This is book three in the Lady Darby historical mystery series – she is the widow of the anatomist/physician who forced her to paint the illustrations for his textbooks. After the death of a long time friend in book two, Kiera has retreated to the home of her brother Trevor. She is still rather emotionally fragile, feeling like society will never accept her again due to the notoriety of her scandalous work. She is also still confused over feelings for Sebastian Gage, the inquiry agent she worked with in the first two books. They have a very slow romance building, and she’s uncertain about whether or not he has feelings for her.
So…when this book starts, it’s Hogmanay 1830 (the Scottish New Year’s Eve celebration) and Kiera is not feeling overly cheerful; in fact her brother is doing his best to prod her into having a good time. She is just getting a little into the spirit of things, when after the clock strikes midnight the celebrations are halted by the appearance of a blood covered man. He stuns them all with news that the caretaker at nearby Dryburgh Abbey has been shot, and that one of the graves has been robbed. Kiera’s uncle turns to her for help, knowing that she had assisted in other instances; he also asks her to write to Gage and request that he come to look into this matter as well. And so the sleuthing begins…
Once again, this is well written, with a Gothic feel to it as the pair search out the deserted graveyards for clues, and find that the missing bones are not the first instance of this. Kiera and Gage work to find the culprit, while tangling with their own complicated relationship. He is still an enigma for the most part, though he does reveal some of his secrets to her. There is progress, however, and it’s satisfying to realize the angst between them won’t drag on forever.
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