The Anatomist’s Wife: A Lady Darby Mystery

Anachronistic language and a predictable romantic plot detract from Huber’s debut set in 1830 Scotland. Respectable society views Lady Kiera Darby with suspicion, because she assisted her late husband, a renowned anatomist, by preparing sketches of the human body parts he studied. When someone stabs Lady Godwin to death at Kiera’s sister’s castle, Kiera’s dubious reputation makes her the prime suspect among the eminent guests gathered for a house party there. With the authorities some distance away, responsibility for investigating falls to Sebastian Gage, “London’s gentleman inquiry agent.” Kiera initially regards the Darcyesque Gage with disdain, but she also notes that his eyes were “the pale blue of a winter sky the morning after a snowstorm,” leaving little doubt that their relationship will improve. The insertion of a fiendishly clever fair-play clue at the outset suggests that Huber is capable of better things. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Nov.)