The Butchered Man

Felix Carswell has come to Northminster to become the new police surgeon.  He will be working for Chief Constable Giles Vernon.  Felix’s father, Lord Rothborough, had wanted him to take up a military career, rather than medicine.  It is Vernon’s plan to modernise the police force.

Moments after Vernon and Carswell meet, they are called out to a building site where a body has been found.  With the body back at the police’s temporary mortuary, they discover that it has been badly mutilated.  Unfortunately, due to legalities, Carswell is unable to start on the post-mortem immediately.

Vernon’s sister is able to identify the victim. With that knowledge, Vernon is able to begin his investigation into him.  Hopefully this will lead him to the killer.  His first appointment is with the victim’s cousin, who had a recent altercation with the victim.

Having done his post-mortem, Carswell is certain that the killer is a butcher.  He is also certain that the victim had been poisoned before being slashed.  In the victim’s stomach, he finds some seeds; some whole, some chewed.  When he administers a seed to a mouse, the mouse dies.

Now, it is up to Vernon and Carswell to find the killer.  But will the killer strike again beforehand?  Vernon and Carswell come into conflict as their investigation progresses.  Will they be blinded by what they learn?

Author Harriet Smart has written an intriguing historical murder mystery in the first of this series.  It has a surprising conclusion.  A good quick read.  I look forward to the sequels.