The Devil's Breath

The 18th-century meets the sharp blade of forensic science...

Eighteenth-century anatomist Dr Thomas Silkstone travels to the English countryside to unravel a tangled web of mystery, medicine, and murder...

A man staggers out of his cottage into the streets of Oxfordshire, shattering an otherwise peaceful evening with the terrible sight of his body shaking and his eyes wild with horror. Many of the villagers believe the Devil himself has entered Joseph Makepeace, the latest victim of a 'great fog' that darkens the skies over England. When Joseph's son and daughter are found murdered - heads bashed in by a shovel - the town's worst suspicions are confirmed: Evil is abroad and needs to be banished.

A brilliant man of science, Dr. Thomas Silkstone is not one to heed superstition. But as a natural disaster fills the skies with smoke and ash, clogging the lungs of all who breathe it in, the grisly details of a father's crime compels Dr. Silkstone to look for answers beyond his medical books. It seems that no one, not even Lady Lydia Farrell, is safe from the impending doom.

Praise for Tessa Harris:

'A densely plotted yarn about a crafty 18th-century poisoner wreaking havoc on the Oxfordshire estate of a noble family . . . we await - indeed, demand - the sequel' New York Times Book Review

'Harris' research is meticulous. The results are a historical CSI with a romance and excellent mystery' Romantic Times

'Populated with real historical characters and admirably researched, Harris's novel features a complex and engrossing plot' Library Journal

'The author will have you flipping the pages at each unexpected turn in the plot. The novel is an absorbing read with a shocking twist at the end' Historical Novel Society

'Well-rounded characters, cleverly concealed evidence, and an assured prose style point to a long run for this historical series' Publishers Weekly Starred Review

'The exceptionally strong historical background in this 1780s