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The Anatomist's Wife (Lady Darby Mystery #1)

by Anna Lee Huber (Goodreads Author)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 486 ratings · 142 reviews

Paperback, 357 pages

Published November 6th 2012 by Berkley Trade

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2013 RITA Finalists

7th out of 78 books — 49 voters

Fair is the Red Rose

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Dec 24, 2012 Ruth marked it as to-read

Shelves: covers-that-are-gorgeous, historical-romance, library_hardcopy, mystery-thriller-spies-suspense, regency-victorian, series

This was a great book! I whizzed through it in no time (always sign of being sucked into a good story), and absolutely can't wait for the next one. It was very similar to the Lady Julia Grey books by
Deanna Raybourn, which I also love, but the heroine, in particular, is a very different type of person than in Lady Julia.

In choosing this particular heroine, the author has a really interesting character. She is considered extremely eccentric by the standards of her time. However, her eccentricitie...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Regency murder-mystery. No sex.

This was a very enjoyable book. Once I got to the last 5 chapters I couldn't put it down!

Kiera is the widow of a prominate surgeon, who only married her for her artistic talent in drawing cadavers anatomy. A talent that's reviled after his sudden death. The only thing that saves her from imprisonment, or worse, is luck. She's been living (hiding) with her sister at a remote Scottish castle. A house guest ends up murdered & it looks like she's once again in...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Robert Slaven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, mystery

As usual I received this book from GoodReads as part of a giveaway. Also as usual, despite the very kind and generous consideration of getting a free book, I give my candid opinions below.

The year is 1830 and there is murder most foul afoot at an isolated Scottish estate. A young woman has been brutally murdered and her fetus stolen from her very abdomen as she lies bleeding. The suspects are detained and it's up to a dashing but inexperienced son of an Edinborough investigator and the widow wit...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery-thriller

The obvious target audience for this book are fans of the Lady Julia Grey books or even Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily books. It has first-person narration by our heroine, Kiera, Lady Darby--a young widow of a very unpleasant man. She is a portrait artist whose work for her late husband has landed her with a very tarnished name among the upper levels of society. She is, at turns, clever, naive, sensible and TSTL (too stupid to live).

The blurb gives a very nice synopsis of the plot. The author cou...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Starr Reina added it

Anna Lee Huber’s new mystery, “The Anatomist’s Wife,” steps back in time to the 1830s and introduces us to a remarkable character. Lady Kiera Darby has retreated to her brother-in-law’s castle in Scotland after her husband’s death and the subsequent scandal that engulfed her.

Her husband, a doctor, was working on an anatomy textbook—years before“Gray’s Anatomy” was published—but he had no skill as an illustrator. Instead, he married Kiera, a talented portrait artist of some repute, and forced her...more Anna Lee Huber’s new mystery, “The Anatomist’s Wife,” steps back in time to the 1830s and introduces us to a remarkable character. Lady Kiera Darby has retreated to her brother-in-law’s castle in Scotland after her husband’s death and the subsequent scandal that engulfed her.

Her husband, a doctor, was working on an anatomy textbook—years before“Gray’s Anatomy” was published—but he had no skill as an illustrator. Instead, he married Kiera, a talented portrait artist of some repute, and forced her to do his illustrations for him. The thought of a woman attending dissections, let alone recording them, was scandalous, and soon gossipmongers had Kiera prowling London streets, inviting men home with her to be murdered and used as her husband’s subjects.

During a weekend party at the castle, one of the ladies present is found dead in the maze on the grounds. Several of the guests immediately suspect Kiera, because of her history. Her brother-in-law, Lord Cromarty, sends for the authorities to investigate the crime, but it will be four days before they can arrive. Rather than do nothing until then, Lord Cromarty asks one of the guests—Sebastian Gage—to look into the matter because he has some experience as an inquiry agent. Because of her knowledge of anatomy, Cromarty asks Kiera to assist Gage.

Gage is a well-known rakehell whose manner Kiera finds insufferable. But soon they’re caught up in the investigation, where Kiera’s knowledge leads to a gruesome discovery. It is clear that behind the guests’ façade of culture and civility there lurks a monster. To protect her sister’s family and to prove her innocence, Kiera is determined to expose the killer, even at the risk of losing her own life.

Huber recreates the pre-Victorian world with careful attention to detail, while keeping the story moving briskly. Those who love historical mysteries will be delighted with this book, and will be waiting anxiously for the next installment in this new series.

