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Duty to the Dead
Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
Dedicated to helping the many wounded during the Great War, Bess Crawford receives a desperate request from a dying lieutenant while serving as a nurse aboard a hospital ship. "Tell my brother Jonathan that I lied," the young man says. "I did it for Mother's sake. But it has to be set right."Back home in England, Bess receives an unexpected response from the dead soldier's family, for neither Jonathan Graham his mother nor his younger brother admit to understanding what the message means.But the Grahams are harboring a grim secret, and Bess must, somehow, get to the bottom of it. It is her sacred duty to the dead, no matter how painful, or dangerous, that obligation might be."
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CatLass007
Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd

My usual favorite genre is urban fantasy. Lately I have been enjoying historical mysteries. Right now I‘m on a roll.

32 likes1 stack add
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CatLass007
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Pickpick

This is the first book in a new to me mystery series by Charles Todd. Bess Crawford is a nurse in World War I. A dying soldier requests that she personally deliver a message to his brother, which she does. The brother and his mother are brokenhearted about the death of the oldest child. But they aren‘t concerned with the message. Bess continues to investigate because she feels that the dead soldier‘s final wish should be honored. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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CaitlinByTheBook
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Panpan

I read this one for a book club and was not a fan. I‘m glad it‘s done and I won‘t be reading anymore of this series. It was quite far fetched and the mystery solving was very convoluted. Oh well, I tried!

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Bookzombie
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Pickpick

First book of 2021, yay! First book in a series and I loved it, crap!

Bess, a WWI nurse, breaks her arm escaping the sinking Britannic. During her medical leave, she sets out to do her duty and relay a message for a soldier who died on an earlier voyage. The family doesn‘t think the message has any significance, but Bess believes it does. Soon Bess finds herself searching for clues regarding the family‘s secrets and a 14 year-old murder. ⬇️

Bookzombie I love that Bess is independent, strong and capable. I also really liked her father as well as some of the other secondary characters.
This fits prompt number 4 #COVIDHEROS: doctor or nurse MC for #Booked2021
4y
Cinfhen Woohoo 🙌🏻 awesomeness 4y
Bookzombie @TheAromaofBooks I just realized this was my #Bookspin for this month. 🤦🏼‍♀️ 💗 4y
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TheAromaofBooks I read this series at the end of 2019 and loved them. 4y
Bookzombie @TheAromaofBooks I‘m looking forward to the rest of the series. I really like Bess. 4y
TheAromaofBooks I did, too. I felt like she was a good balance between being a strong character without feeling like she was just a 2000s woman plopped into WWI, if that makes sense. 4y
Bookzombie It does make sense. 🙂 4y
45 likes1 stack add7 comments
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melissajayne
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Part two of five of my top #20of2020

Darthdad A garden of beasts is one of my favorite books. Such a well told story. I love nonfiction that reads like a thriller and this one is so good. 4y
melissajayne @Darthdad it really did read like a thriller! 4y
26 likes2 comments
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melissajayne
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Pickpick

5⭐️ It took me a restart to get this completed and once I slowed myself down to focus on the book, I quite enjoyed it. I liked how complicated the book was and how it wasn‘t straightforward as I expected it to be. Well worth restarting. #mystery #bookstagram #bookreview #historicalfiction #2020 #besscrawford #bookstagram #wwi #mystery

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melissajayne
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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War is a bloody waste of good men, and that will break your heart when nothing else does.

Suet624 Truth. 5y
13 likes1 comment
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xxjenadanxx
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Attempting to give this a listen so I can check the audiobook prompt of a reading challenge off. I wish I could enjoy audiobooks more, I'm just so much more of a visual person I suppose. Any recommendations for amazing audiobooks available on YouTube? Something that will grab you from the get go?

