I’m a big fan of historical mysteries set in the Regency or Victorian periods. This series starts at the tail end of the Regency period and goes forward.
I was intrigued by the idea of a female artist taking part in the production of a book on anatomy. However, when her participation is forced, it put that particular interest to bed.
Keira, Lady Darby, is shunned by society for her unnatural tendencies (drawing pictures of dissections.) She has escaped the society that condemns her by hiding at her sister and brother in law’s home in Scotland. She is a fairly recent widow whose late husband left a lot to be desired (and that is putting it mildly.)
The premise was good and the mystery interesting; however, the book was somewhat long and repetitious. Often, he language used by the characters was out of sync with the time period.
I had a couple of nits. I noted that Keira scowled quite often. No one could accuse her of having a poker face. The other thing that rankled a bit was when a gentleman offered his arm to a lady. The author then stated that the woman was steered and/or guided along. This included walking through an open door or even just down a hallway. As if the woman could not find her way without the man trotting along her side. What in the world would she do if he wasn’t available?
I found the book good to read at bedtime because it was a bit interesting but not riveting. It helped me fall asleep rather than want to stay up longer to finish the book, a chapter or even a page.
That is how I will continue to use this series in the future. A really good book for inducing sleep.
