The Anatomists

by: Hal Mcdonald

Published by: Harper Collins

Reviewed by Alex McGilvery

The Anatomists by Hal McDonald is a classical mystery in the tradition of Agatha Christie. The detectives in this story are two medical students who are studying medicine during the time when it required the services of the “resurrection men” who provided the bodies for the students to dissect to further their understanding of human anatomy. Edward Montague and his roommate Jean-Claude Legard hire a young resurrection man to procure a body for them.

To their dismay they quickly learn that corpse was the victim of murder. While they are investigating the grave they are almost caught, and the scandal of the disturbed and empty grave forces them to keep the knowledge secret. The pair is not willing to let the murder go without investigation, so they take on the case themselves. Their search for the answer to the mystery leads them into greater danger and potential for scandal than they could have imagined.

I enjoyed the story and the mystery itself was satisfying. The classic mystery has been done in so many ways with so many mismatched pairs of detectives that it was hard not to compare McDonald’s Edward and Jean-Claude with others of the same genre. Since they are medical students, I was hoping to see more of a scientific bent to the puzzle.

While we are given some fascinating glimpses of medical training in the period before doctors became respected professionals, I was left wanting more. Nonetheless, I found The Anatomists a pleasant and easy read with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing close to the end of the story.

I would recommend it for light reading to any fan of the mystery genre.

Armchair Interviews says: A pleasant read–but no fireworks.