Reviewed by David Ingram for Suspense Magazine
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Nov 24, 2012 A. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kiera's husband died unexpectedly a year and a half ago. Sir Anthony Darby married her for one reason only, to use her artistic ability to illustrate his book. He was an anatomist and surgeon, one of the men who dissected scores bodies to document how the human body functioned back when medicine was getting more scientific. Kiera was forced to do the illustrations of internal organs etc. during the dissections. When her husband suddenly died, the truth was revealed about her husband's work and h...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Audrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Anatomist's Wife (Berkley Prime Crime, $15.00) is a love story masquerading as a historical crime novel - and it's a good one!

Lady Kiera Darby came to the Gairloch estate in an attempt to hide from London's nobility. Her sister, the countess of Gairloch, welcomed her with open arms following the death -- and resulting mess -- of Kiera's husband, a respected anatomist living in the shadow of the great Burke and Hare scandal.

A painter by trade, Kiera takes refuge in Scotland and removes hersel...more The Anatomist's Wife (Berkley Prime Crime, $15.00) is a love story masquerading as a historical crime novel - and it's a good one!

Lady Kiera Darby came to the Gairloch estate in an attempt to hide from London's nobility. Her sister, the countess of Gairloch, welcomed her with open arms following the death -- and resulting mess -- of Kiera's husband, a respected anatomist living in the shadow of the great Burke and Hare scandal.

A painter by trade, Kiera takes refuge in Scotland and removes herself from the swirling world of manners and hateful gossip that plagues her.

An ancient castle beside a turbulent Scotch loch is ideal for a creepy murder mystery. The late Georgian period comes alive on the pages of this fast-paced thriller, as the reader is introduced to a party of selfish socialites visiting Gairloch. Each is hell-bent on getting their own way and climbing into the upper echelons of the ton, acquaintances be damned.

When the beautiful Lady Godwin's mutilated body is discovered in the gardens after dinner, it is clear that a cold-hearted murder walks among them - but who?

The isolated estate is set to lock-down for days, awaiting the arrival of the proper authorities. In the interim, the charming (and stubborn) Sebastian Gage, son of a well-respected investigator, attempts to unravel the mystery on his own terms.

A misunderstood artist with a dark past, the innocent Kiera is immediately suspected as Lady Godwin's vicious murderer. With all signs pointing to her guilt, the young Lady Darby must find a way to convince her family and their anxious guests that she is not the murderer. Independent to a fault, she must learn to work alongside Mr. Gage... and somehow convince him that she has been framed.With all bets against her, Kiera must solve the mystery before the murder can silence her forever.

Many tales of love and loss are woven into the plot of this quick read. Each character strives to find their own sort of happiness, whether that be realized through true love or the beds of their friends' wives and husbands. Unrequited love, unfulfilled dreams and a hunger for something more are what drive Huber's characters to their blessed and bitter ends.

No historical thriller is complete without a bit of romance. Huber's well-crafted characters are at times exasperating, but endearing. As this novel came to an end I slowed my reading, hoping to stretch and savor the last few pages. I didn't want to say goodbye to clever Kiera and the handsome Mr. Gage.

Anna Lee Huber must be awfully proud of her first novel. It is saturated with well-researched historical tidbits, providing a feeling of authenticity often difficult to achieve in this genre. A stellar debut, and I look forward to the next installment of her promising "Lady Darby" mystery series.

Get this novel from your local, independent bookseller!
Read more of my reviews at my blog, http://audreyellis.blogspot.com/2012/...(less)

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Mar 29, 2013 K. Bird rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kiera found herself married off to an anatomist in London who forced her to sketch his subjects during a time when Ladies definitely took no part in such gruesome activities. Upon her husband's death, the discovery that she had assisted him sent scandal rocketing through society, and almost forced her to stand trial.

Now Kiera lives a quiet life in the highlands of Scotland with her sister and brother-in-law. During a house party that shows Kiera society is still all-too-ready to believe maliciou...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Lee Anne - Give me a Good Romance rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review-not-lendable, mystery, historical

This review will appear on November 2 at https://romantichistoricallovers.word...

