The Anatomy of Deception

Let me just start off by saying, yes, I have nbeen reading this book ever since I put its picture in the Unputdownable section of my blog. I think it has been there for almost a year. The thing with reading with me is if I put a book down for too long, i lose my momentum, and require a sufficient amount of force to push be back on the reading rails. haha.
But, as expected, I picked this half-read book up last night, and finished it today :)
So, here's my take on it.

As for it being dubbed a thriller by Tess Gerritsen, i beg to differ. My idea of a thriller is when a book leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat in shock but with anticipation and with the hairs on the back of your neck standing. But maybe that's too much to ask for a book. Haha, but still.
Despite the fact, this book was very interesting because it's based on medicine, physicians in the 19 century to be exact, where modern medicine was at a turning point.
It was nice to read about medicinal practice in that era; without anesthesia and how surgeries were performed with lack of hygiene, but also how physicians worked with medical advances at the time. It had a strong main character, Ephraim Caroll who was a great learning physician, that comes into contact with great men, some of which he looked up to, and eventually being forced to choose whether he should spare the life of one man and deprive the world of a medical genius, or let him die and save thousands in the years to come. Quite a predicament to be in, haha :D

There are two important characters that did exist, and some true parts of their lives incorporated in this book. Makes it more interesting I think.
William Halsted(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stewart_Halsted) who invented surgical gloves, and William Osler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Osler) who wrote The Principles and Practice Of Medicine, were both great figures in the history of medicine. It was so awesome to have read about real historical figures incorporated in a piece of fiction.

The mystery in this book revolves around a young and beautiful girl who's body ends up in the Dead House where Ephraim, Dr. Osler and others perform autopsies, of course ignoring the Philadelphia League Against Human Vivisection. Later on a collegue of Ephraim Caroll is murdered and Ephraim sets out to find the killer, finding out that there is a connection between the dead young woman and his murdered friend. I shall say no more, for you will have to read it to find out, haha.

So all in all, this book was a great read! Compelling and greatly interesting. Very happy it caught my eye.