This is Andrew Hughes' second novel and I have yet to read his debut novel which had excellent reviews.
Abigail Lawless is an unusual young woman, an only child of the Dublin Coroner, and she has an unusual fascination with the natural sciences and also anatomy, whereas her friends and acquaintances are more interested in who is attending the latest levee at Dublin Castle or who has the nicest gowns. This however does not make Abigail an oddity among her friends but she is highly intelligent and asks a lot of questions. The novel is a slow burn, so persevere with it.
There is a religious group called The Brethren (possibly the Plymouth Brethren as their followers wear sombre clothing) who are active in Dublin and the surrounding area and its leader is a man called Darby. Darby is not all he appears to be - he is something of a zealot and his followers are in total thrall to him - and Abigail become suspicious of him and he of her. A young nursemaid in a pious household is found dead only days after killing her own child and the plot thickens from there on.
The writing style of Hughes is atmospheric and he had a close eye for period detail - the time frame is 1816. I enjoyed the novel and look forward to reading more of Miss Lawless's adventures.
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