The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton is a historical fiction story that centers on a murder that occurred in the summer of 1862 at Birchwood Manor. There are multiple narrators, each has a connection to Birchwood and they all play their part in the history of Birchwood, thus making the house, as much as the murder, the focus of the story.

In 1862 Birchwood Manor, sitting on the banks of the Thames, is owned by Edward Radcliff, an artist with exceptional talent. He is the founding member of the Magenta Brotherhood a group of London artists who are eccentric and whose works are considered ground breaking. He invites the members of the Brotherhood to come stay at Birchwood that summer to create and be inspired. Unfortunately, before the summer is over Edward’s fiancée is murdered and his muse Lily Millington has disappeared along with the Radcliff Blue a unique and highly valuable diamond. The police discover that Lily was a thief from early childhood and it is believed she and the diamond made a swift exit to America. However, the diamond has never turned up again in over 100 years.  Which leads one to ask, what really happened that summer? 

Years later, a young archivist, Elodie Winslow, finds an old leather satchel among items that had belonged to James Stratton. Inside the satchel are an early photograph of a beautiful Victorian woman and the sketch book of an artist, Edward Radcliff, from the same era. What is the connection between James Stratton, Edward Radcliff and the woman in the photo? As she slowly shifts through the pieces of the puzzle we learn about the lives of the various people who have resided at Birchwood. As we delve deeper into their lives, we see their hopes, dreams, secrets and desires and how all has come to interconnect in the most unusual ways. Once all the pieces of this complex puzzle are assembled we find the truth.

This story is so much more than just a murder mystery. It is also about the fictional history of Birchwood Manor and those people that passed through its doors and how their lives affected others even years later. The author has gone so far as to give Birchwood its own persona which lends more credibility to the story and makes for a wonderful backdrop.

The prose was bordering on lyrical and contained a depth that I crave and do not always get. Ms. Morton made it easy for me to walk in the gardens at Birchwood and hide in the priest’s hole. I love it when an author walks that fine line of rich descriptive prose without becoming verbose. The cast of characters felt more real than fiction and I was thoroughly held captive by them.

While at the heart, this story is a murder mystery; I find myself wanting to classify it as women’s’ fiction. Because the book crosses genres, it will appear to a variety of readers. Therefore, I recommend The Clockmaker’s Daughter to anyone who likes a story with rich details that contains the additional elements of suspense and surprise.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.