Sue's Reviews > The Anatomist's Wife

August 2016: A nice re-visit via audio!

July 2015: Lady Darby is an interesting heroine. She is quiet and retiring artist with a depth of feeling and emotion she does not like to exhibit. After acquiescing to her father's arranged marriage, she is secretly forced to make anatomical drawings of corpses by her surgeon husband. At his death, her involvement is exposed and after the celebrated true-life cases of murderers who obtain victims for medical schools, she is ostracized by society and branded an unnatural woman. Hiding at her brother-in-law's castle, a group arrives for a house party and thus unfolds a classic "locked room" murder where the suspects are all in the remote location and forced to remain until law enforcement can arrive. Suspicion immediately centers on her and she is forced to assist one of the guests with experience in inquiry to find the real murderer and thus clear her name. The historical details seem well-researched and the characters are interesting, especially Lady Darby, who has layers of complexity. With the exception of a few minor anachronisms that should have been caught by a good editor, I found it a good mystery with clues laid out that led me to solve it just before Lady Darby, a compelling setting and story, and interesting enough to want more in the series.