Wow, Anna Lee Huber's historical mystery AN ARTLESS DEMISE is up to book 7 in the Lady Darby Mystery series! It's hard to believe that there are seven books to enjoy in this marvelous series already. Huber supplies lush historical detail, weaving the many facets of Victorian life into a vivid tapestry of London life.

Kiera, Lady Darby, is a sympathetic character. A talented artist, she was forced by her previous abusive husband to illustrate stolen corpses as he performed illegal medical dissections on them. After her first husband's death, Kiera finds a delightful love with her current husband Sebastian Gage, who is an inquiry agent. Sebastian ticks off all my approval boxes: he's smart, compassionate, and very supportive of Kiera. He also encourages her to help him in his investigative cases, and I so enjoy their interactions as they pursue criminals together!

A series of murders of aristocratic heirs brings "burking" back into the public's eye. Burking, or the killing of individuals to provide corpses to medical schools for dissection, exposes Kiera to the ton's censorious gaze once again. Kiera disapproving father-in-law proves to be a rousing secondary character here, as he pulls his head out of his behind for once to help Gage defend Kiera.

I am a sucker for historical English murder mysteries, and the Lady Darby Mystery series is one of my current favorites. Readers who enjoy C.S. Harris or Deanna Raybourne will be well pleased with this series, where a wealth of period ambiance enlivens the knotty plots and savvy murderers. Huber's AN ARTLESS DEMISE provides an engaging mystery against the backdrop of Victorian London domestic life.