Recent Reads - A Grave Matter

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A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera has returned to her family home near the Borders and is cautiously entering into some social functions. She and her brother Trevor are in attendance at a Hogmanay Ball when the news arrives that an elderly caretaker has been murdered and a grave disturbed at the nearby abbey. The grave robbers have removed only the body - which would have been only bones at that point - but none of the valuables that had been in the grave. Very unusual indeed, and without any obvious clues to lead to the murderers, it is decided to call in Sebastian Gage to lead an investigation. Kiera is both excited and anxious about facing Gage again, as their relationship is at an awkward stage.

It turns out there have been a couple of other similar grave robberies, with a ransom demanded for the return of the bones, so Kiera and Gage start following the leads they have. Figuring out if there's any motive other than the money, and what it is that connects the victims proves very tricky, and they come to some odd twists and some dead ends before they're sure they're on the right track. As the investigation continues, Kiera also picks up her paintbrush again, and tries to make sense of her feelings for Gage. And tries to discern his feelings for her. Their exchanges are often awkward in their emotional charge, and they both make many stumbles in their growing romance.

The interactions between Kiera and Gage, and sometimes between Kiera and her brother, drive this particular installment more than the mystery, in my opinion. There is a murder to be solved, but it's one that was coincidental to the grave robberies, so it doesn't carry the tension. The resolution of the case was not completely satisfying to me, but with a clear lead-in to the fourth novel in the series, there's the sense that an unanswered question may well be addressed in that book.

(Check out the Lady Darby Read-Along group on Facebook if you're interested.)

By the same author: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts; A Grave Matter (from my first reading in 2014), A Study in Death, A Pressing Engagement, This Side of Murder, As Death Draws Near, A Brush With Shadows. Treacherous Is The Night, An Artless Demise, Secrets in the Mist, Penny for Your Secrets, A Stroke of Malice, A Pretty Deceit

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