Book Review: The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor

Title: The Anatomy of Ghosts
Author: Andrew Taylor
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: January 25, 2011
Hardcover: 432 pages
ISBN: 978-1401302870
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Thriller

From the Publisher:

1786, Jerusalem College, Cambridge

The ghost of Sylvia Whichcote is rumored to be haunting Jerusalem ever since student Frank Oldershaw claimed to have seen the dead woman prowling the grounds and was locked up because of his violent reaction to these disturbed visions.

Desperate to salvage her son’s reputation, Lady Anne Oldershaw employs John Holdsworth, author of The Anatomy of Ghosts—a stinging account of why ghosts are mere delusion—to investigate. But his arrival in Cambridge disrupts an uneasy status quo as he glimpses a world of privilege and abuse, where the sinister Holy Ghost Club governs life at Jerusalem more effectively than the Master, Dr. Carbury, ever could. And when Holdsworth finds himself haunted—not only by the ghost of his dead wife, Maria, but also by Elinor, the very-much-alive Master’s wife—his fate is sealed. He must find Sylvia’s murderer, or else the hauntings will continue. And not one of this troubled group will leave the claustrophobic confines of Jerusalem unchanged.

CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger winner Andrew Taylor returns with an outstanding historical novel that will simultaneously keep the reader riveted, and enchant with its effortless elegance.

My Review:

Set in 18th century Oxford, The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor is a historical psychological thriller.  Taylor takes the reader back to 1786 Oxford, to Jerusalem College where young Frank Oldershaw is about to be sanctified into the HG club. The results of the night the reader does not immediately learn as the reader is introduced to John Holdsworth and his wife Maria, who lost their son to an accident and in an attempt to overcome his grief and frustration with his wife’s obsession with talking about ghosts, John writes a novella of sorts titled, “The Anatomy of Ghosts”. He owns a printing firm as well as a bookstore and soon after his novella is printed his luck turns from bad to worse.  His finances go into arrears and upon informing Maria that they must move, she kills herself.  With little money and his businesses gone under, John must rely on friends until he is offered a commission by Lady Anne Oldershaw. She will pay John quite well to catalogue and value her late husband’s library, but only under the proviso that he also accept the commission to travel to Cambridge, nose around Jerusalem College and discover what events lead up to her son believing he saw the ghost of Mrs. Whichcote and his failed suicide attempt resulting in his being held in Dr. Jermyn’s institution.

The Anatomy of Ghosts is not a book which is meant to be read in one sitting, rather it is to be read in bits and pieces to allow the reader to take in the various characters, their personalities, discern truth from appearance, and be slowly absorbed into life in late 18th century Oxford.  Taylor has crafted a rather brilliant psychological thriller with extraordinary deep and complex characters; the delightful Mrs. Carbury, the unsavoury Mr. Whichcote, and the mysterious Mr. Richardson, to name but a few of what amounts to an exceptional ensemble of characters, and of course the mysterious HG club.  Taylor writes of philosophy, especially the teachings of Locke, the fascination with rituals and superstitions along with power, greed, and fear.  The Anatomy of Ghosts is an elegantly written, multi-layered story with a few unexpected twists and turns along the journey to the truth.  Unlike more traditional psychological thrillers, this is not a fast paced story, instead it builds slowly layer upon layer until a rather complex story is formed, delicately and expertly interwoven to become the brilliant novel it is.  I would highly recommend The Anatomy of Ghosts to any reader who enjoys a deep, complex psychological thriller.

About the Author:

Andrew Taylor is the author of a number of critically acclaimed crime novels, including the ground-breaking Roth Trilogy, A Stain on the Silence, and Bleeding Heart Square. He has won many awards, including the CWA John Creasey Award, an Edgar Scroll from the Mystery Writers of America, two CWA Ellis Peters Historical Daggers (the only author to win it twice), and most recently the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger.

I received a complimentary ARC of The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor from Hyperion to review. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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