In Lancashire, England, 1740, the small township of Preston is rife with superstition and paganism. When the mysterious, reclusive Dolores Brockletower of Garlic Hall is found in the woods with her throat slit from ear to ear, some say it is the work of the Devil. Rumors of witchcraft and lycanthropy abound. The prime suspect is Dolores's strange husband, Squire Ramilles Brockletower. Titus Cragg, lawyer and part-time coroner, must ask his friend Dr. Luke Fidelis to help him uncover the dark secrets responsible for Dolores's death--secrets that will eventually destroy the lives of several more inhabitants of Preston.

There is a lot of folklore, mythology, including the ideas of werewolves, vampires, etc. thrown into the mix. Any one of these thems would have been doable but all of it was just "too much". It was interesting to see how a crime was handled in the absense of forensic science, with so much superstition thrown into the mix. Probably closer to 2.5 stars but I'll give it the benefit of a doubt as it is a first novel for this author. ( )

A slow start, but the plot picks up in the second half. Nicely drawn characters, and a couple of herrings of a suitably scarlet hue. ( )

Historical mystery fans, put this book on your “must read” list. If you’ve felt the need to fill the hole left after the ending of Bruce Alexander’s Sir John Fielding Mysteries, Robin Blake has a perfect fit. The year is 1740 and our “hero” is Coroner Titus Cragg along with his good friend Dr. Fidelis, living in a small province of England. The magistrate’s wife has been found dead and it is the job of these men to surmise the circumstances of her passing. Though the magistrate himself is suspect number one, far too many other suspects keep popping up, and then turning up dead themselves. As the story unravels, the coroner is faced with weighing his personal ethics against the law. Whether or not you agree with Cragg’s final decisions, you can’t help but respect the
sincerity of his reasoning.

This review was originally written for Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore. ( )

“Fresh Meat” by Vanessa Parker for Criminal Element

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like if Sherlock Holmes had investigated a mystery in the halls of Downton Abbey? I’ll admit that thought never crossed my mind, but, after reading A Dark Anatomy by Robin Blake, I got a taste of the answer. And I liked it.

In the year 1740, around the little town of Preston, Titus Cragg, coroner and attorney, receives a ghastly request while eating breakfast. He is to come at once to Garlick Hall, the estate of Remille Brokletower. The body of Dolores Brokletower, the mistress of the house, has been found under the branches of an old oak tree. She is wearing riding clothes, but her horse is nowhere to be found. The state of her body seems odd, and, in the words of the messenger boy sent to fetch Mr. Cragg, “it seemed like Mistress dove down from the sky. Her face and hands were in the earth.” Oh, and her throat has been cut from ear to ear.

Read the rest at: http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2012/05/fresh-meat-a-dark-anatomy-tradition...

Meh.

That pretty much sums it up. I have read worse books for sure but this one was rather unremarkable. Five pages in I started asking myself if I was sure I wanted to continue reading...and I always finish books I start.

The story was set in 1740s England. The main character, Mr. Cragg, is the town Coroner who must look into the suspicious death of Mrs. Brockeltower, the Squire's wife. She is found in the woods with her throat slit and it starts to look like the 'honorable' Mr. Brockeltower is the murderer. But wait! Mrs. Brockeltower asked someone for fishing line! (I mention this as it was kind of made a big-ish deal in the story... so clearly this will return later in the story.)

The story drags on using the antiquated language of the time (with copious 'big words' thrown in for good measure) and then 3 more people die in various ways: An accidental hanging, a hatchet to the back of the head, and a mysterious gun shot/horse accident/fainting spell.

On top of that it is discovered the the Squire is in fact attracted to men and THEN it is discovered during the autopsy that Mrs. Brockeltower is in fact a hermaphrodite (which really is the only thing in this book that isn't predictable). Various religious quotes and soul searching ensues and finally a jury is called and the cases are settled.

It was found that Mrs. Brockeltower in fact killed herself by slashing her throat with a pair of scissors that were tied to a piece of fishing line and then a horseshoe. Yeah.

So now she can't have a Christian burial and must have a stake pounded through her heart a midnight according to law. The end.

Really. That was it. You are welcome, you don't have to read it now. ( )