Island of Bones - 1st Edition/1st Impression - Hardcover

Robertson, Imogen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0755372026 ISBN 13: 9780755372027

Publisher: Headline Review, 2011

Synopsis

Cumbria, 1783. A broken heritage; a secret history...

The tomb of the first Earl of Greta should have lain undisturbed on its island of bones for three hundred years. When idle curiosity opens the stone lid, however, inside is one body too many. Gabriel Crowther's family bought the Gretas' land long ago, and has suffered its own bloody history. His brother was hanged for murdering their father, the Baron of Keswick, and Crowther has chosen comfortable seclusion and anonymity over estate and title for thirty years. But the call of the mystery brings him home at last.

Travelling with forthright Mrs Harriet Westerman, who is escaping her own tragedy, Crowther finds a little town caught between new horrors and old, where ancient ways challenge modern justice. And against the wild and beautiful backdrop of fells and water, Crowther discovers that his past will not stay buried.

About this title

About the Author

Imogen Robertson grew up in Darlington, studied Russian and German at Cambridge, and now lives in London. She directed for TV, film and radio before becoming a full-time author, and also writes and reviews poetry. Imogen won the Telegraph's 'First thousand words of a novel competition' in 2007 with the opening of Instruments of Darkness, her first novel.

From Booklist

More than three decades after leaving his family estate in 1751 and taking a new name, anatomist Gabriel Crowther is back—thanks to the discovery of a body. The corpse in question is found atop a fifteenth-century tomb being relocated, and Crowther, formerly Charles Penhaligon, Lord Keswick, returns to Cumberland, along with colleague Mrs. Harriet Westerman, to examine the remains. The venture also reunites him with the younger sister he sent away as a young child after their older brother was hanged for killing their father. As other murders ensue, Crowther must reexamine his family history as he seeks answers about killers past and present. The forthright Mrs. Westerman, still grieving 20 months after her husband’s murder, is aided by her young son, Stephen, as she frequently cuts to the heart of matters. Local “cunning man” Casper Grace adds a touch of the supernatural to the political and familial intrigue. In the third entry in this series (after Anatomy of Murder, 2012), subplots can become confusing, but the well-drawn protagonists carry the day. An altogether satisfying historical mystery. --Michele Leber

Edition details

• Publisher: Headline Review
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0755372026
• ISBN 13: 9780755372027
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384