The Secrets of Life and Death
Ratings2
Average rating3
15
Ratings2
Average rating3
Destined to die. Saved by Fate. 1585. When Edward Kelley and his master, Dr John Dee, discover a dark secret at the heart of the Countess Elizabeth Bathoryâe(tm)s illness, they fear the cure will prove more terrifying than death... 2013. When Jackdaw Hammond learns of a young woman found dead on a train, her body covered in arcane symbols, she must finish what Kelley and Dee started, or die trying...
Featured Series
2 primary booksJackdaw Hammond is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2013 with contributions by Rebecca Alexander.
Reviews with the most likes.
I won a copy of this book as a Goodreads first reads five-year. It's a very good 3.5 star book.
The story starts with the discovery of the body of a young girl covered in strange drawing. Felix Guichard, a professor of occult religions is called to identify the drawings. His research leads him to the work of John Dee and Edward Kelley, two 16th century alchemists and to Jackdaw Hammond, who is holding on to secrets about the alchemists and the dead girl.
This story has a lot going on, the Countess of Bathory, Vatican inquisition, dual timeline stories, a little romance...but it ties most of it together nicely. I was pulling for Jack to triumph, she's a very engaging character.
The book is well paced for suspense, both in the present story of Jack and Felix and the past story of Edward and Dr Dee. I was tempted to race through but also wanted to savor a great story. The only bad note in the book was the romance between Jack and Felix. This underdeveloped and in the end unfinished. It didn't detract from the story but didn't add anything either.
