This was a great book, Tess Gerritsen, as always does a great job of giving you all of the details needed to paint the picture of the settings and characters. Some parts seemed to slow down for a bit but keeps the reader wanting to keep turning pages. Bounces back between the Present Day and the 1800's. I enjoyed it very much.

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Like everyone else, I agree that this book is not the usual Tess Gerritsen style. Dr Maura Isles makes a brief appearance, but this book falls away from Gerritsen's medical thriller style that initially drew me to her books. Having been compared to Robin Cook and Michael Palmer-this book shows that she can extend past her medical thriller genre and write a historical based book. I found myself stuck in bed, reading when I should have been asleep, unable to put the book down and reacting to the appropriate scenes with fear, nausea and sadness. Excellent break from her usual books!

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This is the first Gerritsen I've read but it won't be the last! I flew through it in a single day. Romance plus suspense plus history--I could ask for nothing more. With Oliver Wendell Holmes as a character (a man I know very little about), I am now intrigued enough to read more about him and his life. To me, an author who leaves me thirsting for more is a great writer and Ms. Gerritsen accomplished that quite easily.

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I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It is certainly NOT the Tess Gerritsen I am used to reading! Was it good? Heck yeah! I think I am just used to the gore/thrill factor that is so prevelant in her books. This book was more in line with Historical Fiction. But if you are excpecting the usual TG story (as I was)--you'll be in for a suprise. A pleasant suprise, but a suprise none-the-less.

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What a wonderful surprise. This was the first book I have read by Tess Gerritsen and Im very pleased I did..This book was wonderfully written, the characters were believable and well written. I really enjoyed the plot and the way the whole story came together. I was sad when it came to the end. 400 some pages and I wanted more. I am excited to read more of this author. I really recommend this book for someone who enjoys a good suspense and a fast read.

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TERRIFIC grabs you from the get go and carries you into a plot that keeps you guessing until the last chapter. Very good book, unless of course you want to lose sleep I recommend reading early in the day or over a weekend ;)

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This book had me from the get go. I have never read a book set in this era before and it was historically descriptive. I was engaged in nearly every character, but of course, the main character was endearing. By the end, I still did not know exactly what was going to happen as you can tell in most stories. Tess Gerritsen has a real gift!

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I truly loved this story. Oddly enough, the first half of the book took me quite some time to get through, as I didn't find it very interesting. I actually considered not continuing many times. The book is set in present times in part, but the majority takes place in 1830 during the lifetime of Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes. Although I always enjoy a mysterious murder, I, personally, must be in a certain mood for historical fiction to enjoy it. Though fiction, this tale is realistic. I did not even think about the fact that the author, Tess Gerritsen, is a physician and would, no doubt, be respectful of & knowledgeable of the accomplishments of Dr. O. W. Holmes until I had finished the book.
I originally chose this title because it listed Dr. Maura Isles of the Rizzoli & Isles series as a character. This is a little misleading, as she has an extremely small appearance in the story.
After stumbling slowly through the first half of the book, I read the last half in one quick sitting. Ordinarily, I am absolutely sickened by romantic books, yet I must describe this book as a really wonderful love story. I'm not at all a sappy, happy person, but I found the 1830s portion to be very touching. There were quite a few characters that I found interesting & to whom I grew attached; there were also characters I disliked and characters I felt sympathy for in a way that added to the story. I particularly enjoyed the historical significance of the character Wendell Holmes. I was left wanting to learn more about the actual person & his brilliance in the medical field. There was also the mystery aspect of the story that initially attracted me that helped make this story so great to me. This is a book that I could definitely see myself rereading some day.

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My first Tess Gerritsen read and I loved it! I loved the juxtaposition of the 1830s mixed in with present day and I especially loved the medical aspect of it. So nice to learn about how medicine was practiced back before the Civil War. And the interweaving of factual events and real characters was amazing! Also the description of locality both historic and present day was refreshing and picturesque. I can't wait to read another Tess Gerritsen book!

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I enjoyed the concept of telling the story in 2 different centuries.

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First Gerritsen book I have read and after this I plan to read more of her novels. She spun a great tale.

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This book was another very good story by Tess Gerritsen. It was not her usual fare of contemporary intrigue. While it did start out in present day, it dealt with a mesmerizing story from 1830. If you like historical fiction you may want to give this one a try. The plot was complex and fascinating and it all came together at the end. I couldn't put it down.

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