Book Review -- A Duty to the Dead

A Duty To The Dead by Charles Todd

My enjoyment rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book Source: Library copy & Nook

Genre:  Mystery, World War I

Objectionable material: None

#7 on my Top Ten Summer TBR Books

Bess Crawford’s nursing responsibilities become more serious when one of her patients, WWI Vet Arthur Graham, proclaims a dying confession and asks Bess to profess his thoughts to his family.

Armed with courage and duty, Bess makes her way to Owlhurst, the family’s estate, where much to her amazement, the Graham family seems unconcerned about Arthur’s final wishes. Once there, she further discovers that the family has seems to be hiding other family secrets, including their brother Peregrine’s commitment to an insane asylum.

Little does Bess know, that Arthur’s dying confession would lead to escape, kidnapping and murder.

My interest in Charles Todd’s A Duty to the Dead, was piqued when I saw it listed as a, “if you liked ‘Downton Abbey’…you’ll like this” reading list. I’m obsessed with the WWI miniseries with their manor house, and servants, cast against the background of WWI.

Overall…this was a satisfactory mystery.

I loved Bess. Her “duty” and English grace made for the best part of this book. The author (it’s really authors as Charles Todd is a mother/son writing team – Charles & Caroline Todd) really outdid themselves when creating such a spunky, enjoyable character.

The author also created a wonderful sense of era surrounding WWI. With the opening scenes aboard the Britannic (which historical existed during WWI as a hospital ship, and was sunk off the coast of Greece) really set the tone for a “Downton Abbey-like” atmosphere. The theme was successfully carried through to the end.

However, the other characters – the Graham family (brothers Jonathan, Timothy, and their mother) were rather one dimensional. And Peregrine, a man who was institutionalized for much of his life – it was hard to accept that he would be as emotionally functional as he was, once he encountered Bess.

The “mystery” portion of the book was a bit awkward and complicated: missing family members reappearing, characters introduced in the final scenes for no apparent reason, and no concrete motive for the mayhem.

Ultimately, it was an easy read – and I learned a lot (I did quite a bit of extra credit WWI reading – did you know that sanitary napkins/Kotex were developed as a result of WWI?! Me either!), and even though I really liked Bess, I’m not sure I will continue the series (there are 3 more books).

 

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Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR List

The likelihood of finishing 10 books this summer is highly improbable (considering I will have 3 children expecting me to be Julie The Cruise Director for 10 weeks) – however, I do like to give the impression of being an overachiever!

1.       Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel – I loved Mantel’s Wolf Hall – can’t wait to find out who is beheaded next!

2.        Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielsen – a popular blogger who nearly lost her life in a plane crash, this is a book that should remind me that I need to count my blessings daily.

3.       The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani -- I’ve never read any of this author’s fiction work (best known for her Big Stone Gap series), thought I would start with her most recent book.

4.       Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick – because when you complain about the lines at WalMart – author Demick is there to remind you that in North Korea, there is no WalMart.  Or food for that matter.

5.       The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trent Stewart – this is our Mother/Daughter book club reading choice for the summer.  If I don’t read it, my daughter will ban me from our meetings.

6.       Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard – because this is leftover from last year’s reading list.

7.       A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd – I’m not much of a mystery reader, but this mother/son writing team has created a mystery series that has been on many “if you liked Downton Abbey…then you will like this” lists.  That’s enough for me.

8.       The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte – because I need to read at least one classic.

9.       The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey – about the strife of an Irish family prior to WWI – this was recommended to me by a friend.  And because it has a pretty cover.

10.   The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – July book club choice – not sure I would have picked it otherwise.

11.   BONUS BOOK -- Anything by Jen Lancaster – by summer’s end, I will need something that makes me laugh out loud, because by then, my kids will have taken over the house, my sanity called into question, and I will be running up the white flag of surrender.

What are you reading this summer?

My Top Tens: Biographies and Memoirs

Suey at It's All About Books posted her top 10 favorite biographies and/or memoirs today. I am going to follow her lead:

I didn't think I was a big biography/memoir reader, I was surprised at what I came up with!

I no particular order:

1. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
2. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
3. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
5. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
6. Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
7. The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
8. Bad Mother by Ayelet Waldman
9. Gastronomical Me by MFK Fisher
10. Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass by Isak Dinesen
11. My Life in France by Julia Child (thanks to Jayna for the reminder, I ADORED this book!!!)

Another one I would have added, but it's not really a memoir or biography is The Johnstown Flood by David McCollough.  A fascinating book -- I highly recommend it. 

Do you have a top 10 list?  Are you a big memoir/biography reader?