Lady of Ashes

Written by Christine Trent

Ladies in 1861 London are expected to be the very picture of decorum, so the thought of a woman undertaker may offend a few delicate sensibilities. Fortunately, Violet Morgan isn’t concerned with those sensibilities in the least. When she married her husband, Graham Morgan, eight years ago, he was thrilled that he’d met a woman, and a beautiful one at that, who was more than eager to learn the profession of undertaking, and Violet has since thrown herself into the business. Unfortunately for Graham, Violet isn’t much of a housewife and he’s begun to point out her shortcomings in the keeping of the house and the quality of their help. Soon, Graham becomes preoccupied with a business venture with his brother, and it seems to have something to do with his hate of America and a perceived slight that his grandfather suffered at the hands of Americans. He’s loathe to share details with Violet, but she’s so busy with the business that she has no time to worry about it, until his treatment of her begins to deteriorate. In fact, Violet will soon have more than enough to worry about, and her housekeeping skills, or lack of, will be the least of her problems. She begins to notice strange markings on some of the bodies she’s been called on to handle, and suspects foul play may be involved. But who could possibly want to hurt these people, and why?

Lady of Ashes is the first of a new historical mystery series by Christine Trent, the author of three historical fiction novels. It covers about three years in the life of Violet Morgan, a London undertaker. I was entranced with Violet and her world from page one, and was perfectly content to follow her on her many adventures. Violet seems to be a bit of a trouble magnet, but also manages to charm nearly everyone she meets, which includes Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and a very enigmatic and handsome American lawyer. Set against the rich backdrop of Victorian England, with the shadow of the Civil War looming in the background, Lady of Ashes is a book you can sink your teeth into, with characters you’ll fall in love with. Although the narrative is almost immediately interspersed with mysterious diary entries from a disturbed individual, the mystery really doesn’t come into play until the last quarter of the book, and things wrap up rather quickly. I was too fascinated with Violet and her unusual profession to let that bother me, and even if the big reveal seemed a bit rushed, I’ll be more than ready for the next novel in this immersive historical series.