Ruth Rendell (as Barbara Vine), The Blood Doctor
Martin Nanther is a hereditary peer in the House of Lords. He owes his peerage to his great grandfather Henry, a hematologist, or blood doctor. Biographer, Martin becomes increasingly interested in researching the life of his ancestor, who specialized in diseases of the blood, more particularly hemophilia. He was one of Queen Victoria’s in-Ordinary physician and tended to her hemophiliac son Leopold’s health.
Martin encounters problems in both his professional and personal life: a Bill is about to pass that aims to abolish hereditary peerage, putting Martin’s position in the House of Lords in jeopardy. On a personal level, Martin is confronted with his wife’s inability to carry a pregnancy to term and her obsession with having a baby, while he already has a son from a previous marriage.
Partly by interest and partly to escape his wife’s obsession, Martin immerses himself in the life of the First Lord Nanther, getting to know many of his relatives along the way, and trying to reconstitute the puzzle of the doctor’s life. Many things begin to strike him as strange, such as his relationships with the women in his life, and his estrangement from his children, with the exception of his last and beloved son George. Little by little, Martin will fill the gaps and discover the shocking truth behind the seemingly exemplary doctor’s life…
As the title and the doctor’s obsession indicates, The Blood Doctor explores the subject of blood in all his implications: diseases of the blood, genetic heritage, family relationships, rights acquired by the blood, etc. If you are looking for a mystery, you might be disappointed by this novel: the mystery is not much of a mystery, though the novel is truly riveting and intriguing. The shocking truth is not that hard to figure out, and I didn’t even find it that shocking, because I was expecting much worse. However, I recommend this book, first for Rendell’s flawless style: her writing is impeccable and the research she put in the book impressive. She evolves with ease in Victorian England, unveiling the life of the Nanther family through letters, pictures and diaries, medical books and newspaper clippings. Her knowledge of the House of Lords is first-hand since Rendell is a life peer herself, with the title Baroness Rendell of Babergh…
The reader accustomed to Rendell/Vine’s novels knows that when Rendell writes as Barbara Vine, she writes novels that often involve history, not necessarily remote history but at least family history, the uncovering of buried family secrets. In Anna’s Book, that I reviewed previously, the ending really comes as a surprise, but I found the atmosphere of The Blood Doctor more drawing. My advice? Read both (and other Vine or Rendell’s books) and make your own opinion as to which is your favorite…
Rating: 4/5
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