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A review by vorpalblad
The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris
2.0
The Anatomist's Apprentice is a good old whodunit in the style of Agatha Christie. Thomas Silkstone is an anatomist, a lecturer, and an American studying in England during the US Revolutionary War. He is asked to perform an autopsy on the rather past-its-prime corpse of Sir Edward Crick, a young nobleman who was less than noble in life, and it is suspected, the victim of foul-play.
The mystery itself is interesting and Harris provides plenty of twists and turns, but I found on the whole the book was merely average. Harris' background in journalism shines through in its lack of depth of character. This was especially jarring in the romance, but even broke up a courtroom scene, where suddenly we are told that the attorney is getting irritated with the witness, although he has done absolutely nothing to convey this emotion.
Finally, Harris partakes in the Christie move of revealing a clue right before the reveal. Honestly, the last clue falls into place on page 275 of a 300 page novel, and there isn't much the reader can do to guess about it beforehand.
On a positive note, even that final reveal wasn't the REAL final reveal. Harris leaves us with a bit of a shocker that I loved. I do think I'll continue with this series simply because the plot was fun and well-paced even if the characters were weak. I hope Harris will improve her writing with the next installment.
The mystery itself is interesting and Harris provides plenty of twists and turns, but I found on the whole the book was merely average. Harris' background in journalism shines through in its lack of depth of character. This was especially jarring in the romance, but even broke up a courtroom scene, where suddenly we are told that the attorney is getting irritated with the witness, although he has done absolutely nothing to convey this emotion.
Finally, Harris partakes in the Christie move of revealing a clue right before the reveal. Honestly, the last clue falls into place on page 275 of a 300 page novel, and there isn't much the reader can do to guess about it beforehand.
On a positive note, even that final reveal wasn't the REAL final reveal. Harris leaves us with a bit of a shocker that I loved. I do think I'll continue with this series simply because the plot was fun and well-paced even if the characters were weak. I hope Harris will improve her writing with the next installment.