Bess Crawford has followed in her father’s military footsteps and is serving in the nursing corps during World War I, both on the battlefields of France and on the hospital ship Brittanic. She has grown quite fond of one of her patients, Arthur Graham, and before he passes away, he asks Bess to carry a message to his brother. When she is finally able to do so, Bess quickly realizes that all is not as it seems within the Graham family. She is soon swept up in a long buried family secret, and it is up to her to discover the truth. Bess is a smart, endearing and strong character, and I enjoyed getting to know her. Todd has also created a vivid portrait of World War I Europe and the high price that soldiers had to pay. This is a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining mystery, and I will most certainly read the next Bess Crawford book. As an interesting side note, Charles Todd is a pseudonym for a mother and son writing team. ~Torrie