Secrets in the Stones

A Dr. Thomas Silkstone Mystery, Book 6

By: Tessa Harris

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Within the mysteries of the body, especially those who have been murdered, 18th-century anatomist Dr. Thomas Silkstone specializes in uncovering the telltale clues that lead toward justice.

Newly released from the notorious asylum known as Bedlam, Lady Lydia Farrell finds herself in an equally terrifying position - as a murder suspect - when she stumbles upon the mutilated body of Sir Montagu Malthus in his study at Boughton Hall.

Meanwhile, Dr. Thomas Silkstone has been injured in a duel with a man who may or may not have committed the grisly deed of which Lydia is accused. Despite his injury, Thomas hopes to clear his beloved's good name by conducting a postmortem on the victim. With a bit of detective work, he learns that Montagu's throat was slit by no ordinary blade, rather a ceremonial Sikh dagger from India that may be connected to the fabled lost mines of Golconda.

From the mysterious disappearance of a cursed diamond buried with Lydia's dead husband to the undying legend of a hidden treasure map, Thomas must follow a trail of foreign dignitaries, royal agents, and even more victims to unveil the sinister and shocking secrets in the stones.

©2016 Tessa Harris (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Favorite narrator

Best narrator, Simon Vance. Beautifully writing. Incredibly well- researched historical fiction. Love this series. Listened sttaight through

exceptional

I enjoyed following her characters and felt like I was given an added bonus when she gave historical references at the end. very nicely done.

finally

Loved the many twists and turns .
ALso the smokey atmosphere of this story kept me reading and unable to "put it down." The two climaxes took my breath away. The narrator carried the story SO WELL. His ability to mimic different people kept the story moving.

As engaging as the other books in this series

Good characterizations, strong character development, a compelling story. Story unfolds nicely. Excellent narration. I've enjoyed every Thomas Silkstone book I've listened to.

Tied up in a Neat Bow

If you were frustrated by the past books- this one at least gives you some closure

Satisfying End to Series BRAVO!

Thank goodness! The author pulled it out at the last minute with the last book in the series, and those of us who dreaded we might face another disappointment, can rest at ease, Book Six is on par with the books at the beginning of the series. Plenty of twists and turns, not the least of which is Lady Lydia finding the slashed (nearly beheaded) body of Sir Montagu Malthus in the study. Seldom have I been so elated 😅 at such a gruesome death, but this one did it for me. I did hate that Lady Lydia became a suspect, but left that to Silkstone to untangle. Mysteries going back to Lydia's dead husband (who was no prize, after all) gave the authorities and Dr. Silkstone plenty of work to do. Very interesting to listen to all the ins and outs of the huge diamond from India that was buried with Lydia's husband, and all the nefarious characters connected to it. The duel between Silkstone and the former estate manager Nicholas Lupton, was another part that got my heart racing. Excellent conclusion to the series.

outdated love stories

The mysteries in each novel were excellent.
The dialogue between the characters as they considered all their options brilliant.
The addition of actual historical events being placed in this fiction wonderful.

I understand that the English nobility used to regard women as these delicate creatures that constantly needed rescuing and couldn't have an intelligent thought to save their life.
However, I I disagree with the choices written for Lydia's character to move the plot along. She's written as such, a daft idiot. My suspension of belief was thwarted every time the female heroine made another stupid decision.

Great ending of a great series.

The start of this book was my favorite, the middle had me wondering what was going on and the ending cleared it all up with a neat bow. I will miss listening to the intelligent story telling of Dr Silkstone. Each book is so well thought out and written. Bravo!

I hope Tessa Harris writes more for Dr Thomas Silkstone. I think there are more stories out there for him. He’s a great character.

My hat is off to Mrs Harris for her and her team’s dedication to history and doing the needed research to bring these stories to life with realism. I always enjoy the prologues and epilogues and post scripts.

Highly recommend!!!!

Very entertaining historical thriller/romance

I binge-listened to all 6 books in the series. Most historical romance is poorly researched and full of historical inaccuracies, with only a thin veneer of history over predictable stories. This intelligent series is written by a lover of history and historical science, and is set in a time of great changes and happenings in England.

It was a time of changes in science, medicine and the law. We take for granted our understanding of science, genetics, meteorology and forensics, and these books give a glimpse into a time we can hardly imagine. We understand how forensics can point to a killer, but these are set in an era when science was hardly trusted at all. Legal decisions were based on assumption instead of hard facts. Thomas Silkstone had to overcome distrust and disbelief as he worked to bring justice for the dead.

Vulcanology was in its infancy, and few people were prepared for a volcano in Iceland to affect Europe and beyond, assuming the killer fog was an act of a vengeful God.

I appreciate that the books took real circumstances and wove them into the lives of the book's characters. Several times I had to stop and consult Google for more information to flesh out my own understanding of the greater story, something I really enjoy doing

The final book is more fanciful, but demonstrates how supporters of the British Raj were fired up to plunder the treasures of "lesser" people, and the lengths they would go, even to the last few sentences.

The author has done in demonstrating how the characters fit together in a period when everyone fit into a social strata, and almost total control was held by the wealthiest men. Of course the same is true today, but then it was more immediate. Thomas Silkstone, as an American aka colonist and a doctor/anatomical, has more leeway and access to people of all ranks. Lydia Farrell is a woman of her time and at times appears to be weak. But I appreciated that she was not portrayed as a 'strong modern' woman, as are seen in too many romance novels, where any woman is portrayed as a 21st century woman in long skirts, one who thwarts the customs of the time in an effort to be more palatable to modern audiences. Nor is she the wilting maiden willing to be ravaged by a bodice-ripper. Lydia was raised to believe certain things about being a woman in an era when there were few choices. She is lied to and mistreated by her husband and then her guardian - and, yes, a grown woman could be ruled by a male guardian - and eventually committed to Bedlam to get her out of the way. Unfortunately that was done to far too many women at that time. The fact that she comes through that and eventually returns to her beloved doctor, still sane, shows her strength.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed these books and look forward to hearing others by the same author.

Three cheers for Simon Vance

One of the finest “readers” I have heard. Very enjoyable! The characters of this fascinating mystery come alive with his performance.