This week, we’re welcoming author Anna Lee Huber whose
debut title THE ANATOMIST’S WIFE has been hailed as
“…a riveting debut…” and will be released by Berkley Publishing on November 6th, 2012. Join us Sunday,
when Anna Lee will be here to talk about the novel and offer an ebook copy to a
lucky winner. Here's the blurb:
Scotland,
1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her
sister's estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts
throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide
from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an
anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.
Kiera
wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her
brother-in-law asks her to utilize her knowledge of human anatomy to aid the
insufferable Sebastian Gage-a fellow guest with some experience as an inquiry
agent. While Gage is clearly more competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn't
about to let her guard down as accusations and rumors swirl.
When
Kiera and Gage's search leads them to even more gruesome discoveries, a series
of disturbing notes urges Lady Darby to give up the inquiry. But Kiera is
determined to both protect her family and prove her innocence, even as she
risks becoming the next victim...
**An Excerpt from THE ANATOMIST'S WIFE**
The
scream froze me in my tracks, but the shout that followed propelled me out of
my indecision and around the hedge line of the maze. Lady Lydia Perkins
continued to shriek at ear-piercing levels while her escort, Mr. Tuthill,
stared wide-eyed at the alcove across the path. Alarmed by the pallor of his
face and the hysterical edge to Lady Lydia’s cries, I wondered if perhaps I
should have turned back to search for help instead of rushing blindly toward
them. I shuffled closer to see what had so disturbed them, and what I saw there
sucked the breath from my lungs.
Lady Godwin lay draped across a stone
bench set into the alcove. Her eyes stared sightlessly into the night sky, and
her mouth seemed frozen open on a scream. Blood coated her neck and lower face
and spread down across her chest, obscuring her delicate skin and soaking the
golden bodice of her gown.
I stumbled back a step and clasped a hand
over my mouth. Death was not unfamiliar to me. I had seen more than my fair
share of corpses in my lifetime, and I had been quite happy to escape them for
the last sixteen months. So I hardly relished the appearance of yet another
one, and in my sister’s garden, no less. I shivered, feeling the fear and
shadows stir inside me I had worked so hard to lay to rest since my husband’s
death.
Lady Lydia’s screams, which had
transformed into a buzzing in my head, ended abruptly as she collapsed into Mr.
Tuthill’s embrace. I tore my gaze away from the corpse to watch him struggle
with the girl’s unconscious form. Lady Lydia was not exactly a small girl, but
he managed to heft the earl’s sister into his arms nonetheless. Juggling her
bulk, he cast a rather desperate look my way, and I wondered whether it was a
plea for help or if he was worried I might also faint.
Before I could reassure him of my
fortitude, reinforcements arrived. Footsteps pounded over the earth,
accompanied by several curses, as they struggled to locate the correct path
through the maze. Lord Stratford was the first of my sister’s guests to appear
around the bend in the hedges, followed closely by Mr. Fitzpatrick and Sir
David. They skidded to a halt before us and exchanged glances before edging
closer to peer into the leafy recess where I pointed. Sir David sucked in a
breath so harshly I worried he might have swallowed his tongue.
My eyes dropped from their horrified
faces, unable to deal with the sight of their emotions when mine were still so
raw. I studied the misaligned buttons of Lord Stratford’s coat and the mud
splattered across Mr. Fitzpatrick’s trousers—anything to keep my gaze from
meeting theirs.
More and more people rounded the hedge of
the maze, demanding to know what the clamor was all about. They pushed closer,
horrified fascination glittering in their eyes as they jostled each other for a
better view. Several ladies shrieked in alarm as word of Lady Godwin’s murder
traveled back through the crowd, and I heard the resulting tumult from at least
one gentlewoman passing out.
I shrank back into the hedges, wishing
there was someplace I could hide from their prying eyes. If only the leafy
walls would open and allow me inside. My heart raced in panic, as it had so
many times during that last month I spent in London.
“Here, now. Let’s all remain calm.”
A sigh of relief trembled through me at
the sound of my brother-in-law’s voice. Philip, the Earl of Cromarty, pushed
his way to the front of the mob and ordered several of the men to move everyone
back, ignoring all of the protests. He spotted me, and his handsome face
creased in worry.
“Are you all right, Kiera?” he murmured,
placing a hand on my shoulder.
I nodded hesitantly, wanting to convince
him I was well and yet knowing it would do no good to force a brave face.
Philip would realize how far away I wished myself. No one had forgotten my
past—not him, not the other guests, and especially not me.
Anna Lee Huber
was born and raised in a small town in Ohio. She is a graduate of Lipscomb
University in Nashville, TN, where she majored in Music and minored in
Psychology. THE ANATOMIST'S WIFE, the first book in the Lady Darby historical
mystery series, has been hailed as “…a riveting debut…” and will be released by
Berkley Publishing on November 6th, 2012. She currently lives in
Indiana with her husband and trouble-making tabby cat. When not hard at work on
her next novel, she enjoys reading, singing, travel, and spending time with her
family. Visit her website at www.annaleehuber.com. Find Anna Lee on Facebook and Twitter.
