawford

What made the experience of listening to An Unmarked Grave the most enjoyable?

I have read or listened to all of Charles Todd's books and I especially like the character of plucky WWI nurse Bess Crawford. The reader put me right in the front lines of caring for the wounded.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I douldn't put it down and wore my MP3 player all day till I finished it! Charles Todd always has lots of plot twists and turns which are not predictable.One minute Bess is fighting for her life with the Spanish influenza the next,she is nearly killed at the front.

Which character – as performed by Rosalyn Landor – was your favorite?

Bess

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Thank goodness it wasn't a 3 parter. I had to know what happened next and despite having read or listened to all of Todd's books, I couldn't guess what was going to happen next.

Any additional comments?

For fans of period murder mysteries and strong female characters, I highly recomment it

Great narrator

What did you love best about An Unmarked Grave?

Charles Todd creates the physical & emotional aspects of his characters so well. His stories transport me to another time & place,

ANOTHER GREAT CHARLES TODD SERIES! #4

I got hooked on author Charles Todd through is Inspector Ian Rutledge series. The Bess Crawford Mysteries are ALMOST as good, with the usual early murder in an unlikely location, followed by an amazing number of twists, turns, and red herrings which keep the reader off kilter until the very end. This is the 4th in the series. I say this so you don't start out of order. Each book can stand on its own but subsequent ones make reference to prior crimes.

Bess is the only daughter of a highly decorated British colonel who has chosen nursing on the battlefields during World War I, rather than a comfortable, if loveless, marriage to a gentleman of her class. While she lacks the training and knowledge of Rutledge (a well-educated member of London gentry who chose law enforcement before fighting as an officer in the same war), Bess' criminal deductive skills come from what I took as "female intuition", a bit of a condensending insult to women then and now. This choice by Todd gives the Bess Crawford series less of an overall impact, especially since it takes place before the acceptance of such rudimentary criminal forensics like fingerprints, ballistics, the information provided by rigor mortis and livor mortis - all which would become critical components just a decade later. Bess kinda "stumbles" her way into solutions with the full force of the considerable resources and access to military and government documents and databases provided by her father.

The narrator is out of league here. While Landor is great with Regency, Edwardian, and Victorian romance books, her range of voices and dialects is limited, especially with respect to males. All of her men sound like upper-crust fops talking like their buttocks are clinched so tight that a hungry man couldn't get a shilling from between the cheeks. A major flaw is with the dialogue between women of the same class. If more than 2 are talking, the normally irritating "Bess said" or "Lady Stiff-Upperlip remarked" is sorely needed just to keep your place or you'll find yourself rewinding repeatedly throughout the book.

That said, this series is still worth listening to. Try to get them on sale if you can and start with Bess Crawford before the Rutledge books. Comparatively, she is merely a tasty appetizer to Rutledge's outstanding main course. (NOTE: I will post this same review for the others in the series, only changing the chronological order since this is the only one where Audible.com has seen fit to add "Book 4).

Wonderful series.

This was the third book I’ve listened to and they have all been wonderfully written and well read. I can’t wait to listen to the next one.

Great story must listen

Love the twist and turns. Excellent narration!! The story shows how ordinary people in extraordinary situations can react good and bad.