The Highgate Cemetery Murder

I have wanted to read The Highgate Cemetery Murder ever since it was published in February 2024. It is a historical mystery novel about a murdered woman who was strung up on a wooden cross in a cemetery.  It did not disappoint.

The publisher's summary:  

His heart pounding, the man scribbles the words in his notebook as fast as he can: “Woman dead in Highgate. Man in caped coat. Milky way and red streaks. I’m being followed.”

Hours later, the man’s cold body lies in the city mortuary, alongside the woman he couldn’t save. And his sister, unconventional nurse Gemma Tate, tracks down troubled police inspector Sebastian Bell to unravel the truth.

Sebastian has enough pressure to solve the murder of an aristocratic heiress without Gemma meddling in his case. But the cryptic sentences she brings him from her brother’s notebook could be a crucial lead. If only they knew what “milky way” meant. But as the trail of clues takes them away from the gilded drawing rooms of the nobility and into the dangerous slums of London, how far will their partnership be tested on the quest for justice, and will they both emerge unscathed?

 

The story opened with the discovery of Adelaide Seaborne, a 17 year old girl, tied to a cross in Highgate Cemetery. I was fascinated by this scene and my curiosity kept me reading until I finished the book in one sitting. The man who found her body was killed that same day after seeing a man's face in the cemetery. However, it took a few days for Scotland Yard investigator Sebastian Bell to learn about his demise. Gemma Tate, a nurse, was Victor Tate's sister. Gemma did not make much money even though she had a professional job and she had to consider how she could continue living in Victor's house and pay the bills.

The writing was fast paced. I enjoyed the 1850s London setting with all its glamour. The ladies wore long, demure gowns and lived in magnificent mansions. The reader learns how slow the lives of women were. They were not allowed to work after marriage and must have had dull minds from lack of stimulation. 

Police inspector Bell was shrewd in his dealings with his superiors. Officially his wings were clipped concerning the investigation. His boss did not want him to push the Seaborne family for information as Mr. Seaborne was an aristocrat. However, Bell went ahead and questioned Adelaide's maid and other staff as well as Adelaide's brother and father. Suffice to say  Bell irritated the Seabornes by asking too many questions about Adelaide's lifestyle and the boyfriend whom she wanted to marry. Mr. Parker was not only not an aristocrat he was American. Two strikes against him. Mr. Seaborne refused his daughter's request to marry him. Instead, she was betrothed to someone else. Adelaide had no intention of marrying this person though. She hoped that with time her father would relent. Against this backdrop Adelaide was murdered. 

The Highgate Cemetery Murder is a 

fine example of historical fiction and historical fans will love the book. I am rating it 4 out of 5 stars.