The Blood Doctor (Barbara Vine, 2002)

I plucked this book at random from a collection of thrillers sat on my shelves, didn't read the blurb and so wasn't sure what to expect. It turns out that 'Barbara Vine' is the pen-name of Ruth Rendell, and although I've not read any of Rendell's work I'm aware of her prominence as a crime writer. I assume that 'Barbara' wrote The Blood Doctor because it's not a crime novel, although it is sort-of a detective story. 

The Blood Doctor of the title is Henry Nanther, Queen Victoria's personal physician and an expert on haemophilia. Lord Martin Nanther, the book's narrator, is Henry's great-grandson and the plot follows his attempts to piece together Henry's life in order to write a biography. It's an intriguing insight into how biographers of long dead subjects are able to construct timelines from letters and journals, and how a great deal of supposition and guesswork is involved in making sense of how a person behaved or acted so long ago. Martin comes into contact with various long-lost cousins and other relatives who are superbly drawn, each with their own interests or not in Martin's findings. As the novel progresses and Martin learns more about Henry, all the indications are that his great-grandfather may have had sinister motives in his relationships and work on haemophilia.

Alongside the Henry Nanther biography plot, the book follows Martin and his wife Jude's attempts to conceive, and Martin's fears that what Jude's failures to carry a foetus beyond 2 months may do to their marriage. Another very interesting sideplot concerns Martin's experience in the House of Lords, which I presume has been informed by Ruth Rendell's experiences since being made a life peer in 1997. The book is set over 1999-2000 when the government was reforming the House of Lords and getting rid of hereditary peers, one of whom is (fictional) Martin Nanther. 

The biographical mystery element is compelling and the ongoing relationship between Martin and Jude is well drawn, and the details of life in the House and the implications for the Reform Act are very interesting. All this adds up to a compelling read that raises issues for further thought. Altogether a more rounded experience than I was expecting from what I thought was going to be a simple thriller.