Abigail Hale wishes nothing more than to become an
anatomist, like her father. As she already works at a
medical college, and cadavers are needed, she is the one
who deals with resurrection men, thus ensuring her
eminent father's reputation won't suffer regrettable
consequences. One evening however, things go awry: when
she is about to pay the resurrectionists, they instead
steal the money she keeps for the maintenance of the
college as well as the ivory elephant her dead mother
left her. Abigail is so infuriated, she sets off to at
least get her figurine back.
Abigail manages to get in the house where the body
snatchers from The London Supply Company hole up. One man
though, Max seems cultured, and doesn't quite seem to
belong. Just as Abigail is about to get out of the house,
Max enters, and Abigail is trapped. Max Wilder wants to
find out what happened to his half-sister, who was last
seen a month prior with the dreaded Jack Hurtsill, the
leader of the resurrectionist group. Max says he's a
noble who has heavy gambling debts and he needs the
money, but the mysterious Max seems to harbour more
secrets even than the graveyards.
A MATTER OF GRAVE CONCERN intrigued me; it seemed an
interesting book, and it turns out to be superb! The
premise for the story, is to say the least highly
original, and the meticulous research done by Ms. Novak
pays off in spades!
The subject matter is at first glance
a tad unsavoury: they are after men who steal bodies from
graveyards and supply the surgeons, but it makes for an
utterly fascinating and compelling story. And I learned
quite a few things while being totally engrossed in this
captivating suspense story.
Abigail is a fabulous female
character: strong-willed, independent, fearless, highly
intelligent, and unconventional, as much as the
restrictions of the era and her sex allow: the 1830's
didn't look that well upon women aspiring to higher
learning.
Max is a splendid character as well, and the
banter between him and Abigail is delicious; they make a
great team indeed! And A MATTER OF GRAVE CONVERN features
the best exchange about sex between a man and a woman I
have ever read in a historical novel: Abigail's exposé on
her clinical knowledge of sexual intercourse is, while
completely accurate, hysterically funny!
I loved how the rash decision Abigail makes was handled
by Ms. Novak and turned into a supremely entertaining and
clever story. A MATTER OF GRAVE CONCERN is suspenseful,
perfectly paced, beautifully written, featuring unique
characters, and the unexpected plot twists are ingenious,
logical and consistent with the story line. Different,
brilliant and exciting from beginning to end!
Bestselling author Brenda Novak unearths love in the darkest
of places.
When Maximillian Wilder hides his noble identity and joins
the notorious body snatchers known as the London Supply
Company, the last thing on his mind is love. He’s worried
about Madeline, his vanished half sister, who was last seen
in the company of Jack Hurtsill, the gang’s conscienceless
leader. Raiding graveyards, stealing corpses, and selling
them to medical colleges as dissection material is dirty
work, but Max knows he must gain Jack’s trust. He’s
determined to find out what happened to Madeline—and to
bring Jack to justice if she was murdered for the coin her
body could earn.
Beautiful, spirited Abigail Hale, daughter of the surgeon at
Aldersgate School of Medicine, detests the challenging,
hard-bargaining Max almost as much as Jack. But she must
procure the necessary specimens if she is to save the
college and her father’s career. She believes she is going
to be successful—until Jack double-crosses her. Then she’s
swept into a plot of danger and intrigue, one where Max must
intervene to protect her, no matter the risk to his plan…or
his heart.
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