The Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips

London, 1672. A vicious killer stalks the court of Charles II, inscribing the victims’ bodies with mysterious markings. Are the murders the random acts of a madman? Or the violent effects of a deeply hidden conspiracy?

Cambridge, 2008. Teaching history at Trinity College is Claire Donovan’s dream come true—until one of her colleagues is found dead on the banks of the River Cam. The only key to the professor’s unsolved murder is the seventeenth-century diary kept by his last research subject, Hannah Devlin, physician to the king’s mistress. Through the arcane collections of Cambridge’s most eminent libraries, Claire and fellow historian Andrew Kent follow the clues Hannah left behind, uncovering secrets of London’s dark past and Cambridge’s murky present and discovering that the events of three hundred years ago still have consequences today. . . .
(from the back cover)



My thoughts:

For me the Devlin Diary was a very interesting reading. Normally when I read books that bounce back and forth between the present day and the past, I find that the author tends to focus more on one rather than the other. Although I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading the Devlin Diary, the author, Christi Phillips has an amazing way of blending both of the eras without making one seem lacking. As a lover of history, I found this book to be remarkable due the amazing details that were included pertaining to the Restoration era of England. Not to mention it also delves into what it was like to be a physician in the late 1600’s. I also found that I enjoyed the present day aspect as well. The characters were well developed, and I enjoyed how the character of Restoration Era Hannah Devlin and the modern day Claire in a way mirror each other in their search for knowledge.


A must read for those who like a bit of mystery with their history. A book that I highly recommend.



I have one copy to giveaway on June 10
US residents only


My thanks to Sara @ Pocket Books for this copy