{"id":27245,"date":"2026-07-04T20:13:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T00:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=27245"},"modified":"2026-09-13T10:14:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T14:14:26","slug":"a-bitter-cut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27245","title":{"rendered":"A Bitter Cut"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Bitter Cut<\/em> (2026) Anna Lee Huber<\/a> (Lady Darby #14)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Set in Warwickshire, England in 1833<\/p>\n

Kiera has decided that they best way to meet the family of the woman her brother Trevor hopes to marry is to invite them to a house party.<\/p>\n

Hosted by Lord Gage.<\/p>\n

For his political friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was he prattling on about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Slavery Abolition Act. He thought he was here chiefly to strategize and discuss its passage with some of the lords who are on the fence. But Birnam and this murder have rather impeded his efforts.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That goes as well as one would expect, and gets worse when Mr. Birnam’s secretary is murdered in an acid attack.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, (they) might have lived in constant agony for days or even weeks before expiring. For as severe as the burns were, the likelihood of (their) recovering from them was minuscule. Even then, (they) would have been severely impaired and continuously at risk of deadly infection. It would only have ever been a matter of time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think it was in Sherlock Holmes that I first read of Vitriol attacks, but I was young enough I didn’t actually think about what that entailed–and how death was in fact likely to be a consequence in severe cases.<\/p>\n

The story revolved not just around the murder, but how horrible Mr Birnam was, and what it might mean for Trevor to marry into that family.<\/p>\n

“Surely, you must see that the establishment of a proficient Factory Inspectorate is beneficial for all. Why, if you\u2019re already following the laws, as you assure me you are, then they\u2019ll protect you as much as the laborers in your mills.\u201d He swirled the Bordeaux in his glass before taking a drink.<\/p>\n

\u201cO\u2019 course, I\u2019m followin\u2019 the laws,\u201d Mr. Birnam insisted.<\/p>\n

Which only made my suspicion that he wasn\u2019t all the greater. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One thing she does in this series is to not sugar coat many of the horrors of the times, especially for those not born wealthy.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026then ye should pay the workers ye do have more, so that they\u2019re no\u2019 reliant on sellin\u2019 their weens oot as slaves!\u201d Such was his anger that the Scots brogue he strangled in order to speak like an Etonian-educated nobleman broke through.<\/p>\n

Birnam retorted with a few insults of his own. Ones so vile that even I was shocked.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I hadn’t particularly noticed it previously, but Kiera is presented in this book with the coded language of neurodivergence.<\/p>\n

I knew that there were times when I did not react as expected.
\n…
\nsocial cues that everyone else seemed to read so easily eluded me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think I need perhaps to reread this series, because I remember reading her awkwardness as a result of her late husband’s actions in involving her in what became a tremendous scandal. <\/p>\n

Cover art by Larry Rostant<\/p>\n

Characters<\/strong>: Kiera Gage, Sebastian Gage, Emma Gage, Bree McEvoy, Anderley, Mrs. Mackay, Jeffers, Philip Count of Cromarty, Alana Countess of Cromarty, Malcolm, Lord Gage, Trevor St. Mawr, Miss Matilda Birnam, Mrs. Birnam, Mr. Birnam, Mr. Jeremiah \u201cJemmy\u201d Birnam, Lorna, Alfie, Viscountess of Tavistock, Sherry, Rory, Bowcott, Lembus, Miss Portia Whitlock, Mr. Thorndike, Baron Foley, Lord Melbourne, Earl of Strathblane, Lord Lyndhurst, Lord Milngavie, Baron Brougham and Vaux, Lady Lyndhurst, Lady Brougham, Paget, Lord Wixford, Ann McClintock, Henry Kerr, Aunt Cait, Uncle Duncan, cousin Morven, Rye, Lady Bearsden, Charlotte, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Cooper, Jenny, Mr. Simpkins<\/p>\n

Publisher: Berkley Mystery<\/p>\n

Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Bitter Cut (2026) Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby #14) Set in Warwickshire, England in 1833 Kiera has decided that they best way to meet the family of the woman her brother Trevor hopes to marry is to invite them to a house party. Hosted by Lord Gage. For his political friends. \u201cWhat was he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[30,292,204,33,8,43],"tags":[114,556,115],"class_list":["post-27245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-british","category-ebook","category-good","category-historical","category-mystery","category-private-eye","tag-anna-lee-huber","tag-georgian-era","tag-lady-darby"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-75r","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5873,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5873","url_meta":{"origin":27245,"position":0},"title":"A Pressing Engagement","author":"Michelle","date":"May 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A Pressing Engagement (2016) Anna Lee Huber Set in Edinburgh, Scotland in April 1831 This short story is Lady Darby's wedding to Sebastian Gage. Except it isn't really a short story, as much as it would truly be an excerpt from either the end of the previous book or the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "British"","block_context":{"text":"British","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/british"},"img":{"alt_text":"a_pressing_engagement","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/a_pressing_engagement.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5653,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5653","url_meta":{"origin":27245,"position":1},"title":"The Anatomist’s Wife","author":"Michelle","date":"February 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Anatomist's Wife (2012) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in August 1830 Lady Darby has spent the last year and a half hiding in Scotland with her sister and brother-in-law, after the death of her husband and the scandal that arose following that. I quite like the relationship between\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "British"","block_context":{"text":"British","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/british"},"img":{"alt_text":"The-Anatomists-Wife","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/The-Anatomists-Wife.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5680,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5680","url_meta":{"origin":27245,"position":2},"title":"A Grave Matter","author":"Michelle","date":"February 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A Grave Matter (2014) Anna Lee Huber Set in Scotland in 1831 Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) finds Lady Darby staying with her brother, in their childhood home, still grieving her friend's death. But the Hogmanay Ball is interrupted (at the worst possible moment (of course)) with news of the murder\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A-Grave-Matter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/A-Grave-Matter.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19978,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/19978","url_meta":{"origin":27245,"position":3},"title":"A Perilous Perspective","author":"Michelle","date":"May 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A Perilous Perspective (2022) Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby Mystery) Set in Scotland in 1832 The tenth Lady Darby book finds Kiera and Sebastian are in Scotland for the wedding of her friend Charlotte to her cousin Rye. Trouble comes with Kiera realizes that several of Lord Barbreck's paintings are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Perilous Perspective","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/A-Perilous-Perspective.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/A-Perilous-Perspective.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/A-Perilous-Perspective.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/A-Perilous-Perspective.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14187,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/14187","url_meta":{"origin":27245,"position":4},"title":"A Wicked Conceit","author":"Michelle","date":"April 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A Wicked Conceit (2021) Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby Mystery #9) Set in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1832 Lady Darby is very pregnant at the start of this book, so it was clear she was going to the baby at the end of the book. \"Let's hope she doesn't end up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Wicked Conceit","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/A-Wicked-Conceit.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/A-Wicked-Conceit.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/A-Wicked-Conceit.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/A-Wicked-Conceit.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5683,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5683","url_meta":{"origin":27245,"position":5},"title":"A Study in Death","author":"Michelle","date":"February 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A Study in Death (2015) Anna Lee Huber When Lady Drummond dies in front of Lady Darby, Kiera immediately believes the death not due to be apoplexy, but to poison. Unfortunately, Lord Drummond all but throws Lady Darby out, and so she cannot--even with the help of Gage--openly investigate the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A-Study-in-Death","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/A-Study-in-Death.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27245\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}