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In 19th-century Scotland, an aspiring doctor turns sleuth to
save her fiance from a false charge of murder.
Edinburgh, 1893. As if medical school isn’t hard enough,
dedicated student Sarah Gilchrist must face the daily misogyny of both fellow
students and instructors. Sarah’s also saddled with Miles Greene, a deadly dull
fiance she’s anxious to bid farewell. An interminable dinner with his family is
interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream, then an announcement that the corpse of
maid Clara Wilson, her head bashed in, has been found on the street just
outside the house. The screams summon the police, who begin an investigation.
To the family’s dismay and Sarah’s delight, her medical school professor, Dr.
Gregory Merchiston, asks her to help with the autopsy. The arrival of Sarah’s
prickly, high-maintenance mother makes a tense situation even more awkward.
When Miles’ father, blustery Col. Greene, unexpectedly dies, Miles becomes the
head of the family, a position for which he seems clearly unequipped. The
surprising news that the colonel was poisoned sends the entire household into
an uproar. The surprise is redoubled when Miles is arrested for his father’s
murder. Even as she struggles to break off her engagement to him, Sarah
ironically feels compelled to ferret out the killer and save his life.
Welsh depicts Victorian
Edinburgh and 19th-century medicine with impressive authority. If the mystery
often takes a back seat to Sarah’s personal story—there’s even an unforeseen
marriage proposal—that mix should bind the target audience even closer to the
determined heroine (The Wages of Sin, 2017).
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