Description

About the Author

Charles Todd is the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and one stand-alone novel. A mother-and-son writing team, they live in Delaware and North Carolina.

Praise for A Duty to the Dead: A Bess Crawford Mystery…

“Todd’s novels are known for compelling plotting with a thoughtful whodunit aspect, rich characterization, evocative prose and haunting atmosphere, and A Duty to the Dead excels at each. Another moving entry in a growing and distinguished body of work, it is neither easily put down nor easily forgotten.”
-Richmond Times-Dispatch

“A Duty to the Dead has all the elements of a good mystery—action, suspense, murder, love, a damsel in distress.”
-Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)

“Todd employs all the elements of a satisfying cozy mystery, with an absorbing plot and a charismatic heroine that will leave the reader wanting more.”
-Library Journal

“Winning....Fans of independent women sleuths like Maisie Dobbs will welcome this new addition to their ranks.”
-Publishers Weekly

“This is a wonderful new mystery series that will let us see the horrors of World War I through the eyes of Bess Crawford, a battlefield nurse. A Duty to the Dead is a richly realistic depiction of both the era and people who lived through it.
-Margaret Maron, Edgar Award–Winning author of Death’s Half Acre

“The superb start of a new historical series....A welcome old-fashioned mystery and a brilliant start to a character with plenty more to discover in future books.”
-New Mystery Reader

“Another winner....Todd again excels at vivid atmosphere and the effects of war in this specific time and place. Grade: A.”
-Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Readers who can’t get enough of Maisie Dobbs, the intrepid World War I battlefield nurse in Jacqueline Winspear’s novels, or Hester Latterly, who saw action in the Crimean War in a series of novels by Anne Perry, are bound to be caught up in the adventures of Bess Crawford.”
-New York Times Book Review

“A tense psychological drama, steeped in the tragedy of the Great War.”
-Iron Mountain Daily (Michigan)

“Anyone who cares to loll in early-20th century English villages and mores and follow a plucky heroine as she confronts the stupidity of war will find solace in this old-fashioned mystery.”
-Kirkus Reviews

“A compelling story, a complex mystery and a revealing look deep into human nature.”
-Winston-Salem Journal (NC)

“An absorbing story that will not disappoint Todd’s fans.”
-Contra Costa Times on A Duty to the Dead

“Full of rich historical details, this novel contrasts the beauty of the English countryside with the horrors of a war that devastated families....Absorbing.”
-Romantic Times

“The Todd books offer an insight into and a grim reminder of the avalanche of broken bodies and minds that came back from France in 1918 as well as a reminder of how little was done to restore them.”
-Washington Times on A Duty to the Dead

“Here is a brave, smart and likable young heroine who will please Todd fans.”
-Evansville Courier & Press on A Duty to the Dead