Compelling, Authentic Mystery: The Anatomist's Wife

The Anatomist's Wife, the start to the Lady Darby series, has been on my to-read list for a while. But other mysteries have gotten in the way, and she nearly got lost in the shuffle. I finally brought myself to read it, and I'm kicking myself for not having picked it up sooner.

In terms of setting, The Anatomist's Wife has everything I would ever want in a mystery. It's set in a castle in the Scottish highlands, and Kiera Darby is the widow of one of the world's first anatomists. So of course she is reviled for having unnatural tendencies for being forced to assist her husband in his dissections by creating the illustrations for his medical book. This kind of history is right up my alley, so I really loved seeing this period and this particular moment in medical history and people's fascination with the unnatural and with body-snatchers in a really authentic way that was also organic to the plot. Because without Kiera's keen knowledge of the inner workings of the human body, the murder of Lady Godwin on her sister's estate might never have been solved.

Kiera herself is suspected of the murder by the castle's other guests because of their perception of her sadistic proclivities. So to clear her name she must work with Gage, a self-professed rake. I liked their interactions very much. They complemented each other well during the investigation, because Gage's charm was disarming to the potential suspects they interviewed, and Kiera's approach to attempting to be invisible, along with a sharp, unique mind, allowed her to see things others didn't, and ultimately led to the solution of the mystery. But she wouldn't have gotten that far without Gage at her side because of the limitations of her reputation. Although I did figure out the mystery before the end reveal, the investigation itself was deeply suspenseful, and even with a hint of the gothic. Who doesn't love that?

The romantic tension between them worked especially well too - it was all subtle and all about tension, rather than the release of that tension the way a historical romance would have done. And given that they cross paths again in the series, this works out quite well.

All the characters are believable, but Kiera's sister is downright unlikeable, because she is so controlling, and you can see in the family dynamic how she steamrolls her sister, giving insight into why she has led such a passive, quiet life, up until her husband's infamy is revealed and her reputation is in tatters.

I put it off for much to long to begin with, but I know myself, and I know that the next Lady Darby book is going to find its way into my hands much quicker than the average series.

K. Rating: 5/5