I'll admit that I am addicted to mysteries set in a time not my own. I got spoiled on historical mysteries by Ellis Peter's Brother Cadfael series. I am constantly on the look out for new writers and mysteries set in the past. It is a crap shoot though sometimes you get a seven and sometimes snake eyes. A few months ago for example I wrote about The Scottish Play Mystery by Anne Rutherford. I didn't like the book and explained why. Ms. Rutherford became a member of Daily Kos for the sole purpose of sending me a nasty and childish email because she felt I wasn't smart enough to appreciate her exquisite writing. Anyone who ends an email with "huh, huh, huh" isn't worth my time and effort to write back and I deleted it.
So I was a little hesitant about reading new writer Anna Lee Huber's Lady Darby series. I doubt Ms. Huber will have any complaints about my review of her books because they are wonderful. The books are set in 1830's Scotland. Being part Scottish I am a sucker for books that are set there or have characters who are Scottish.
We are introduced to Lady Kiera Darby in
The Anatomist's Wife. Lady Darby has fled to the highlands of Scotland after the death of her husband. He married Kiera under false pretenses. He was determined to write the definitive book on anatomy and wanted her talent as an artist so he didn't to pay for one. This was at the time of the Burke and Hare body snatchings. For Kiera art was her passion and her husband threatened to destroy her hands if she didn't cooperate and forced her to do his bidding. After his death she was brought up on charges of being unnatural and procuring bodies for her husband. Her family was able to get the charges dismissed but her reputation was in taters.
Eighteen months later she is still reclusive and afraid. Her sister and brother-in-law throw a house party hoping to try and bring her out of her shell. The party is thrown into chaos when Lady Godwin is discovered savagely murdered. Some members of the house party immediately accuse Lady Darby of the crime. Lady Darby's brother-in-law asks Sebastian Gage to investigate while they send for the authorities who are several days ride away. He asks Lady Darby to help Gage.
Lady Darby realizes that she will have to solve this murder before the authorities get there since even Gage is not convinced of her innocence. They discover clues along the way that points to a Lady and her maid as the killers. Lady Darby thinks the clues are too conveniently placed. With the nightmare of her own arrest on false charges driving her on she continues to investigate. She realizes they are after a killer who is always one step ahead of them.
The mystery itself wasn't all that difficult to figure out. What makes the book so good is the atmosphere and intriguing characters. Being an artist myself I was immediately drawn to Lady Darby and her passion for art. Sebastian Gage is fascinating and more than a bit mysterious. This is a beautifully written debut.
It is with
Mortal Arts that Ms. Huber has gained a fan forever. I read her dedication to the book and had an immediate lump in my throat. As many of you know I lost my older brother Mike to the long terms effect of PTSD from being in Vietnam.
"For the veterans of all wars, in all times and in all places, who suffered from what we now call PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder.) Your cries may have gone unanswered and, in ignorance, your courage may have been questioned. But we hear you now. And we honor your bravery and sacrifice."
Lady Darby's sister Alana is pregnant and after having so much trouble with her last pregnancy her husband, Phillip the Earl of Cromarty, decides to get her down to Edinburgh where there are better doctors. They stop by Dalmay House at the request of a friend Michael Dalmay. Michael is engaged to Philip's cousin Caroline but the engagement is being threatened by Caroline's mother Lady Hollingsworth.
Ten years earlier Michael's older brother William went missing. Michael is being pressured to have him declared dead so that he can inherit the title. William was suffering from nightmares after being in the Napoleonic wars. His art showed the horrors he saw in that war. The problem was that William hadn't gone missing. His father had committed him to an insane asylum. Michael had finally discovered where William was and brought him home now suffering from not only the war but the horrors of being imprisoned in the asylum.
William had befriended the then 15 year old Kiera and was her art instructor for a summer. She wants to help William recover from the trauma he has faced. William has some good days but also episodes where he totally withdraws into his mind and the horrors he has seen.
A local girl has gone missing. Dr. Sloane, who is head of the insane asylum where William was held, claims that while there William murdered a woman. No one wants to admit that William could be involved in her disappearance but evidence starts building against him. Sebastian Gage is a house guest and Michael has asked him to investigate since the local police chief is as incompetent as he is arrogant.
The writing in this book is even stronger than in her debut book. At that time in history insane asylums were pits of hell. No one understood mental illness. No one knew about PTSD. William is a beautifully written character. Through William, Huber shows us the horror that veterans have faced in war and the long term effects that it has on the mind.
This is a series that I strongly recommend. Anna Lee Huber looks fairly young and I have a feeling she has a great career in front of her. She grows in strength with each book. I am looking forward to her third book which is coming out on July 1st. With the sensitivity and compassion she showed in the dedication of her second book I can guarantee no one will be getting a childish email from her ending in "huh, huh, huh."