Fri 17 Nov 2017
Reviews by L. J. Roberts
CHARLES TODD – A Casualty of War. Bess Crawford #9. Setting: France/England, World War I. William Morrow, hardcover, September 2017.
First Sentence: Lieutenant Morrison died as dawn broke on the Friday morning, a casualty of war.
Field nurse Bess Crawford treats a patient, Captain Travis, disoriented from a head wound who believes Lt. James Travis, a distant cousin and Englishman, deliberately shot him. Although released, he is brought back still insisting on the same story. Upon Bess’s return to England, she finds the captain strapped to a hospital bed and being treated for a brain injury. Bess enlists the help of Sgt. Major Simon Brandon to unravel Travis’ story and find the truth.
From the very start, Todd touches one’s emotions. Although it’s coming to the end of the war, it is still very active and provides an interesting perspective on events and even the attitudes by some regarding providing medical treatment to captured German soldiers.
At first, one may believe one knows where the story is going. As it progresses, things do change and a twist makes things more interesting. And, as they say, the plot thickens even more.
Bess is such a strong character. Her nature is well-explained, as is her dedication.
The story does read a bit like a melodrama at times. However, it turns out there is a very clever, and well-hidden, motive.
A Casualty of War takes one from the battles of France, to London, to a small English town, all in search for truth. With the war coming to an end, it is going to be interesting to see where the series will go from here.
November 18th, 2017 at 9:30 pm
Not a series I’ve sampled yet, but this one sounds tempting. Can’t believe it’s number nine, though. I probably ought to start with the first one.