Stolen Remains

March 31, 2014
Set in 1869, Trent’s solid sequel to 2013’s Lady of Ashes takes undertaker Violet Harper from her new American home back to England. Anthony Fairmont, Lord Raybourn, apparently commits suicide just hours after returning from a journey to Egypt. Raybourn’s role in the multinational negotiations surrounding the Suez Canal makes his mysterious demise a sensitive matter. Queen Victoria, who remembers how helpful Violet was at Prince Albert’s funeral, commands the undertaker to see to the dead peer’s body and discreetly glean what information she can. As if preserving the corpse until the facts are clear isn’t challenge enough, Violet discovers that Raybourn’s family is a nest of animosity and intrigue. When Raybourn’s housekeeper and secret fiancée, Harriet Peet, is found hanged and his own body disappears, Violet must unravel a complex puzzle with serious implications for the British Crown. The mystery’s resolution feels somewhat forced, but Violet remains an engaging guide with an unusual perspective on Victorian society. Agent: Helen Breitwieser, Cornerstone Literary.

April 1, 2014

An overly ambitious plot and two-dimensional characters populate this second entry in a historical series (after Lady of Ashes) featuring Violet Harper, Victorian lady undertaker. The family of deceased diplomat Lord Raybourn want him buried, but Queen Victoria has her own reasons to keep him above ground and calls on Violet to accomplish this task. Violet embalms the body, assuages the family, and is drawn into investigating additional murders, a body snatching, and a faked death. Diplomatic secrets, blackmail, and bigamy intertwine around a murdered housekeeper, a rakish prince, a butterfly enthusiast, and other odd characters. Lord Raybourn's family members exhibit a multitude of personality flaws, while Scotland Yard detectives are comically inept. Not only does the author describe all things Victorian in excessive detail, but she shoehorns in the building of the Suez Canal, the birth of the Salvation Army, and the invention of dynamite. Altogether, it's overkill for recreational reading. VERDICT This title may have some appeal for Victoriana fans and those who liked the first book, although the resolution leaves some questions unanswered. Including this much detail on Victorian life borders on the pedantic.--Sally Bickley, Del Mar Coll. Lib., Corpus Christi, TX

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