The Secrets of Life and Death (Secrets)

by Rebecca Alexander

Krakow, 1585

Summoned by the King of Poland to help save his dying niece, Edward Kelley and his master, alchemist and scholar Dr John Dee, discover a dark secret at the heart of The Countess Bathory’s malady.

But perhaps the cure will prove more terrifying than the alternative...

England, 2013

Jackdaw Hammond lives in the shadows, a practitioner and purveyor of occult materials. But when she learns of a young woman found dead on a train, her body covered in arcane symbols, there’s no escaping the attention of police consultant Felix Guichard.

Together they must solve a mystery centuries in the making, or die trying…

• ISBN10: 0091953235
• ISBN13: 9780091953232
• Publish Date: 10 October 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 February 2015
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Cornerstone
• Imprint: Del Rey
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Beth C.]

Jackdaw is dead - at least, she is mostly dead. If it weren't for a witch and some potions, she would be completely dead. Instead, she is what's known as a "borrowed timer" - someone whose destiny it was to die, but was instead able to be brought back. As Jack tries to save another borrowed timer, things begin to get crazy. One girl dies, the police get called in, and a power Jack has never before encountered begins to haunt her steps to take the very girl she's trying to save.

The story of Countess Bathory is an intriguing one, so that was originally what drew me to this book. I was curious how that would tie into a novel set (at least partly) in modern-day England. The way she is woven into the book was fairly successful, but I have to say that the book itself seemed to go on longer than it should - particularly the parts related to Dr. John Dee and his assistant.

In all, I would say the take on the Countess of Bathory is a new and slightly different one, and was an interesting read, but it's probably not something I would hurry to recommend to others.