"Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister's estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.
Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks her to utilize her knowledge of human anatomy to aid the insufferable Sebastian Gage--a fellow guest with some experience as an inquiry agent. While Gage is clearly more competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn't about to let her guard down as accusations and rumors swirl.
When Kiera and Gage's search leads them to even more gruesome discoveries, a series of disturbing notes urges Lady Darby to give up the inquiry. But Kiera is determined to both protect her family and prove her innocence, even as she risks becoming the next victim..."
My Thoughts:
I picked this book up at my library after seeing a few reviews (and the gorgeous cover) for the latest book in this series. I decided it was time to give this series a try and I'm really glad that I did! This book was a really great read and one that I just immersed myself within its' pages. I most enjoyed this book how the author was able to really make me feel like I was there in Scotland 1830. The details she gave, the way the characters talked and dressed, it all added up to make such a great reading experience for me. I was sucked into the mystery as well as the struggles one faced as a woman during that time period that didn't fit into the norm. Kiera's character was one that I connected to and felt for because she just wasn't able to fit in with society thanks to her deceased husband's dark past. When she is pulled into the investigation it brings many of the things from that time in her life back to the surface. To protect both herself and her family she begins to work and investigate with Sebastian Gage. This might be a slight spoiler but the chemistry between these two has me very excited to get my hands on book two. I won't say any more than that but suffice it to say that I'm very curious as to where that next book may lead. The mystery portion of this book was actually darker than I expected. I can't say that I read a lot of historical mysteries but I kind of equated them to the same or similar as a cozy mystery. You can imagine my surprise with this book then, when it was quite the opposite of a cozy and was a bit more graphic than I expected it to be. It didn't effect my enjoyment in the least but just thought I would mention it. It was such a compelling mystery though and I couldn't quite set this one down. I thought I had the whodunnit figured out until 3/4's of the way through book when I realized I was completely wrong. The ending tied everything up quite nicely but left me wishing I had my hands on the next book. I just wasn't ready to see these characters go and am really looking forward to seeing what mysteries and adventures they get up to next.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am so excited that I have six more books or so to look forward to! I won't be waiting long to see what kind of trouble Lady Darby finds herself in next! This book was the perfect blend of mystery and historical fiction which makes me want to find more books just like it. What other historical mystery authors am I missing out on? It's something that I'm going to be figuring out in the very near future! I'm hoping that there will be some romance upcoming in those future books as well. Fingers crossed at least! I really can't say enough good things about the characters in this book and the mystery itself. It felt like the perfect fall read (although it isn't quite fall yet) and one that I just adored. I would recommend this book to fans of historical mysteries as well as mysteries in general!
Bottom Line: Such a great beginning to this series and it has spurned my need to find other authors just like this!
Disclosure: I checked this book out from my local library. Thoughts are my own!
Oh, I'm glad to hear this one worked well for you, Sam. I've not read it, but have read good things. As to other authors that I have read - you might try Tasha Alexander - first book is AND ONLY TO DECEIVE. Also Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia series and her Veronica Speedwell series. All of these are very good. No, historical mysteries are not necessarily cozy at all. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed this one. I have been looking forward to reading it myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear you are enjoying this one. It's really a great series and I think I'm up to book four now. Lots of good character development and I'm excited I have a couple more waiting for me.
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