The Twisted Root

The Twisted Root by Anne Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was one of the best of this series that I have read.  It would be hard to guess the ending of this one through 3/4 of tyounhe book.  An admirable young woman was engaged to a wealthy and quiet younger man, when suddenly, at a croquet party, she flees in obvious distress.  She has a coachman drive her away and later, he is found dead and she has disappeared.

When eventually found, she will say nothing about why she left and is loath to return.  She was found with a nurse who took her in when she was found, about 13 years old wandering in the heath covered with blood.  The nurse is one of the nurses at the hospital where Callandra and Hester work and is one of the best they have.  When it appears that she is the one stealing supplies from the pharmacy, Hester gets involved.

The story, as usual, gives fascinating information about the plight of nursing and the male-dominated Victorian era in which Hester, Oliver and William Monk live. Anne Perry does her usual good job of showing the cost of progress for the poor and for women.


View all my reviews