Description (from cover):'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 content 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 a murdered officer--a man who not only served in her father's former regiment, but 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 officer has been buried, and the only other person who saw the body has hanged himself. Or did he?
Using 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.'
My thoughts:
I would probably have to say that this is the least favorite book of this series. Ir just didn't captivate me like the others did and at times the plot seemed a little too farfetched. There were too many people to keep up with and at times I was confused trying to remember who so-and-so was and what their importance was to the plot. Little things like that seemed to get to me with this one and shoot down the possibility of enjoying it as much as the others. I really have come to enjoy reading about Bess' character and her endeavors during the tumultuous background of World War I, but it seems that every time I would turn around, Bess was squirming her way out of impractical situations due to her father and his famous name.
While this has been pretty predominant throughout the whole series, for some reason this book really made me irritated by that fact. Why does Bess have to have everything handed to her because of who she is? She gets to recover from the flu in England, when we well know that any other nurse in real life wouldn't have been afforded that luxury. Sometimes I want to see Bess struggle to get by like the rest of the people who lived in that time and age surely had to do so. Plus, I think having a main character having to face struggles and work for her own independence would endear her more to me as a reader.
Personally, this one was somewhat of a bleh type of read for me. It's one of those books that you have to read to continue with the series, but they really don't have any substance or standing of their own. I hate books like that in series and I sincerely hope that the next one in this series will compensate for the lack of interest in this one. I really do enjoy this series and hope that this book was just a fluke and that we will be amazed by the next one.
Overall Rating: 2.5
Title: An Unmarked Grave
Author: Charles Todd
Series: Bess Crawford Mystery #4
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: January 2, 2013 (Reprint)
Pages: 288
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was purchased by myself and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
