Battlefield nurse Sister Elizabeth Crawford has just completed the duty of accompanying wounded soldiers back to England. Her thoughts are focused on a well-earned night of rest in her London flat before heading back to France the following day. As she leaves the station, she sees the wife of one of her patients, a pilot recovering from disfiguring burns, in great emotional distress while saying farewell to a soldier who is not her husband. The receipt of a newspaper not long after reveals the woman has been found murdered, and Scotland Yard is asking for any information that may shed light onto the victim's final hours.

Bess writes immediately with the details, including the description, rank and regiment of the soldier involved. Her life as the daughter of a military man makes her uniquely qualified to provide such pertinent information, and with the help of her father's close associate and former batman, Simon Brandon, she may even be able to track down the name and location of the missing soldier. Although she knows her help is not exactly welcomed by the authorities, the widowed pilot is one of hers, and she feels a certain responsibility to do what is in her power to assist in resolving the case.

In book two of the Bess Crawford Mystery series, Todd again provides a realistic and fascinating look at the life of nurse on the front lines during World War I. The contrast between quiet England and it's hidden menace of a murderer walking free with the war-torn and bloody battlefields of France provides a unique and well-researched backdrop to a skillfully crafted murder mystery. Book one in the series is A Duty to the Dead.