The Anatomist's Wife (A Lady Darby Mystery Book 1)

First Sentence: The scream froze me in my tracks, but the shout that followed propelled me out of my indecision and around the hedge line of the maze.Lady Kiera Darby is staying with her sister and brother-in-law in order to recover public notoriety heaped on her after her husband’s death. Her peace quickly ends with the murder of a house-party guest, and the request by an enquiry agent, and fellow guest, asking for her to help by employing the skills others deemed unnatural.There’s no peaceful lead-in here. Huber throws the reader directly into the story while very skillfully introducing the characters, their connections. This is particularly true of the protagonist.The thing which differentiates Lady Kierra from other similar protagonists is both that she is a widow and, thus, more experienced in life, and that she has a talent and a previous background which enable her to fulfill the role she is asked to play. She is someone who has been bruised by life and is wary, but she is also strong, intelligent, independent and resolute in following her instincts, even when others don’t pay them mind.Some of the attitudes and relationships seem a bit modern, but not upsettingly so. Gage, the inquiry agent, is a bit stereotypical, but improves in the end. One does particularly appreciate the understanding and support of Kierra's sister and brother-in-law.We also become aware of Huber’s excellent voice, which includes a wry humor in the midst of an otherwise gruesome scene, as well as just enough period flavor to create a sense of time, which introducing us to a second major character in the story—“What made this golden lothario think he should be there?...As far as I could tell, Mr. Gage’s only talents seemed to be charming his way into house-party invitations and underneath ladies’ skirts.”There are wonderfully evocative descriptions—“I closed my eyes as he removed the handkerchief. Taking deep breaths through my mouth, I remained in Gage’s loose embrace until I felt my muscles steadying. He cupped my elbow to help e rise, and I immediately felt the loss of his comforting hold and heat.” Interesting observations on the behavior of the wealthy further cements Huber’s attention to detail—“The upper class’s stubborn sense of entitlement could not be curtailed by something so mundane as murder.”There were a few failings to the writing – portents, being the first. Not just a subtle foreshadowing, but literally—“If only I had known then…” One must question why this is done. They story had already captivated our imagination, the characters were compelling and there was no possibility of not continuing on with the story. The use of portents was not only unnecessary, but off-putting and disruptive. Let us dearly hope the author abandoned this weakness in further books. The second issue was the weak sense of place. Beside one character speaking with in Scots dialect, there was no sense of the book taking place in Scotland. And last, it was a bit overwritten. However, Huber earns points back for although a relationship is brewing, Huber doesn’t overstep the propriety of the time.In all, Huber has given us an enjoyable period mystery with nicely-done red herrings and a solid plot. She takes advantage of a scandalous actual trial of the day and incorporates the protagonist's past into a tangential relationship to it.“The Anatomist’s Wife” is a quite good read with well-developed characters, a strong sense of time, and effective suspense.THE ANATOMIST’S WIFE (Hist Mys-Lady Kiera Darby-Scotland-1830) – G+Huber, Anne Lee – 1st in seriesBerkeley Prime Crime – 2012

After reading Anne Lee Huber’s novel Secrets in the Mist, I realized how desperate I was for another Gothic romance novel. I wasn’t really up for a murder mystery but everyone raved about Huber’s Lady Darby mysteries so I thought I would try out her well known mysteries that boast Gothic elements and romance.The Anatomist’s Wife was on my radar years ago when it released and I recall trying desperately to win a copy when it was published. I obviously didn’t win a copy, but I did try very aggressively for days. Then of course I moved on to some other novels only to have this one resurface again on my radar.So I devoured this book in a matter of days. This book was more mystery than Gothic romance but that was fine by me. I loved the odd nature of Kiera’s marriage to Sir Anthony and how she was shunned by society to the extreme. I loved Kiera’s attitude…..a spicy little thing and I loved that! Her wit and tart responses to the frustrating Gage were endearing and at times made me laugh out loud from how perfect they were. The one that stands out in my mind is when she reveals herself in the library to Gage after questioning a suspect. I died laughing at her retort. From that moment on, I loved her and knew I would be reading this whole series in rapid succession.The mystery was equal parts dark and unthinkable. I loved the red herrings and twists in the plot with the end culminating in a climax that was cultivated for just the right amount of time for readers.But it wasn’t Kiera and the mystery that completely hooked me…it was the chemistry between Kiera and Gage that made me LOVE this book. At times, I wasn’t entirely convinced that Gage cared for Kiera to the degree that the author wasn’t us to believe….likewise, I thought Kiera was uncharacteristically taken with Gage and it didn’t make sense. That said…..I didn’t care in the least. I thought Gage was charming and sexy in his own right and it was clear that he was at the least attracted to Kiera but I didn’t get the same tormented love interest that I think was being implied in this book. Kiera acknowledged Gage’s good looks and easy manners and that she liked him more than she was willing to admit and it was easy to believe her at least in that regard…..however, Kiera was seemingly so put off by men from her marriage to Sir Anthony that I felt like she needed a little more ‘winning over’ from Gage than we got in this book for it to be believable.However, as I said, I didn’t care one wit if their individual feelings needed more development because when you got them together in the story, it was the perfect fit not just for romantic inclinations but for a true detective partnership. I suppose thinking back, it’s fitting that their relationship isn’t all brooding and moody in the first book because they are just getting used to the idea of each other…..and I fully expect to see more in this regard in later books.I loved Kiera and Gage together….they worked so well together. Each had their flaws as characters and I loved watching them try to work together……rather successfully I might add. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a series whose two main characters captivate me in both a romantic sense and a detecting sense….I loved this book! I can’t believe it took me this long to read it!

