This fantastic follow-up to The Rossetti Letter finds Claire Donovan in London teaching history at Cambridge. Claire is thrilled to be in London and even more thrilled to be near fellow professor Andrew Kent. That is, until fellow professor Derek Goodman is murdered — a professor the entire college saw her argue with.
Shortly before Derek's murder Claire had shared with him that she'd run across an amazing find in the Cambridge libraries, the diary of a female physician from the 1600's. Hannah Devlin had been physician to the king's mistress — an amazing feat considering that it was illegal for women to practice medicine in those days.
In the midst of her search to find the true killer, clear her name and discover the reason for the murder, Claire is trying to deal with her feelings for Andrew. She thought they had made a true connection, but now he seems to be avoiding her at all cost. And how does the ancient diary of Hannah Devlin fit into the mix? Can it lead them to answers or is it just a waste of time?
This is a great novel for historical fiction and contemporary fiction fans alike. Instead of being written in the form of diary entries, the story alternates between the present day mystery and the historical story found in the diary. The author did a great job with this, and the story flows effortlessly.
I found myself rooting for Claire from the very first page and was able to follow along although I hadn't yet read The Rossetti Letter. I can say, though, that after reading The Devlin Diary, I will definitely be finding a copy of The Rossetti Letter and adding Phillips to my list of authors to follow.
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