The Anatomist’s Wife is a fabulous murder mystery with tons of suspense threaded throughout the entire story. It starts off with a scream and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

After having her reputation tarnished by her late husband’s actions, Lady Darby is living in a self-imposed exile at her sister and brother-in-law’s house in Scotland. During a house party, a noblewoman is murdered. Sebastian Gage is asked t...more This review will appear on November 2 at https://romantichistoricallovers.word...

The Anatomist’s Wife is a fabulous murder mystery with tons of suspense threaded throughout the entire story. It starts off with a scream and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

After having her reputation tarnished by her late husband’s actions, Lady Darby is living in a self-imposed exile at her sister and brother-in-law’s house in Scotland. During a house party, a noblewoman is murdered. Sebastian Gage is asked to look into the murder until the authorities can arrive, in four days. Lady Darby is asked to assist with the investigation.

Along the way, Lady Darby and Gage make some gruesome discoveries that are despicable. As they question the guests, they meet with more and more questions. Evidence is discovered and they close in on the guilty party.

But things are never as easy as they seem.

I was intrigued by this story from the very first sentence. Anna Lee Huber had her hooks in me and I couldn’t stop reading. I was craving more at every turn. Ms. Huber has painted a wonderful world where things are not always as they appear.

Ms. Huber does a fantastic job of demonstrating how the structures of polite society restrict what women are allowed to do. She also does a fascinating job of showing how polite society is not really all that polite! One of the worst problems is being judged by your husband’s (or late husband’s) actions, instead of your own. We even get a glimpse into the disparity between the classes and how the nobility are held to a different standard, a more lenient standard.

While I loved this story and will definitely read the next one in the series, I could only give it 4 stars. I really wanted some romance! There are a couple of glances between Gage and Lady Darby, even 2 VERY chaste kisses. However, there was no romance. No shy glances or innocent touches to feed the spark. It wasn’t until the very end until there was any mention of an attraction between Gage and Lady Darby. At that point it felt forced to me. I didn’t understand why Lady Darby would take the actions she did at the end. It was very puzzling to me.

This is not the last we’ll see of Lady Darby and Gage. I’m curious to see what happens next, so I’ll definitely be picking up the next one. I highly recommend this one to anyone looking for a good murder mystery, just don’t expect any romance.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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Jan 28, 2013 Joanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-seller-fiction, mystery, historical-fiction

I was enchanted by this book's cover, and the pages that followed didn't disappoint!

The year is 1830 in Scotland, and the widow of a famous anatomist, Lady Keira Darby has been living with her sister Alana and her husband, Phillip, the Earl of Cromarty, for the last 16 months. A talented artist, Lady Keira is a pariah in polite society and considered "unnatural" because it was discovered that she did the illustrations for her husband's anatomical works. When Lady Godwin is found murdered during...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Helen rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book should have been better than it was. It had all the right ingredients: castle in the Scottish Highlands, a vicious murder, a charming heroine and a group of titled suspects. It failed I think because it was a first novel and this showed. It was slightly amateurish with a couple of really infuriating mistakes which indicates to me that it wasn't proof read or edited. Eg on page 90 (for those who have read the book) it was Lord S... who went to India when it fact it was Lord G... As we b...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Val Sanford rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-mystery, fiction, historical-mystery, mystery, women-sleuths

Scotland, August, 1830 -- The despised widow of an Anatomist, Lady Darby is among the first on the scene of Lady Godwin's murder. Lady Darby is the instant suspect when fear and hatred drive others around her to yell "Butcher" "Murderer" and worse. That she was a reluctant wife, and an even more reluctant illustrator of her husband's autopsies does little to calm the irrational fears of those who think her unnatural and very, very capable of murder.

Kiera Darby must put to practice all she has le...more

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Dec 03, 2012 LORI CASWELL rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister's estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.

Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks he...more Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister's estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.

Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks her to utilize her knowledge of human anatomy to aid the insufferable Sebastian Gage--a fellow guest with some experience as an inquiry agent. While Gage is clearly more competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn't about to let her guard down as accusations and rumors swirl.

When Kiera and Gage's search leads them to even more gruesome discoveries, a series of disturbing notes urges Lady Darby to give up the inquiry. But Kiera is determined to both protect her family and prove her innocence, even as she risks becoming the next victim...

Dollycas's Thoughts

Anna Lee Huber has created an extraordinary heroine in Lady Kiera Darby. A heroine with an unusual past that allows her right into the middle of the murder investigation. A past that has isolated her and besmirched her name. A past she wishes would stay in the past.

