Albert Marsolais

Medical mystery hard to put down. 1705 Scotland. Plot told in two alternating voices--a young doctor, Malcolm, and a village healer, Elspeth. Malcolm and fellow doctors are trying a blind experiment to see if inoculating subjects with smallpox scabs would bring on the disease, as part of search for a cure. Obstacles are put in their way in the form of reactionary doctors fomenting violence. Also, a young woman, Julianne, who is staying with Elspeth, with her bastard child, may have been poisoned. And the right-hand-man of the local Laird, John Spence, has been brutally killed. In investigating, Malcolm and Elspeth run into smugglers, betrayal, double-cross as well as loyalty. I thought the authors' strong point was writing of 18th century medicine from different angles. I thank Goodreads for sending me an ARC.

Highly recommended.… (más)