I read "The Alchemist's Apprentice" and I was pretty impressed with Tessa Harris' narration. The Dead Shall Not Be Dead is even better. Second book in Dr.Silkstone series surpasses the first book in every way. ( )

Dr. Thomas Silkstone and his betrothed, Lady Lydia Farrell, are more or less patiently waiting out the time until they can, with a minimum of fuss and scandal, announce their engagement. In the meantime, a friend of Lydia's father, a Polish count, Boruwlaski, who has made a handsome living off of the fact that he is a dwarf, arrives to inform her that an Irish giant is being cruelly exploited in a fair that's taking place on the edge of her property. He and Lady Lydia extract the giant, Charles Byrne, from the clutches of his current employer, and Lydia sends for Thomas to come from London to examine the man before the count leads him off to exhibit himself to far more lucrative audiences in more comfortable surroundings.

Soon they are all in London, and Charles Byrne, with Count Boruwlaski's help, is making much better money exhibiting himself to the nobility and gentry, while eating good meals and sleeping in a warm bed in the Count's household.

Unfortunately, he's also attracting exactly the interest he most wants to avoid: that of less savory anatomists than Thomas, anatomists determined to dissect him upon his death whatever his wishes, even if they have to steal his corpse from the grave to do it. These include the Scotsman, Dr. John Hunter, who is a fascinating puzzle. He's utterly ruthless and unprincipled in his efforts to obtain any corpse that interests him--and yet he's seeking real medical advancement, asking critical scientific questions that only a small part of the medical profession are yet ready for.

But there are other oddities in London at the same time, including two Italian castrati, an older man Senor Morello, who has lost his singing voice, and his angelically-voiced protege, Senor Capelli. When Capelli is murdered in his bed, hostility and suspicion of foreigners and of castrati leads to the almost immediate arrest of Morello despite the fact that Dr. Silkstone's post-mortem indicates two killers, neither of whom could have been Morello.

These plot lines of course become intertwined, and Silkstone is sorting through some very confusing and conflicting evidence.

Harris has used real people and events (Byrne, the Count, Dr. Hunter, and the competition to snag Byrne's body for dissection), somewhat condensed to fit into her Dr. Silkstone mysteries. She's made the characters likable and engaging, and the period, the field of anatomy in the late 18th century, and the real characters are meticulously researched.

I will say that at certain points, a strong stomach is required, but even with that, this is an excellent read.

Recommended.

I borrowed this book from the library. ( )

I noticed there were mixed reviews about this second book in the series. I personally thought it was a great story. I like how Harris writes about alot of unique and interesting things. I always learn alot of stuff from her stories. They aren't for the faint at heart though.She really delves deep into it when she writes about anatomy, dissection etc. but that's what I like about her stories. Her topics are very fascinating. As for Lady Lydia though, she is starting to become a little irritating and very high maintenance I think. If I was Dr.Silkstone I wouldn't put up with her antics much longer but I guess love is blind. : ) ( )

The Dead Shall Not Rest – T Harris
Audio performance by Simon Vance
3 stars

This second Thomas Silkstone mystery uses several weird and wonderful historical figures as major characters. To begin with it is the story of the eight-foot-tall Charles Byrne, known as the “Irish Giant”. Byrnes’ career as a freak is promoted and managed by the dwarf, Count Josef Borulawski, while his corpse is pursued by the infamous Dr. John Hunter. The documented history of these three individuals is more than enough for a fascinating story.

Tessa Harris has much more to add to the mix. The gruesome mutilation and murder of an Italian castrati (combined with incidental cameo appearances of George Frideric Handel) requires Dr. Thomas Silkstone to investigate and defend the innocent. His investigation takes place despite a life threatening attack, the butchery of barber surgeons, brutal professional infighting among physicians, and the disgusting practice of grave robbing. Lady Lydia continues to complicate the good doctor’s life with further revelations of her distressing back story. So many bad things happen to so many characters that it became a bit tedious.

Harris is accomplished when it comes to describing ugliness. Dissections, decomposition, 18th century prisons, brutal physical attacks and murders; all are depicted in graphic detail. The practices and laboratories of the evil Dr. Hunter change this historical mystery into gothic horror. I felt it was all a bit over done, but it could be that I am just not a fan of horror stories.
( )

Book two in Harris' Dr. Thomas Silkstone Mystery series, and the series in general, would probably appeal best to readers of historical mysteries who fascinate in reading about 18th century historical medical and forensic science. If you are in any way squeamish about detailed descriptions of dissections of the human body, don't read this series. The same holds true if you cannot stomach any depravity of moral values when it comes to respecting an individual's rights and the treatment of their bodily remains. We are talking about a time period where grave robbers did lucrative business delivering 'bodies' for the dissecting tables of anatomists. Harris does an amazing job bringing the nasty realities of the 18th century to life in this series - the good, the bad and the downright ugly. She does this unflinchingly, with no apologies and rightly so, as she is basing her story on the factual realities of anatomists of the time period.

Soooo.... my likes and dislikes? I love the medical and scientific detail as well as the description of the time period. The mystery is good and give a great example of how the 'devil is in the details'. Sadly, I have more trouble with the whole romance angle between Thomas and Lady Lydia. The whole 'mystery' around Lady Lydia, and its subsequent revelation, didn't do much to enamor me to that aspect of the story. I guess I am just a love-jaded reader who does not read these books for their 'romance' qualities. Give me the mystery and the thrill of the investigative hunt and bunt the romance to the side stage where it belongs, I say. ;-)

... and before I forget, for historical fiction fans out there, this particular story pulls a number of its characters directly from history: The legendary giant Charles Byrne, the fervent anatomist Dr. John Hunter and the Polish dwarf Count Józef Boruwlaski.

Overall, while I found the plot lagged a fair bit in the middle, it is the characters and the ending that managed to pull it all together that has convinced me to consider reading the next book in the series: The Devil's Breath. ( )