Sebastian Gage has assisted his father in many investigations but has never undertaken one totally on his own. He is unsure of how Kiera can help him but he bows to the wishes The Earl of Cromarty, his host. As the guests point fingers at Lady Darby and proclaim she is the murderer, Cage decides to allow her to assist him even for no other reason than to keep his eye on her. But it isn't long before they start to have feelings for each other and he feels the need to protect her. Neither is ready to admit their feelings and Lady Darby has been burned badly in her prior relationship so the while the romantic tension is great, the pace is slow and absolutely perfect.

Huber takes us back in time, to a drafty and dark castle. We go deep into the remotest part of the castle for the preliminary inquiry to ascertain the cause of death of the victim. The halls are full of shadows and cobwebs. Lady Darby's travels through the fortress are always mired with the feeling that she is being followed or watched. The reader can almost feel the tickles up the back of our own necks as she travels through the manor and tries to search out the real killer.

The author has given us a haunting story, in a fabulous setting, with the most intriguing characters. The story itself is very fast paced but each word should be savored. This is a chilling tale that may give you a sleepless night because you won't be able to put it down. I can believe we have to wait until next September for the return of Lady Darby, but I know it will be well worth the wait.(less)

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Oct 26, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lovely textured world building, strong characters, and a great story!

The Anatomist's Wife is an engaging historical mystery with romantic elements. Anna Lee Huber does an excellent job bringing the reader into the world with fascinating details right down to the type of fabric used for a piece of furniture. And since the main character is an artist who would absolutely notice things like color, texture, lighting, etc, it all makes sense and never bogs down the narrative.

The mystery is well put...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Betsybean rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: historical mystery lovers

Shelves: favorites

Scotland, 1830. A widow whose husband used her artistic talents for his own macabre purposes. From the opening scream to the hushed ending, Anna Lee Huber’s The Anatomist’s Wife is a tight, historical mystery with skillful undertones of isolation, inequality, jealousy, and rules of society. Amid rustles of skirts and stirring of tea, clues are planted, lies are exposed, false leads send us along diverted trails, and characters are stripped of their proper Victorian façades. Here we see the polit...more Scotland, 1830. A widow whose husband used her artistic talents for his own macabre purposes. From the opening scream to the hushed ending, Anna Lee Huber’s The Anatomist’s Wife is a tight, historical mystery with skillful undertones of isolation, inequality, jealousy, and rules of society. Amid rustles of skirts and stirring of tea, clues are planted, lies are exposed, false leads send us along diverted trails, and characters are stripped of their proper Victorian façades. Here we see the polite drawing room tea, forced manners, and undercurrents of tension and injustice. One can serve tea while ruining a reputation at the same time. Thankfully, this book did not dwell on the cat and mouse games of London Seasons and scandalous liaisons. Okay there was scandal. But an unwarranted scandal cast upon Lady Darby, our protagonist. I loved the premise of setting this following the Resurrectionist Era of Burke and Hare and entangling Lady Darby in the bloody aftermath.

Aristotle would be delighted at Ms. Huber’s use of story elements. The plot was tight, the characters dimensional with clear goals, and even the secondary characters left us with tidbits of their lives. The themes of isolation, guilt, revenge and family devotion in this story are relevant today. While I did not find that the language rang true to the locale, the clean use of grammar and conversation style between characters clearly indicated the Victorian Era. Finally, the setting was in my favorite place. However, my Scottish obsession was not, at first, satisfied, as I wanted to be transported right away to the textures, buildings, landscapes and surrounding area of the Highlands. Yet as the plot thickened and lies were revealed, I was soon in the middle of lush chambers and chilly stairways, and then an unstable boat rocking above the dark depths of a loch.

I believe the author’s intent is for a good mystery. An intent intelligently carried out with a tantalizing dash of romance slowly evolving and emerging through the self-imposed walls of Lady Darby’s isolation. Yes, I would have liked to see more sparks between Sebastian Gage and Lady Darby, but it would not ring true for this story. It would not align with Darby’s long self-exile and the gentle evolution of her return into society. Now the ending was the cleverest of all. Yes, it wrapped up with a credible resolution. Better than that, it left me very anxious to read the next book. Smart. See for yourself. Buy the book, a flavorful tea, and curl up under a good reading light. I bet you will not stop until the last page.
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Mar 17, 2013 Sanna rated it 2 of 5 stars

A thin veneer of historical detail overlays a lurid plot and anachronistic, American (rather than British) figures of speech.

