waclements7's review against another edition
4.0
Usually I don't really like the forwards/backwards in time books, but this one held my attention quite thoroughly. I enjoyed the historical parts of the novel, and the mystery was intriguing.
cjeanne99's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Maura Isles makes a cameo appearance in this story of murder and intrigue set in 1830’s Boston - murders that were uncovered by the modern day discovery of a skeleton in the garden of a home recently purchased by Julia Hamil. While trying to learn more of the history of her house, Julia meets Henry Page - family historian who is related to one of Boston’s first female doctors - and cousin to the deceased woman who Julia purchased the home from.
Henry and Julia dig through the family archives and uncover letters written by Oliver Wendell Holmes to Margaret Tate Page - and a story unearths.
We have graver robbers, young women dying from unsanitary conditions in maternity wards, medical students, Irish immigrants, murders that seem to be unconnected, amputation of the hand of a medical student, Rosicrucians, the unsuccessful search for the newborn baby of a former Irish servant, another murder, suspicion of a medical student, philandering husband and wife bent on preventing any bastard children from ever claiming the inheritance rightfully her son’s.
In the end - I believe we learn who the skeleton in the garden belongs to - but I don’t remember.
Henry and Julia dig through the family archives and uncover letters written by Oliver Wendell Holmes to Margaret Tate Page - and a story unearths.
We have graver robbers, young women dying from unsanitary conditions in maternity wards, medical students, Irish immigrants, murders that seem to be unconnected, amputation of the hand of a medical student, Rosicrucians, the unsuccessful search for the newborn baby of a former Irish servant, another murder, suspicion of a medical student, philandering husband and wife bent on preventing any bastard children from ever claiming the inheritance rightfully her son’s.
In the end - I believe we learn who the skeleton in the garden belongs to - but I don’t remember.
zelda100's review
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is basically historical fiction, the story could have been told without the tiny interludes of "present day" and would have had a better flow to it.
bibliomak's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
amandabshero's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
cortneyfearless's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
njakub's review
4.5
Overall, I'm left quite confused with this one.
Pros: absolutely fascinating premise. I loved the historical aspect, especially because I don't know a lot about body snatching and as a scientist, this field intrigues me to no end. I absolutely ate up all the anatomy aspects and medical talk that occurred once these bodies were taken!
I enjoyed all the characters and their interactions, as well as the overall plot. I certainly didn't see the end coming, which is always a pleasant surprise.
Cons: as far as formatting goes, I have one major con to include. The transitions between scenes were not obvious. They were formatted as another paragraph and so my brain thought we were still in the same scene with the same people, then get confused when the paragraph didn't match the prior... I had this happen many times. I wish the transitions between scenes and characters was a lot more clear.
There are also so many questions I have. (Spoiler to come) - how did Mrs. Lackaway kill herself if in the scene describing it, she went back "wailing", but later, it's said she shot herself in the head? One does not wail when that happens. If she was the killer, how can a woman exert enough pressure to cut her victims as she did? Mr. Burke couldn't have. Was this a story in reincarnation? That's the only way I can justify the very end.
Overall: this book was truly on my brain when I wasn't reading, but I'm so sad because I feel like there still is a bit more needed to really pack the punch I so desperately wanted from this! I'd still recommend it, though. Perhaps I just missed all of my complaints above, but I'm used to everything being tied up in a pretty bow, so who knows.
Pros: absolutely fascinating premise. I loved the historical aspect, especially because I don't know a lot about body snatching and as a scientist, this field intrigues me to no end. I absolutely ate up all the anatomy aspects and medical talk that occurred once these bodies were taken!
I enjoyed all the characters and their interactions, as well as the overall plot. I certainly didn't see the end coming, which is always a pleasant surprise.
Cons: as far as formatting goes, I have one major con to include. The transitions between scenes were not obvious. They were formatted as another paragraph and so my brain thought we were still in the same scene with the same people, then get confused when the paragraph didn't match the prior... I had this happen many times. I wish the transitions between scenes and characters was a lot more clear.
There are also so many questions I have. (Spoiler to come) - how did Mrs. Lackaway kill herself if in the scene describing it, she went back "wailing", but later, it's said she shot herself in the head? One does not wail when that happens. If she was the killer, how can a woman exert enough pressure to cut her victims as she did? Mr. Burke couldn't have. Was this a story in reincarnation? That's the only way I can justify the very end.
Overall: this book was truly on my brain when I wasn't reading, but I'm so sad because I feel like there still is a bit more needed to really pack the punch I so desperately wanted from this! I'd still recommend it, though. Perhaps I just missed all of my complaints above, but I'm used to everything being tied up in a pretty bow, so who knows.
amyleentje's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
brandywinebooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Violence, Medical content, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage