Mortal Arts: A Lady Darby Mystery by Anna Lee Huber

    There are books I read that make me really glad I live in the time I do. Going across land in a carriage takes much longer than a car, train, or plane. If being contained in a plane for a few hours makes you crazy, think what would happen if you were in a stagecoach! I certainly hope you like the people you’re traveling with.

    Lady Keira Darby is traveling to her sister’s home in Edinburgh when her traveling party is waylaid by an old family friend. Michael Dalmay needs help from Keira’s brother-in-law, Lord Philip Cromarty.

    You see, Michael is engaged to be married, but the mother of his fiancée is having second thoughts. That is because Michael’s older brother, William, a man who has been missing for years, has suddenly returned.

    Missing with location known would probably be the most accurate statement for what happened to William. Because while everyone else thought William was missing, he and Michael’s father knew where he was all along.

    William was committed to an insane asylum.

    This was a fact Michael knew nothing about until he went through his deceased father’s papers. Once he found out where William was, Michael brought him home, going against the doctor’s wishes.

    It is also against the wishes of his fiancée’s mother, Lady Hollingsworth. With William alive, Michael will no longer inherit the title and the estate. Facts that do not matter to Michael.    His main concern is whether or not it is safe to have William around others.

    William suffered greatly from his experience in war. The way he suffered is why his father put him in the asylum. Now that he is out, he suffers from that experience too.   

    It is claimed William killed a woman while he was in the asylum, but Michael has a hard time believing that to be true. So does Kiera.

    William was Kiera’s art instructor when she was younger. She knows how gentle the man really is. Kiera also knows what it is like to suffer with memories from the past.

As the Tide Comes In/Artwork by Kate Dorsey

    This understanding is why when a local girl goes missing, and William becomes the main suspect, Kiera becomes determined to clear his name. To do this, she needs the help of Sebastian Gage, a man she is attracted to but doesn’t quite trust. Gage is always holding something back. He also doesn’t quite believe in William’s innocence, making Kiera feel she is facing the battle alone.

    It is completely understandable why Kiera gets frustrated with Gage. He won’t tell her things, then tries to control what she does. It’s no wonder their relationship is on the rocky side. Dismissing her feelings about William doesn’t help either. It is a bad habit Gage has; casting aside Kiera’s feelings. If he keeps doing this, there is going to be a lot of work they’ll have to do before they can get together.