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Jan 22, 2013 Jina Howell-Forbes rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: o-k-but-ho-hum

A good enough book...likable characters, some mystery. But it was impossible to care even one fig about the murder victim. At the end of the book, the murder is solved, but the love interest was unrequited and strung out to the next book, and Lady Darby is still being shunned by society for the sins of her dead husband. That meant to me that there wasn't much point to the story. The protagonists (both male and female) needed to be a lot more compelling to overcome the general ho-hum of the plot....more

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Dec 04, 2012 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

The Anatomist's Wife is an excellent murder/love story combination.

Kiera Darby, a widow, has fled to her sister and brother-in-law's estate to escape the gossip that has been circulating since her husband's death. Kiera's husband was an anatomist who forced her to draw examples of his subjects. Because of this society has looked down on her as being unnatural. Going to her sister's estate she hopes to put this all behind her.

However, when her sister throws a party one of the guests is murdered...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, mystery

Enjoyed this one quite a bit. The backstory of the main character, Kiera (though that name is a little ridiculous) is interesting: in the age of Burke and Hare, she's the widow of an anatomist who was basically forced to use her artistic talents to document her husband's experiments. When this becomes widely known, she is ostracized. And when there's a murder on her brother-in-law's estate, she's drawn into the intrigue (partly because she's a suspect).

The mystery is entertaining, and the tensio...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: historical romance/mystery fans

Recommended to Heather by: my Mama

The Anatomist's Wife follows the spirited yet scandal-plagued heroine, Lady Kiera Darby, as she helps investigate a murder during her sister's house party in the Scottish Highlands. I'm a fan of stories set in Regency England, and a rambling castle in the Scottish Highlands is PERFECT for a murder. It even happened in the maze! It was like all my favorite Regency settings coalesced to bring the perfect stage to this mystery. In other words, it was spooky, a little bloody, with great dialogue and...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Ellen rated it 1 of 5 stars

I agree with another reader's review that this is a love story masquerading as a mystery. But it's not a good one. The writing is juvenile, and the book reads like a 14 yo with a really good imagination wrote it.

Instead of showing the character's emotions through their actions and words, the author tells us what the character is feeling and how they are showing that they are feeling it. Example (not verbatim): "Gage drew a sharp breath in at her words. He was surprised to hear such anatomical a...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Lin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read the previous reviews so I won't add a synopsis.The plot of The Anatomist's Wife let Huber develop Kiera's backstory and provide insight into this reclusive heroine through action. For the most part, the primary and secondary characters were fleshed out,consistent and seemed authentic. However, a few were over-the-top stereotypes. I imagine the stories that follow this one will not require the strident tone of a supporting cast of stereotypes. We now know how Lady Darby was forced into...more

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Nov 11, 2012 B. rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found the quality of The Anatomist's Wife very inconsistent; one moment I disliked it and the next I was thoroughly enjoying it. I found it initially difficult to get into, melodramatic at moments, and the conclusion to the mystery was not at all a surprise. Even with the aforementioned negatives, I found The Anatomist's wife an overall positive reading experience. There were interesting characters, that since this is a first attempt by author, Huber, I expect them to become more fleshed out i...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Erin Durga rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love historical fictions. This one was a fine balance of intrigue, romance, character development and terrific story line. I figured out the "who done it" pretty early, but it was just a sentence that put the idea in my head, which left me second guessing for the rest of the story. The characters were developed in a way that made you feel as if you knew them, but were not described to the point of over description.

I thought it was fantastic, and my only disappointment was that I could not rea...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Heidi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-goal, historical-fiction, mysteries

Dare I admit I've become so predictable? Make no mistake this is a very well-written but unfortunately formulaic Regency mystery. I realized about two-thirds thru that I'd known the murdering culprit for several chapters and I could easily predict the ending for Kiera and Gage too.

