Wounded soldier a mystery in ‘Casualty of War’

“A Casualty of War” by Charles Todd; Morrow (400 pages, $26.99)

Sun Sentinel Nurse Bess Crawford has been on the battlefield, tending to the wounded, since WWI began. It’s now 1918 in the well-plotted “A Casualty of War,” and Bess notices that the fighting feels a bit different. Rumors of peace circulate in the makeshift hospitals, especially the forward aid station where Bess is assigned, moving along with the advancing British line. Then suddenly the war is over. “No mad cheering just—blessed silence,” reflects Bess.

The war is over, but the wounded still come to the field hospital. Bess reencounters Capt. Alan Travis when he arrives with a second gunshot wound. The captain maintains that he was shot by Lt. James Travis, a cousin he met only once. But his cousin was killed more than two years before. The captain’s adamant claims seem more like a hallucination and land him in a British clinic that specializes in mental health problems. When Bess visits him, he is strapped to his bed, hardly looking like the man she met. Bess promises she will try to help him and, along with family friend Major Simon Brandon, she travels to small Suffolk village where his cousin grew up.

Caroline and Charles Todd, the mother and son writing team who publish under the name Charles Todd, are experts at showing how The Great War influenced the British culture and helped changed some antiquated views. These high standards continue in “A Casualty of War.” At the time, a soldier who suffered from shell shock— what we call PTSD today—was viewed as lacking “moral fiber” or cowardice. Today, we know that is far from the truth. “A Casualty of War” also delves into the British inheritance customs during the first half of the 20th century. (Downton Abbey fans will be familiar with the search for an heir). And scams that prey on grieving families have, unfortunately, been with us for centuries.

“A Casualty of War” marks the ninth novel about Bess Crawford, whose compassion, intelligent and curiosity make her a terrific sleuth.