I was really excited to read this book for two reasons: it's written by an Australian and is about the trade in stolen bodies used by anatomists in the 1800s.
I was really impressed that an Australian author could conjure the essence of London in the 1800s and was captivated by his writing early in the book. I'm fascinated by the topic of resurrectionists (grave robbers who steal recently buried bodies and sell them to anatomists who dissect them for science) and I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book.
I was disappointed in the direction in which the author decided to take the main character, and was confused when he appeared in Australia with a different name many years later. This part of the plot seemed disjointed and I felt unsatisfied by the conclusion. I understand the author was exploring the themes of death, murder and rebirth, but I just didn't like where he chose to take the plot.
James Bradley is certainly an accomplished author and if he publishes another book I'll definitely want to check it out!
My rating = ***
Carpe Librum!
