The Anatomist's Wife A Lady Darby Novel
Reviews
I need more!
Lady Darby has been outcasted by all of society after the death of her husband. As she is seeking shelter at her sister’s house in the highlands, a murder is committed. She has to overcome the prejudices of the past and help solve this murder. Easy cozy little mystery read.
Lady Darby has been outcasted by all of society after the death of her husband. As she is seeking shelter at her sister’s house in the highlands, a murder is committed. She has to overcome the prejudices of the past and help solve this murder.
Easy cozy little mystery read.
[slams hand on table] ANOTHER.
[slams hand on table] ANOTHER.
*3.5
The mystery was alright, I did guess the whodunnit part pretty early, but it was still well constructed and took me a little longer to work out the rest of the details, which was good. HOWEVER... The feminist misogyny of this book is too much, really. It's my biggest pet peeve in books with strong female protagonists when that protagonist distinguishes herself as being "not like other girls". In this case, all of the other female characters, with the exception of Lady Darby's kind but still not too bright sister, are repeatedly described as silly, simpering, conniving, gossiping, shallow, unintelligent jerks. Their silliness is evidenced by their attention to their looks and their desire for male attention, so like, super anti-femme. The men are jerks, too, but they aren't described as stupid or silly. And the redemption of our heroine is her acceptance by the smart, commanding men, even the creepiest of the lot afforded more respect than any of the women. There is no reason why one woman being smart in a few particular ways must be predicated on the assumed silliness of other women. If that's your measure, then you're probably not that smart after all. Especially when this character misses a crucial and obvious clue halfway into the book, which is never explored at all. I kept expecting Lady Darby, who is supposed to be such a genius and so keen to detail, to remark on this ANVIL of a clue that was dropped so early in the story, but it never came up. I'm all for having a genius woman teach the menfolk a thing about respecting women's knowledge, but I have no time for stories that rely on throwing other women under the bus to win that respect. 2.5 stars.
Heather Wilds (what an incredible name, first of all) does a FANTASTIC job narrating this series. Her voice acting is so elegant and the suspense so well-timed, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Kiera, or Lady Darby, is a fascinating lead and I particularly love the scenes of her painting. (As a painter, I am very particular about this sort of thing, and the descriptions here about the creative process are among of the best I’ve read!) And of course, the romantic banter and tension between Kiera and “the insufferable Sebastian Gage”… 😉 I love this pair, and their sleuthing partnership. Perfect for fans of the Veronica Speedwell series! 🕵️♀️
