A friend recommended A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd as the first in the Bess Crawford mysteries. Bess is an English Nurse whom we meet as she’s on hospital ship during World War I. She makes a promise to a dying soldier which then embroils her in a family mystery which she eventually unravels.

I really enjoyed this story. A good cross between a cozy and a gothic mystery, I thought Bess was a credible character, not perfect but not stupid either. She’s actually how I wish the nurse, Claire, in Outlander was written.

Happily, my library seems to have many of these books in stock (not necessarily available), so I’ll be continuing with this series for the time being.