A STUDY IN DEATH by Anna Lee Huber

A STUDY IN DEATH is book 4 in the Lady Darby series -- historical mysteries with a strong female protagonist -- by the talented Anna Lee Huber. The Lady Darby books are sure to satisfy fans of Anne Perry, C.S. Harris, or Tracy Grant. Imbued with a wealth of historical details and set in Scotland, the story is nicely evocative of the 1830's. The mystery is well constructed and the plot vigorous.

In A STUDY IN DEATH, Lady Kiera Darby was married to a now-deceased anatomist who forced her to illustrate his cadaver dissections, leaving her with a reasonably strong medical background. Kiera is now engaged to a brilliant investigator, and brings her own intelligence and skills to their investigative team. Her fiancé, Sebastian Gage, is an enigmatic but compelling man. Kiera and Gage's romance blossomed at the end of the last book, A GRAVE MATTER, after the slow build-up in the first three books. Their relationship continues to evolve as they work together, and I love seeing them grow closer as the series progresses.

Kiera is commissioned to paint a portrait of the current Lady Drummond. Married to a brute, Lady Drummond dies in Kiera's arms of an apparent poisoning. However, the pompous family doctor impatiently declares her death to be due to apoplexy. Kiera suspects Lord Drummond of murder, and begs Gage to help her expose the crime. Kiera is convinced her conclusions are correct, but convincing Gage and then searching for proof are a great challenge. It's very satisfying to watch Kiera be proven correct.

A STUDY IN DEATH is fairly character driven. Kiera's first marriage was abusive, and the revelation of her medical illustrative work has exposed her to society's scorn and ostracism. Kiera is continuing to experience a great deal of anxiety about putting herself under a man's control again, and her continuous angst proves a bit wearing, even if it is warranted by her past tribulations. Gage has his own troubled secrets and is opening up to Kiera slowly, and the revelations about his past confirm to me his fascinating and complex psyche. The secondary characters are skillfully drawn out, and the mystery keeps me guessing until the very end. I can't wait to see what Huber has in store for Lady Darby next.

From the national bestselling author of A Grave Matter comes the latest riveting
mystery featuring a most “unusual and romantic” (Judith Rock) sleuth…

Scotland, 1831. After a tumultuous courtship complicated by three deadly inquiries,
Lady Kiera Darby is thrilled to have found both an investigative partner and a
fiancé in Sebastian Gage. But with her well-meaning—and very pregnant—sister
planning on making their wedding the event of the season, Kiera could use a respite
from the impending madness.

Commissioned to paint the portrait of Lady Drummond, Kiera is saddened when she
recognizes the pain in the baroness’s eyes. Lord Drummond is a brute, and his
brusque treatment of his wife forces Kiera to think of the torment caused by her
own late husband.

Kiera isn’t sure how to help, but when she finds Lady Drummond prostrate on the
floor, things take a fatal turn. The physician called to the house and Lord
Drummond appear satisfied to rule her death natural, but Kiera is convinced that
poison is the real culprit.

Now, armed only with her knowledge of the macabre and her convictions, Kiera
intends to discover the truth behind the baroness’s death—no matter what, or who,
stands in her way…