The book was for the most part nicely written, and the heroine was intriguing. The story was good as well but the culprit and motive were too easily apparent three quarters into the book. The only surprise was that he heroine found the hero appealing. We keep hearing how handsome he is and how many women he has been involved with, but not other evidence of charm or special intellect. For instance, when finding a planted murder weapon, he propose that it was phoney but then used it to arrest someone, disgarding his own conclusions. Sloppy investigative work. The heroine was more witty, however she tended to be wimpy. Annoying was that she was often in tears. This was silliness in a book and especially in a mystery. I will read the next book in this series to see if she develops a backbone. Also to find out perhaps why she finds the incompetent hero appealing.

I enjoy the genre of the 1800's independent lady sleuth - Imogen Robertson and Deanna Raybourn's work for example. And although the language has to be accessible to the modern reader it must also keep in mind the era in which it is set. I gave up on this by Chapter 9, so I think I gave it a fair go. It isn't badly written, but nor is it well written. I could have coped, until 'Lady Darby' confessed "I guess I overreacted', and she was "'... trying to figure it out...". She also admitted that she ".. should have kept her mouth shut." Not only inappropriate use of modern English, but American English. Ms Huber is American, but if she set out to write a British period piece perhaps her research might have led her to more appropriate dialogue. Our heroine also appears to live in a constant state of high emotion. If only she had access to Valium! If you can cope with that however, you may enjoy the story. I can't say, not having finished it.

A good suspense set in 1830 Scotland, the reign of William IV. Artist, Lady Kiera Darby has taken refuge with her sister and brother in law after the death of her husband, a surgeon and anatomist. Unable to draw and illustrate the book he was writing on anatomy, her husband made Kiera sit in on his autopsies and do the illustrations of various body parts. After his death, scandal breaks when the illustrations are found and it is realised who drew and painted them.Kiera's sister and brother in law throw a house party, inviting members of the ton. The women of whom are particularly scathing towards Kiera. When a body is found in the castle grounds, it makes things considerably worse for Kiera, especially when her brother in law asks her to help a guest, Sebastian Gage, investigate, as it is going to take the Procurator Fiscal 4 days to get to the house. Prickly and wary Kiera is exceedingly wary of ladies man Gage, as an uneasy alliance is made between the pair.A good read. There are however a couple af bloomers. We don't have raccoons in the UK and the author mixes up the months somewhat is relation to flowering plants and fruit. Bluebells don't flower in August, nor do wild raspberries fruit at that time (autumn fruiting raspberries are new and wouldn't have been around in 1830). Despite those slip-ups, it's a good book.

I greatly enjoyed this book, as the subject matter was interesting and the characters skilfully drawn. The herione is treated like an outcast by society in an almost Cinderella-like manner, and I found myself thinking 'really? surely that attitude towards her is a bit extreme...' and then I thought of the early victorian mind-set and thought - '...actually, sadly not!' At least her family supports her, which makes for some interesting dynamics at a house-party hosted by her sister. Add murder to the mix, and intrigue abounds! I definitely recommend this book for a cosy fireside read, and the two that follow. I selfishly hope this is not 'just' a Trilogy, as the relationship between Heroine and Hero is one worth exploring in greater depth.

This author has promise but I struggled with the language which was too modern and interrupted my concentration. It was set in Scotland but with very little deference to the period or wildlife of the region. I considered the second book but as it is so exorbitant in price I can’t bring myself to fight through the modern dialogue.

The first novel in a series that is sure to be fabulous. I loved this book. Lady Darby is a very interesting woman with a painful, traumatic and suspicious past. She's also hugely talented. I enjoyed the writing style, as well. Fans of Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series will like this I think.