The Headstrong Corpse

When Lord Berly of Moreland dies, his doctors place his body in an open tomb because he was terrified of being buried while still alive. But when his corpse disappears without explanation, killing and chaos take center stage in this dark mystery story from 1874.

Edward Somerset visits the home of Margaret Tresilion, the woman he loves, to comfort her on the death of her father, and finds the body has disappeared and the head severed. Realizing the deed is the work of a madman and partial bodysnatcher, Somerset narrows the suspects down to a neighbor who wants Margaret’s home and land, an unscrupulous physician and a servant.

After his death, Lord Berly of Moreland is kept in an open crypt by his physicians in deference to his fear of being buried alive. When his body mysteriously vanishes, murder and mayhem become the key facets in this Gothic thriller set in 1874.