The Coroner's Daughter

Reviews / Votes

What a story he tells and what a voice he uses to tell it: Abigail Lawless is a joy. This is the kind of writing that pushes you gently into a different world then holds you there until the last sentence. Just brilliant. -- DONAL RYAN An exceptionally good book . . . Abigail is a marvellous character, who half-inhabits a Jane Austen-like world of balls and fine clothes, yet whose real interest and talent is in science, especially forensic science . . . [she] speculates ceaselessly, and that and her humanity are what makes her such a rich and satisfying character. -- C J SANSOM The Coroner's Daughter starts with the best first sentence I have read in an age . . . Abigail is a wonderful heroine; fascinated by the macabre, scientifically minded and spiked with wit. Historical fiction is awash with amateur sleuths following ye olde clues but this sparkling crime novel breathes life into the genre. -- Antonia Senior * THE TIMES * The Coroner's Daughter is that rare thing, a beautifully-crafted novel that is also gripping and powerful. It's superb. -- WILLIAM RYAN, author of The Constant Soldier The plot is intriguing and the father-daughter relationship honest and delightful, but it is Abigail - one of the most attractive heroines in a long time - who carries the day. -- Elizabeth Buchan * DAILY MAIL * Engaging . . . atmospheric . . . there are strong echoes of the first Benjamin Black novel . . . [a] gory blend of historical detail and fiction has resulted in a compelling second novel. The Coroner's Daughter is good old-fashioned storytelling that will keep readers turning the pages as the shadows begin to fall. -- Sarah Gilmartin * IRISH TIMES * Hughes vividly evokes the dank and often disturbing atmosphere of Dublin, 1816, and his plotting neatly upends the reader's expectations. Best of all is young Abigail Lawless, headstrong and inconvenient in her determination to question the accepted rules of scientific investigation. I hope she'll be back for further forensic adventures. -- CHRISTOPHER FOWLER, author of the Bryant & May series [Abigail] is a great character, plausible and well-drawn, in a novel full of them . . . The Coroner's Daughter briskly and efficiently sets its scene, then concentrates on telling a rattling good story . . . an enjoyable and thought-provoking novel. -- Darragh McManus * IRISH INDEPENDENT * A deeply satisfying novel, written with a poetic flair which brings time, people and place into vivid life and a compelling plot which had me cheering Abigail on even while I feared for her, her family and friends. A brilliant evocation of strange times and twisted histories. -- IMOGEN ROBERTSON If you like Treasure Island, and Sheridan le Fanu, and adventures in danger and cold in the Wicklow hills that end with a rescue and the heroes, wrapped in blanket, recovering with a nip of brandy in front of a roaring fire at an inn, you will like this. * BOOKS IRELAND * I enjoyed it hugely. The author's evocation of middle-class life in Dublin in 1816 is very convincing and his heroine, Abigail, is wonderfully feisty and engaging. The nascent sciences of forensics, astronomy and animatronics are brought to life . . . the plot cleverly keeps the reader guessing with a growing sense of menace, maintaining the tension until the final and surprising twist. A very fine achievement.' -- CHARLES PALLISER, author of The Quincunx Andrew Hughes is a wonderfully talented author, bringing Dublin and its surroundings to life with deft characterisations, detailed but never laboured descriptions, and a plot which will have readers racing through the pages. An utterly transporting book and highly recommended. * HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW *