Anatomy of Murder [Hardcover]

Monday, March 19, 2012

Anatomy of Murder [Hardcover]

Product Details

Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books; Reprint edition (February 16, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670023175
ISBN-13: 978-0670023172
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

By : Imogen Robertson
Price : $17.08
You Save : $9.87 (37%)

Customer Reviews

Imogen Robertson started off with a bang with Instruments of Darkness and keeps the series not only going strong but picking up considerable steam with the second book; Anatomy of Murder. Harriet Westerman and Gabriel Crowther find themselves once again pulled in by circumstances into solving a murder. While the duo are asked by the British Goverment to look into the death of a suspected french spy that ties somehow into the mental breakdown of Westerman's husband; A Naval Captain.
In the seedier part of London,Jocasta a Tarot-card reader portents evil for one of her clients and is unable to keep it from happening. Thusly she decides to bring justice to the young girl.
Throw in the growth of Lady Susan and Imogen Robertson has brought all the players into the fray for a thrillride of a mystery. You will find it all in this book, thrills, good solid whodunit, and more then a little tragedy to go around.
This is a young writer who has taken the time to learn her craft and is wielding it so well.
A great read!

Some Spoilers. Set in London 1781, this engrossing mystery is the best kind of historical fiction. Britain is at war with France and trying to suppress the revolt in America. Harriet Westerman, an upper class woman with an interest in investigating mysteries is awaiting the return of her gravely injured husband a Royal Navy captain. A body is pulled from the Thames and Westerman and her colleague Crowther are asked to find the murderer by one of the King's agents. There is suspicion that French spies are stealing naval secrets and there are treasonous Brits involved. The murder investigation centers on performers and staff at the His Majesty's theater where a renowned international opera company is performing for the season. Many of the performers have secrets that are revealed as the plot progresses.
A parallel story unfolds with Jocasta Bligh, a working class Londoner who earns her living "plucking truth" from the Tarot cards. Jocasta is alerted to the traitors when the wife of one of them comes to her for a card reading and is killed shortly afterwards. Jocasta befriends a young boy, Sam and together they search out the man who murdered this woman. While Westerman's investigation is carried out in the drawing rooms and society gatherings of the day, Bligh works in the seamy underside of the London docks. Toward the end of the story Jocasta's investigations finally connect with Westerman's and then the action really takes off.
This story has a marvelously detailed setting. The portions that take place in the opera house school the reader on 18th century theater, opera in particular and the strange phenomenon of "castrati", young boys castrated to enhance their singing voice. Additionally the streets of London seem alive with the characters and activities of the time period. The author has included real characters (the Earl of Sandwich, Lord North) that are interspersed with the fictional characters in the story. The plot is complicated but not for a diligent reader. The language used is a wonderful tool that contributes to the historical setting. There are numerous references to the first book in this series that I did find annoying mainly because I had not read it. So as I said in the opening sentence this is the best kind of historical fiction!