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.