Review: The Scent of Murder by Felicity Young

Synopsis: 'If a black dog appears along the old corpse way, the route a funeral procession takes to the churchyard, it is thought to be escorting the dead soul to the afterlife. A black dog sighting without a funeral procession, however, is supposed to foreshadow death.'

For Doctor Dody McCleland, the unearthing of an ancient skeleton in a dry riverbed is a welcome break from the monotony of chaperoning her younger sister at a country house near the isolated hamlet of Piltdown. But when she begins her analysis of the bones, Britain's first female autopsy surgeon discovers they are much more recent - and they are the result of murder.

With Chief Inspector Matthew Pike's help Dody begins to investigate. Soon she finds herself pitted against ugly traditionalism, exploitation, spectral dogs, a ghostly hunt and a series of events that not only threaten her belief in scientific rationalism, but threaten her life itself.

~ ~ ~

Tackling another of the social issues of the day, author Felicity Young takes us back to Edwardian England in this third instalment of the Dody McCleland series. Teaming up with Chief Inspector Matthew Pike and sister Florence, Dody is again, faced with another mystery and one that puts her own life very much at risk. Young gives the read more than one mystery to solve!

Review: Antidote to Murder by Felicity Young

Synopsis: When an act of compassion misfires, autopsy surgeon Dr Dody McCleland must fight not only for her career, but also for her life.

The body of a scullery maid is discovered in her room. When it emerges that she had recently begged Dody to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, the coroner recommends Dody be tried for criminal abortion causing death. Meanwhile, the one man who might be able to help her, Chief Inspector Matthew Pike, is nowhere to be found. After another woman′s body is discovered bearing all the hallmarks of the same crime, Dody suspects that a rogue doctor is on the loose.

Amid the turbulence of Edwardian London with its mix of strikes, suffragettes, German spies, exotic dancers and an illicit drug trade, Dody must unmask the killer before more girls are butchered and her own life ends on the gallows.

~ ~ ~

Absolutely loved it! Wish I had read the first in this series to get the background on the characters, however the author generously provides this at the end.

The star is the heroine - an Edwardian females assistant coroner - but dont think "Quincy MD" think "Body of Proof" or "Murdoch Mysteries" - complete with police sidekick.

I was not overly familiar with the period but author Felicity Young makes you feel quite at home in the back streets of Whitechapel or the elegant promenades of London.

A wonderfully exciting read with enough sexual tension between our two leads to keep readers suitably engrossed.

Highly recommended.