#BookReview: The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton @AtriaBooks #TheClockmaker’sDaughter #6BookBestiesTheClockmakersDaughter

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My Review:

A romantic love story, a mystery and a murder

Birchwood Manor is located near the Thames and it is at the center of this story and it also holds the truth about what happened one summer in 1862. The house is like a character and has “a voice” that whispers to the reader and makes connections that won’t be revealed until later. I kept asking myself, “who is speaking”? That will be revealed later.

The story spans from the 1860’s to present day and artist, Edward Radcliffe is at the heart of the mystery. He has found the love of his life, but will his heart will be broken? This part of the story felt old-fashioned and romantic. The characters in the present day story felt very modern and I was intrigued to find out what the connections between past and present were.

This is my first Kate Morton book and it was such an atmospheric, detailed and absorbing tale. There was intrigue, mystery and a rich setting that I could picture perfectly in my mind. I thought the characters were interesting and I wanted to learn what would happen to them in the end. This is not a fast paced page-turner, it is more a slow brewing mystery. I took my time and enjoyed this one.

Yes, there are lots of characters and two time periods, but the author was able to capture my imagination and kept me turning the pages to learn the secrets of the mansion and what the many clues that were revealed along the way would lead to.

I enjoyed getting immersed in the characters, unraveling the extensive plot and I savored the rich details of this beautifully written novel.

Book Description:

In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins.

Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist’s sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.

Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?