Nurse Bess Crawford is posted in a wartime clinic enmeshed in the nightmare of treating the wounded and the ever increasing numbers of the people dying from the Spanish influenza when Private Wilson asks her to examine a body he found amidst the victims awaiting burial.

The man is one she knew, a Major Carson who had served in her father's regiment. Unlike his companions, Major Carson was murdered and hidden there to be lost in an unmarked grave.

Before she can take steps to trigger a murder investigation, Bess' exhausted body succumbs to influenza. By the time she comes to her senses, weeks later in an English seaside hotel, the murder of Major Carson seems nothing more than a fever-wrought dream.

When news comes of the suicide of Private Wilson however, her memories of the night before she took ill sharpen and become undeniable. There was indeed a murdered man among the war and influenza victims. It is beyond coincidence that a man of Private Wilson's steady temperament should commit suicide the evening after Bess succumbed to influenza. Who had he gone to with his tale of an extra body? Who had silenced him? How can Bess investigate when she is across the channel and all the people involved are caught up in a bloody war and fighting night and day to save the influenza victims?

Charles Todd (the mother and son writing team of Cornelia and Charles Todd) have added another wonderful book to their Bess Crawford series. AN UNMARKED GRAVE is book four. It continues the high standards set by the previous three as well as the quality found in their Inspector Ian Rutledge books, giving a glimpse through the eyes of the main characters of war-torn Europe and the quiet heroes who had a monumental impact on the world.

If you are new to the Charles Todd mysteries my best advice is to grab one as soon as possible. You won't regret it.