The Anatomy of Ghosts, by Andrew Taylor is a historic mystery set in the late 18th Century. At Jerusalem College in Cambridge, Frank Oldershaw is deeply disturbed one evening when he encounters the ghost of Sylvia Whichcote. Wanting to save her son's reputation, his mother, Lady Oldershaw, employs ghost sceptic and author, John Holdsworth, to investigate. But his arrival brings to light a deeply disturbing culture of abuse among the privileged elite where not everyone is who they appear to be. As his investigations continue, Holdsworth fears he is being haunted by the ghost of his own dead wife, as well as by Elinor, the very-much-alive wife of the Master. Full of dreamlike sequences and introspection, this is a well told murder mystery, rather than a ghost story, although a note of warning - there are some unsettling passages alluding to the terrible treatment of children and young women at the hands of people who believe they are above the law. I enjoyed the interplay between characters and I especially liked seeing Holdsworth being forced to rethink his beliefs and struggle with his past in order to see if he could, perhaps, deserve a better future. Very enjoyable, and the audio edition was well narrated by John Telfer.
My STAR rating: FOUR stars.
Length: 480 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.84.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.
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