In 1824, Jessie
Clayton is gravely ill, but she doesn’t want to die. Dr. Chadwick
is there, a doctor she’s been assisting for some time. He shakes
his head there’s nothing he can do, but then Jessie wakes up on an
operating table. She’s the next corpse Dr. Chadwick plans to
dissect for his research. Shocked that she’s alive, he wants to
kill her to cover his crime of body snatching. Everyone
already thinks she’s dead anyway, but Jessie pleads with him, and
she’s spared. The deal is that she will become Jessie Clay and go
to work at a cotton mill. She will also scout fresh bodies for the
body snatchers by pretending to be a mourner.
Accidents are rife at
the mill, and Jessie becomes well known for her healing remedies. The manager, Braham Taylor, notices her for her healing gift. They become friendly and romantic feeling develop between them. It is because of Braham that she will
face her greatest test and decide her own fate.
This historical
mystery revolves around the practice of body snatching, stealing
recently dead bodies for medical research. It was strictly illegal,
and if the snatchers were caught they faced severe penalties. The
cotton mills were another factor in life in Massachusetts and other
states. The conditions were dangerous and the workers were mostly
young women, factory girls.
The history in this
book is well researched. Although it’s hard to read about, it’s
interesting to learn more about body snatching. The plot draws you in
centering on Jessie’s religious scruples and her need to
continue to help the body snatchers to save her father from debtors
prison.
The characters are
likable. You can feel Jessie’s conflict about the role she’s
playing. The budding romance between Jessie and Braham is sensitively
written. There is no promiscuous sex, so it’s suitable for young
readers.
I received this book
from Barbour Publishing for this review.
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