The Anatomist's Wife

When I needed a break from Regency England, Anna Lee Huber coaxed me up to Scotland with this book. It hooked me from the start with the unusual main character’s backstory as an artist turned anatomy illustrator.

What kept me reading was Huber’s imagery, which was rich with the depth and colors only an artist would notice. The slow-burn romance hit all the right notes. 

Have you ever picked up a historical romance novel, attracted by the era, then read the book and said to yourself, “Wouldn’t it be great to explore other genres in this setting?” Then you need Anna Lee Huber’s Lady Darby mystery series. I picked up The Anatomist’s Wife at random from the library and was instantly confused. It seemed like the setting for a romance novel—1830s Scotland—but it’s first and foremost a mystery. Her characters are interesting and complex, the mystery is solid, and her beautiful prose elevates the genre.

Lady Kiera Darby has a lot to contend with. A gifted artist, she was tricked into marriage by a ruthless surgeon and anatomist. He forced her to watch him dissect bodies, then carefully draw each organ for his human anatomy textbook. When her despised husband dies, Kiera hopes to never again see a human corpse. Unfortunately, she is at her sister’s Scottish estate when a woman at the house party is found murdered in the maze, her throat cut. Kiera’s brother-in-law asks Kiera and an inquiry agent at the party to investigate the murder. Guests at the party accuse Kiera,… show more.

Technically written just after the true Regency period in England (1811-1820), the Lady Darby series has so much in common with Regency novels that it is usually included with those of the earlier era. However, it does have distinct differences. The main protagonist is not only a woman—but a woman who takes up her dead husband's unusual occupation as a human anatomist. She is shunned by polite society and retreats to her sister's home to spend her time painting. When a house guest is murdered, she is asked to use her skills to assist inquiry agent Sebastian Gage in finding… show more.