Panic70 Due to copyright laws most audiobooks get pulled from YouTube fairly quick. Can you try audible free for one month? It gives you one free audiobook. I use two different libraries to get most of my audiobooks. Illuminae is a YA series that uses a full cast. Most books with a full cast are more interesting. Popular narrators are Jim Dale, Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Fry, Wil Wheaton, Neil Gaiman. You can always try listening to a sample too. 5y
Panic70 I looked over your picks and I highly recommend The Hate You Give. I really enjoyed the narrator. I looked on youtube and found a few chapters. Hope you find one you enjoy. 5y
j.rye I used to dislike audiobooks too. I finally listened to enough and now I enjoy them. My library has the Libby app which really upped my audiobook game. Maybe your library has a similar streaming service! 5y
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xxjenadanxx @j.rye unfortunately my library doesn't have Libby or overdrive or anything similar, much to my chagrin! They still use audiobook on CD lol. 5y
xxjenadanxx @Panic70 thanks for the suggestion! I never reread so The Hate U Give is out but I bet it would have been a good choice! I can get an audible subscription if necessary, maybe link it to my KU books but I was trying to avoid it! 5y
j.rye @xxjenadanxx that stinks! I don‘t think I would‘ve gotten into audiobooks without it. I probably return 2-3 for every one I listen to because I don‘t like the narrator. That‘s why I could never buy them. I was so gun shy about wasting money on something that I was annoyed listening to. 5y
bliophile If your from the UK, Libraries Unlimited provide free audio books. There is a lot of choice, all you need is a library card xx 5y
xxjenadanxx @j.rye it totally does, and we are a decently sized library system with five or six branches so it makes no sense to me! 5y
xxjenadanxx @bliophile American sadly but that's awesome! 5y
49 likes9 comments
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JazzFeathers
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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#Two4Tusday @TheSpineView

1. I reread The Hobbit. Twice 😆 l also reread Letters from Father Christmas
2. Leaving Tolkien out, l loved A Duty to the Dead. Such a fortunate discovery of a great author and series.

TheSpineView I loved Letters from Father Christmas! Happy Tuesday! ❤ 5y
27 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Chili
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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#WinterGames #MerryReaders #TBRRead Crossing another one off Mount TBR.

TheAromaofBooks I just read this series last month and really enjoyed it. 5y
Clwojick 16 pt. 5y
14 likes2 comments
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JazzFeathers
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

1. It's a time for snugging.
2. Tagged. A part of the plot reguards asylums at the beginning of last century. Quite gruesom.
3. Fantasy. I'm a more omnivorous reader than l used to be, but you can't comand to your heart
4. @rajithr @Letora @ameliaR230

BehindthePages Thanks for the tag :) 5y
Eggs Thanks for joining in 👏🏻👏🏻 5y
23 likes2 comments
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mom2bugnbee
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Pickpick

8:38 yesterday for #24b4Monday #readathon! Excited about that - there's no way I'll keep up that pace, but that's fine!

Listened to several Levar Burton Reads episodes (audio short stories) & finished the above book, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I think I prefer Veronica Speedwell to Bess Crawford, but I will definitely read the latter's series - there are a dozen of them!

Picture of my reading buddy, my daughter's cat, Rose. #catsofLitsy

wanderinglynn What a cute cuddle buddy! ❤️🐱 5y
ScientistSam I really enjoy the Bess Crawford books, glad you so too. 5y
43 likes2 comments
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JazzFeathers
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Pickpick

My first Bess Crowford mystery and l totally fell in live.
Bess is such a great lead. Clever, compassionate, brave, intuitive, assertive. And the rest of the cast is good company.
The mystery is absorbing. The main suspect, Peregrin, is so relatable.
And the setting! This is one of the best WWI setting l've ever read.

Full review here https://theoldshelter.com/thursday-quotable-a-duty-to-the-dead/

melissajayne Can you give me a full summary of the book? I don‘t understand it. Where‘s the murder? 5y
JazzFeathers @melissajayne The murder is actually in the past. When the story starts, Peregrin has been kept in an asylum for 15 years, accused to have murdered a girl when he was a boy. Bess takes it on herself to discover the truth. 5y
JazzFeathers @melissajayne But this is a mystery. Surely you'd prefer reading it rather than a detailed account 😉 5y
melissajayne @JazzFeathers I restarted the book and I just got to that point 5y
42 likes4 comments
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JazzFeathers
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@Clwojick @Andrew65 @TheReadingMermaid
My afternoon section for the #SummersEndReadathon and #24B4Monday wasn't to bad.

