Book Review: The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen

Author: Tess Gerritsen
Title: The Bone Garden
Publication Info: New York : Ballantine Books, c2007.
ISBN: 9780345497604
Summary/Review: It’s 1830 in Boston, a young medical student of modest means is force to become a resurrection man to make ends meet.  A young Irish woman is fiercely determined to care for her baby niece after her sister dies in labor. And a Jack the Ripper-type killer is gruesomely murdering people in the West End.  This historical mystery/thriller is enjoyable despite its many flaws: characters who are just “too good,” coincidences, questionable historical accuracy and a modern-day counter-story that serves nothing more than exposition.  I liked the medical school scenes and the body snatching for medical cadavers parts as well as the general historical feel of Boston in 1830.

Recommended books: The Alienist by Caleb Carr and The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl.
Rating: **1/2

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