Ritu Mukerji - Murder by Degrees

Philadelphia, 1875: It is the start of term at Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lydia Weston, professor and anatomist, is immersed in teaching her students in the lecture hall and hospital. When the body of a patient, Anna Ward, is dredged out of the Schuylkill River, the young chambermaid’s death is deemed a suicide. But Lydia is suspicious and she is soon brought into the police investigation.
Aided by a diary filled with cryptic passages of poetry, Lydia discovers more about the young woman she thought she knew. Through her skill at the autopsy table and her clinical acumen, Lydia draws nearer the truth. Soon a terrible secret, long hidden, will be revealed. But Lydia must act quickly, before she becomes the next target of those who wished to silence Anna.

Comment: This is another book I've agreed to buddy read with a friend. The historical mysteries seem to be quite a trend in our picks and although this one had no romance label, I will admit I kind of hoped perhaps we might have hints about it too.

Dr Lydia Weston is one of the few women professors and doctors at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1875 but she feels very proud of her achievements and that of other women. One day, she is told about the death of her patient Anna, a servant at a rich couple's house, and when the police investigation begins, she is asked to help. As she and the police start making inquires, they find out that Anna was liked by almost everyone and things become even more intriguing when Anna's diary is discovered. As the clues pile up, and with the help of interrogations, Lydia and the police seem to go on the right path, but someone doesn't want an old secret to come to light...

I think the cover (so atmospheric) and the beginning of the book truly helped me into catching the right vibe of this novel, and I was easily immersed in the 1870's setting, as well as into the plot, but sadly real life got in the way and it took me four days to read this book, when, otherwise, I'd have finished in two, very likely. In fact, I've come to notice that, as years go by, more and more of my appreciation of a story depends on how much uninterrupted moments I can dedicate to reading...

Anyway, that aside, I did enjoy reading this book and when comparing notes with my friend, I did like it more. Perhaps the setting was the key, because in the 1870s it was not possible to find evidence nor obvious little things as it is in contemporary stories, such as in CSI-alike plots. This means that a lot of the police investigation was set on testimonies and things that are, sometimes, rather circumstantial. We do need to suspend belief here and there in order to a certain sequence to make sense.

Even then, I think the author did try her best - this is her first novel - to place things in a way that the reader would understand the connection or how the characters went from one thing to the next. Of course, a few decisions were quite random, others would be very quickly put aside in a contemporary setting, with technology certainly helping, but to me things made enough sense that I could appreciate what was happening. The author even went out as far as to include two mysteries in the novel, and at times I was lost in thinking what has this to do with that... well, there's a reason why!

I was also surprised by two or three twists/pivotal scenes which made me doubt previous information. It might be true that the writing could have had a better editing perhaps, or that a few chapters could have had help in how the situations went on, but overall I think the mysteries and the investigation were good enough to sustain the plot.

Perhaps what could have made things a lot better would be the characterization of the characters. Lydia is the protagonist and I liked her a lot, mainly her professionalism and dedication to both her patients and to women's role in medicine. She even has this one scene setting up a bone, which I feel was a great scene to showcase the proof women can be as able as men. However, Lydia is always a little aloof, a bit lonely... we only get a notion about her personality through her actions and this is wonderful, but the author could have gone a bit further.

My friend claims that the story has to many elements, one gets easily distracted and adding personal dramas might be even worse. I think that it wouldn't have to be so, and perhaps with a few more scenes with domestic or personal situations, I could empathize even more with Lydia and why she seems, in a few scenes, to be too focused in uncovering the truth when it didn't have to be "her job". In a way, I also pictured the romance possibility because it can be an easy way to show a character having vulnerabilities and strengths, if interacting differently with a potential boyfriend, kind of.

The secondary characters weren't as psychologically developed, I wonder if on purpose so that we would not guess a few things, but at the same time it does give that vibe of something not being as well done as it could. A few dynamics in place also seemed to exist to justify small things and that makes some situations weak (such as comments by this or that character, with no real importance to what is happening). The end was not as surprising as I would have liked, I confess. The road leading there wasn't bad, and the villain's identity still a good enough element, but... it wasn't as dramatic as it could.

On the whole, this ended up being a satisfying read for me. I agree that there are things that could have been better and more enriching for the plot, but I still liked reading it. I will likely pay attention to other books by the author, if she writes and publishes them.

Grade: 7/10