I guess I didn't realize that this book was part of a series because while reading it I did feel somewhat lost. I would like to go back and read the others first and then maybe reread this one to see if it makes more sense.

Unfortunately not for me. I have been trying to read the books that have been on my tbr list a while- but struggled to finish this one.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Ensconced in the woods of rural England, 1784, American anatomist Dr. Thomas Silkstone hunts for justice amid a maelstrom of madness, murder, and social upheaval…
In the notorious mental hospital known as Bedlam, Dr. Thomas Silkstone seeks out a patient with whom he is on intimate terms. But he is unprepared for the state in which he finds Lady Lydia Farrell. Shocked into action, Thomas vows to help free Lydia by appealing to the custodian of her affairs, Mr. Nicholas Lupton. But when Silkstone arrives at the Boughton Estate to speak to Lupton, he finds that another form of madness has taken over the village…
Sweeping changes to the Boughton Estate threaten to leave many villagers, who are rightfully angry, destitute. After a single shot rings out and a man dies in the woods, it appears that the desperate villagers have turned to murder to avenge their cause. But for Thomas, a post-mortem on the victim raises more questions than answers. Although he manages to save an innocent man from the gallows, a second murder warns him of his potentially fatal situation. Soon he discovers a conspiracy far more sinister than anything he has ever faced…

Let me start by saying that I really should have read the previous four books in this series as it would have given me a better background to the characters. However, my rating is based solely on the story itself.

Historical mysteries are a bit of guilty pleasure for me - but also a genre that I am super critical of. It takes a VERY good book for me to rate highly. Sometimes it is a matter of the dialogue, sometimes the way the character behave are a put-off...there always seems to be something that brings down a historical novel quickly. However, this book didn't suffer from any of that...

From the get-go, I was drawn into the multiple mysteries that were weaved throughout this book. Murder, mystery, smuggling...all quite well plotted and captivating. These storylines tied together nicely and I did enjoy this aspect of the book. Added to this, the history and research in this story were greatly appreciated.

The characters, too, were a pleasure (for the most part) - Dr. Thomas Silkstone, an American anatomist studying in London, is one of the better characters I have come across in this genre. He is intuitive, smart and quite clearly a man to be reckoned with. I thought his character really brought this story to life and I am sure, just based on him, that I want to read more. The associated cast of characters were also very well done and I did enjoy the interactions between them all...except...

I wasn't keen on the story of Lady Lydia. Maybe it was just me but I felt that we did spend quite an amount of time with her and my interest started to wane after a while. It did get bogged down at times with details that could have been better left on the editing floor.

However, overall this is a very fine historical mystery and one that I would recommend - only after reading the previous four!


Paul
ARH