Despite the fleeting interest in Kiera's past, this novel was too sedate and polite. Too cozy; just like the well appointed drawing rooms of the Scottish castle setting. If Ms Huber had injected a little more rawness...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Ann Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved the writing. The prose flowed so well. I do wish there had been a little more intimacy, but the heroine was/is very likeable. She's intelligent, misunderstood by society, and falsely judged by others. She's strong, smart, and has strong moral convictions. In the end, the bad guy gets it, and he deserves it, too. There was humor, representation of family loyalty, motherly love, sisterly love, a murder mystery to solve, and a little romance. Me, being the romance-lover that I am, crave pow...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Whitney Hardy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Motivated plot and characters, intrigue, romance, charm, humor, suspense, and murder. The setting for this book will make you read it with a cup of hot coffee under a warm blanket because it is so gloomy and wet you can feel your fingers going numb. The main character is a woman who chooses logic over fear and intellect over fruitless passion. The story moves quickly and hauntingly through the discovery of a dead woman in an upper class party to the investigation of her murder- with the main cha...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Margaret Sankey rated it 3 of 5 stars

In 1830 Scotland, at a house party on a remote country estate, a female guest is found brutally murdered in the maze. The lord of the manor calls upon his sister-in-law, young widow of a scandalous older anatomist, for her expertise as his illustrator, to examine the body and assist an Edinburgh investigations agent in finding the culprit. This was a solid, atmospheric historical mystery, with characters who were motivated and constrained by early 19th century social strictures. I hope this is t...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Holly Weiss rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: scotland, 2012-release, historical-fiction, historical-mystery-thriller

In 1830 after the death of her husband, Lady Darby visits her sister at Gairloch Castle in the Eastern Highlands of Scotland. A painter, she had illustrated her husband’s book on anatomy. A woman is murdered at a dinner party. Thinking it too long a trip to engage a proper coroner and detective, Phillip, Lady Darby’s brother-in-law enlists the help of the questionably qualified guest, Sebastian Gage. He asks Lady Darby to help with the investigation and autopsy because of her expertise in anatom...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Krista Mercer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery

Lady Kiera Darby is the anatomist's wife - having been forced by her now-dead husband to illustrate his medical treatises. Reviled by most of the ton, she has found refuge in Scotland, with her sister and brother-in-law. Her fragile peace is nearly destroyed when a woman is found murdered during their house party - and she finds herself once more the focus of deadly attention.

A solid mystery, with just enough historical and romantic touches. I found the dialogue a bit anachronistic at times (I s...more

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About Anna Lee Huber

Anna Lee Huber was born and raised in a small town in Ohio. From a young age, her imagination was boundless. She spent her summers with her four brothers and one sister playing Star Wars, wearing snow boots and her mother’s old nightgowns while swinging plastic bats as light-sabers, and The A-Team hanging off the riding lawn mower (what else were they supposed to use for the van?). In the fourth g...more Anna Lee Huber was born and raised in a small town in Ohio. From a young age, her imagination was boundless. She spent her summers with her four brothers and one sister playing Star Wars, wearing snow boots and her mother’s old nightgowns while swinging plastic bats as light-sabers, and The A-Team hanging off the riding lawn mower (what else were they supposed to use for the van?). In the fourth grade, she penned her first story and asked her teacher to read it to the class. Sure, it was titled Prom Duty, and a ten-year-old doesn’t really know much about high school dances, but she chalked it up as her first success. She went on to write several more stories, including a series featuring her own gang of mystery-solving teens, keeping her pen moving despite teenage hormones and a cross-country move to South Carolina.

Having dreamed of becoming a Rock Star, more along the lines of Amy Grant than Britney Spears, Anna attended college in Music City USA—Nashville, Tennessee. There, she met her husband while acting in a school production of Our Town. They married just before she graduated summa cum laude from Lipscomb University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and a minor in Psychology. Discovering she was better trained to sing opera than Top 40, and uncertain where her future lay, she found work as an administrative assistant while she tried to find herself again.

While pondering her choices, Anna rediscovered her need for creative expression. She began arranging music, and returned to her love of writing fiction. She now pens historical mysteries for Berkley Publishing. A love of history, mystery and romance combined to build the plot of Anna’s debut novel, featuring a heroine who is a talented portrait artist with a macabre reputation. THE ANATOMIST’S WIFE, the first book in the Lady Darby historical mystery series, will be released by Berkley Publishing on November 6, 2012.

Anna is a member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and the Historical Novel Society. She currently lives in Indiana with her husband and troublemaking tabby cat, Pita. When not hard at work on her next novel, she enjoys reading, singing, travel, and spending time with her family.
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The Anatomist's Wife (Lady Darby Mystery #1)

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