A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn – a Review
Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple / BAM / Bookbub
Description:
Lord Rosemorran has purchased a wax figure of a beautiful reclining woman and asks Stoker to incorporate a clockwork mechanism to give the Rosemorran Collection its own Sleeping Beauty in the style of Madame Tussaud’s. But when Stoker goes to cut the mannequin open to insert the mechanism, he makes a gruesome discovery: this is no wax figure. The mannequin is the beautifully preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who would do such a dreadful thing, and why?
Sleuthing out the answer to this question sets Veronica and Stoker on their wildest adventure yet. From the underground laboratories of scientists experimenting with electricity to resurrect the dead in the vein of Frankenstein to the traveling show where Stoker once toured as an attraction, the gaslit atmosphere of London in October is the perfect setting for this investigation into the unknown. Through it all, the intrepid pair is always one step behind the latest villain—a man who has killed once and will stop at nothing to recover the body of the woman he loved. Will they unmask him in time to save his next victim? Or will they become the latest figures to be immortalized in his collection of horrors?
Review:
A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn is the 9th book in her Veronica Speedwell Mystery series. We get to see Veronica and Stoker at the start, as they both worked for Lord Rosemorran’s helping restore his many collections for future display. It was nice to see both Veronica and Stoker settling into their affectionate relationship, as they are both clever, witty and always challenging each other. Veronica Speedwell is a lepidopterist, a woman who is ahead of her time, and Stoker is a scientist and adventurer. They make a terrific team.
Lord Rosemorran lets them know that he has acquired a new purchase, which would be a birthday present for his young daughter; it was a wax figure of Sleeping Beauty, similar to Madame Tussaud’s. He wanted Stoker to add a mechanism to make the figure look alive. When Stoker goes to cut the mannequin open, to his shock he discovers it was not wax, but a preserved young lady. Unable to let this go unpunished, both Veronica and Stoker set out to solve this crime. They try to learn how long this body was deceased, and they call their friends, JJ (journalist) and Mornaday (detective) to help search the newspaper and police archives for missing young ladies.
Veronica and Stoker follow a trail that led them first to a circus, to get some answers, but JJ was able to find a girl who drowned 15 years ago, which will lead them to Plumfield’s mortuary to track down who the girl was. The new Plumfield owner was able to find some papers, and he will be one of the new characters that help Victoria and Stoker; as well as Spyridon, who helped Stoker hide the body. They were all very good characters, and fun.
What follows is wild adventure that will eventually lead them to a dangerous killer. The mystery was very compelling, as well as a number of twists as we reach the climax. Veronica and Stoker, as well as JJ and Mornaday will plan a trap to catch the true killer, putting some of them in danger. I really enjoyed both Veronica and Stoker, as they were lots of fun, and romantic. A Grave Robbery was very well written by Deanna Raybourn.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