Read today's chapter for #FellowshipOfTolkien #LOTRHistory

Finished A Duty to the Dead and really loved it. Won't be the last Bess Crowford novel l read. Loved the full cast audiobook.

And now, on to Spellbound. Don't think l'll be able to finish it tonight (l'm 60% in), but let's try!

Andrew65 Doing great, well done. 👏👏👏 5y
Clwojick Way to go! ♥️ 5y
37 likes2 comments
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JazzFeathers
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I've read contrasting opinions about this book. I'm listening to it (about 15% in) and l'm actually loving it so far.
The historical research is top notch and l'll admit that at the moment l'm quite obsessed with WWI stories.

(Photo found on the web)

booksandsympathy I thoroughly enjoyed this book 5y
Cathythoughts This one sounds good. Must investigate... 👍🏻♥️ 5y
JazzFeathers @Cathythoughts @booksandsympathy l'm really really enjoying it. 5y
28 likes3 comments
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Sheryl
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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I love that wonderful feeling when you stumble upon a new author, find you love the characters and story, and realize that this is the first book in a series and they have a ton of books for you to devour. 🙌🏻💕Evidently Charles Todd is the pen name for a mother & son writing duo. I‘m listening to the audiobook on Libby, and the narrator is excellent as well. Highly recommend!

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Maria514626
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Pickpick

This mystery was a bit slow going but good. It zigzagged and kept me guessing.

The reader was just ok and I had a lot going on so it was easy to get distracted. That is not the fault of the book, however. 🙂

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ScientistSam
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Pickpick

This one was a #blameitonlitsy, as I'd seen @robinb post about this series.

Bess is a WWI nurse who is wounded and sent home to recuperate. She takes the opportunity to discharge a promise she had made to a dying man, and goes to visit his family in Kent. Once there, she gets pulled into a 14 year old mystery that may have have spread its tentacles into the present day.

I quite enjoyed this. Bess is a competent woman with a lot of agency. 4 🌟

Samantha.1020 I enjoyed this one as well! I need to read more from this series! 7y
robinb So glad you liked it @ScientistSam ! I honestly think it just continues to get better as you go along and become more acquainted with Bess and all the secondary characters. 7y
ScientistSam @robinb definitely something to look forward to! @Samantha.1020 me too! 7y
54 likes1 stack add3 comments
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ralexist
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Pickpick

Always nice to start a new cozy mystery series. Bess reminded me of Maisie Dobbs. Cool-headed, collected, and observant. And I got the same calming feel from this as I get from Ms. Dobbs stories as well.

robinb I‘m really loving this series! Currently on this one. I haven‘t made it to Maisie Dobbs, but I‘m moving in that direction. 😊 7y
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robinb
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Pickpick

Just finished up my first Bess Crawford book, and it definitely won‘t be my last. I enjoyed this one! While it did have some slower spots, I loved the descriptiveness and rthe suspense of the mystery. And Bess, I loved her dedication to doing what is right (both in her nursing and in righting injustice). She‘s spunky, independent and just an all-around likable character. She rocks! Looking forward to more! ❤️

Andrew65 You just accelerated it up my TBR! 7y
robinb @Andrew65 oh good!! I really did enjoy it. I‘ve just gone and put a hold on the next one in the series at my local library. Please share what you think when you get to it. 😊 7y
Andrew65 @robinb Will do. 😊 7y
41 likes6 stack adds3 comments
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robinb
A Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
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Excited to start a new series with a new author to me. I‘ve heard good things...🙂

Louise Hi, Robin! Thanks for your card! Healing wishes to you! 💕 7y
robinb @Louise thank you! I‘m feeling better (and the doctor agrees). 😊 7y
Louise That's good to hear! 7y
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robinb And I‘m enjoying getting over my reading slump. 😉 Making up for lost time! 7y
Andrew65 I need to read this series. 7y
robinb @Andrew65 I‘m really enjoying it so far! 7y
Andrew65 @robinb That's good to hear. 😊 (edited) 7y
25 likes7 comments
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MargaretPinardAuthor
Duty to the Dead | Charles Todd
Pickpick

Great action and setting in WWI, and a new heroine who's kind of a marshmallow but has her father's training and that stiff upper lip to fall back on...well crafted and an exciting read!