The Dead Shall Not Rest: A Dr. Thomas Silkstone Mystery

Body snatchers plague 1782 London in Harris’s outstanding sequel to 2012’s The Anatomist’s Apprentice. In particular, unscrupulous anatomists covet the body of Charles Byrne, the celebrated eight-foot-tall “Irish Giant,” who is appearing at the annual spring fair near the home of Dr. Thomas Silkstone’s love interest, Lady Lydia Farrell, in Oxfordshire. When Lady Lydia prevails on Silkstone to examine Byrne, the physician concludes that “our giant may not be long for this world.” Meanwhile in London, Silkstone comes to believe that an innocent man is being railroaded for the suffocation murder of Signor Cappelli, a castrato whose larynx was surgically removed postmortem. Well-rounded characters, cleverly concealed evidence, and an assured prose style point to a long run for this historical series. Spoiler alert: the introductory author’s note gives more of a sense of plot developments than some readers will want. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, the Knight Agency. (Jan.)