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

I’m marked grave

Enjoyed this as much as the others I have listened. Always a twist and can’t always see it!!

Loved it

As always I’ve listened to this series numerous times. And each time I love every minute of it.
I can’t wait until the next book in the series.

A good one

Just listen to the preceding books in the series for character development and continuity.
This story was a bit complicated and I enjoyed following the plot.

Excellent plot

I enjoyed this installment of the Bess Crawford series more than the previous ones. The story of a serial killer preying on WWI soldiers and nurses, in both France and England, kept me involved as Bess uncovered pieces of the puzzle while trying to keep from becoming another victim. Most interesting was the issue of the killer's motive -- is he randomly attacking people, or is he a spy, or is he out for revenge, and if so, for what perceived injury.

An Unmarked Grave

Another amazing story set in the middle of war. The author has created a realistic picture of the horror and endurance of the people and characters.

Bess is so strong and compassionate but also has a sense of honor. Amazing narration

A Nurse Bess Crawford mystery

This mystery is set against the background of WW I 1918. The war has dragged on for several years, losses have been huge for both sides, men are being gassed, and then the pandemic of the 1918 flu is killing people globally. Bess and the other nurses are hard pressed to handle the wounded and now the sick. Soldiers are dying so quickly in France that they are being buried in pits. But one day Bess is called into the room where the bodies are held because an orderly has found a body that did not belong to that unit, with no identifying clothes, and who hadn’t died of the flu. In fact, his neck was broken and he was murdered. Bess knew the man, a family friend who served with her father. She arranged for the orderly to hold back the trucks which took the bodies away, and Bess went off to find the matron to decide what to do. But Bess fell ill with the flu, and was delirious for several days. The nightmare of seeing the murdered man came back to her in a dream. When she finally recovered, she didn’t know if it was a dream or had happened. But then, she learned that the orderly who had also seen the body had, seemingly committed suicide. She instantly believed he was murdered. Bess enlisted the aid of Simon and her father and others to track down this murderer, and her own life was almost taken several times. This was an exciting book, each one in the series has gotten better and better. Landor is a particularly good narrator, especially for no-nonsense nurse Bess Crawford.

Entertaining performance, Addictive story lines.

Though both are written well, I've enjoyed Todd's Bess Crawford mystery series more than the Inspector Ian Rutledge series. Both take place during or just after WWI, which is an absolutely fascinating time period. It's obvious that Todd has done quite a bit of historical research on the war, which certainly adds to each stories' atmosphere.

The plots might sometimes be a bit of a stretch, but they have enough truth and "believability" so that I've always really enjoyed them.

The characters are the best part. They are so well developed, they're the reason I've gone through the whole Crawford series. After I'd used my Audible credit on the first book and finished it, I instantly purchased the second book so that I wouldn't have to wait a whole month to see how each character's subplots progressed.

The narrator's voice sounds a bit too cold for me at times, but again, each character's personality is very strongly written so that towards the end I wasn't bothered by it.

I thoroughly recommend this book. If you want your characters a bit darker, I suggest the Rutledge series as well.

Great Read

Love this and the Ian Rutledge series. So well written you feel like you are there and the twists are genius.

Interesting perspective on WWI

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

I would definitely recommend this audiobook to a friend especially if that friend likes mysteries and has an interest in World War I. The characters and the plot were interesting as well as the details about the time and the people living through WWI.

What other book might you compare An Unmarked Grave to and why?

Any of the other Charles Todd books that deal with the same time period. The other series that comes to mind is the Inspector Foyle programs on PBS. They deal with a changing society during the two World Wars and the changing role for women in that society.

What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?

She portrayed the characters very well and was extremely easy to listen to.

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

I loved the end of the book when Bess Crawford was able to give the murdered soldier's family the comfort in knowing that he had not committed suicide and restored his honour.

Highly recommend

Charles Todd does not disapoint in the 4th book of the "Bess Crawford" series. Rosalyn Landor has done a fantastic job in reading ALL the books in the series. I hope they continue to use her as the series progresses. She really brings the characters to life!