disappointing. I liked the premise and enjoyed the forensic aspects. Author gave sufficient twist but I did not like the characters.nor the "harlequin romance like" bits. A doe eyed heroine for instance. ( )

Gripping narration and a mind-blowing twist.

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T.H. ci impiega un bel po’ a colorare di giallo il suo libro, poi, verso la fine, il giallo prevale.


Continuando a sbuffare fumo dalla pipa, si mise a estrarre il fegato, simile a una lumaca annidata nel ventre e per nulla disposta a rivelargli i suoi segreti. Ma lui era capace di leggerlo come se fosse il diario personale del defunto, …
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5 Star Book! Great Mystery With Many Twists And Turns. ( )

An interesting characterization of a doctor in 1780 England. When a man dies under suspicious circumstances, the doctor is called in to perform an autopsy and determine just what those circumstances were in very much an 18th-century CSI-ish way.

Plot: 4. Well thought out and makes sense. The doctor's analysis of the various tissues of the murdered man is spelled out in loving detail, and makes for some fascinating writing.

Execution: 5. The flow of the book is neat and sensible. While the vast majority of the book is written from Dr. Silkstone's perspective, a few other characters get a turn as well, and those sections further the plot nicely. There's an unfortunate section where an important clue is handed to the doctor by a young boy for no apparent reason.

Character Development: 3. I'll withhold judgement on the doctor, who apparently gets several books to himself. Most of the other characters aren't really fleshed out - a village apothecary, a grieving sister, a man who likes eating a bit too much. A notable exception is the murdered man's richly drawn brother-in-law, who by turns demonstrates arrogant pride, love for his wife, and violent and drunken behavior.

Scenes: 2. Fairly solid in the first half of the book, but feels like the editor lost interest in the second half and let a lot of poor word selection in.

Puzzle: 5. Keeps you guessing until the end, and almost past the end as, just when we feel the case is all wrapped up, a surprise twist turns the plot on its head. ( )