I picked up this book from the library just because the cover was so pretty. I hadn’t heard of the book or the author, but the cover and the fact that it seemed to be a Gothic mystery were enough reasons for me to give it a try.
About The Small Museum
London, 1873. Madeleine Brewster’s marriage to Dr. Lucius Everley was meant to be the solution to her family’s sullied reputation. After all, Lucius is a well-respected collector of natural curiosities; his ‘Small Museum‘ of bones and things in jars is his pride and joy, although kept under lock and key. His sister Grace’s philanthropic work with fallen women is also highly laudable. However, Maddie is confused by and excluded from what happens in what is meant to be her new home.
Maddie’s skill at drawing promises a role for her, though, when Lucius agrees to let her help him in making a breakthrough in evolutionary science, a discovery of the first ‘fish with feet’. But the more Maddie learns about both Lucius and Grace, the more she suspects that unimaginable horrors lie behind their polished reputations.
Framed for a crime that would take her to the gallows and leave the Everleys unencumbered, Maddie’s only hope is her friend Caroline Fairly. But will she be able to put the pieces together before the trial reaches its fatal conclusion?
~ Synopsis from goodreads
My Review
I liked this book – mainly because it’s in my genre (Gothic mystery and horror), but if I had to review it as a standalone book, I would say it was fine – not bad, but nothing memorable either.
It’s peopled with stock characters – the distant husband, the nervous newlywed wife, creepy servants, and an intriguing mix of science and horror. It draws on elements from Rebecca, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Frankenstein, but doesn’t quite improve on the originals. The few attempts it makes at going beyond the genre fall flat and read very awkward. At no point did I get immersed in it, and I do believe that’s because the characters and the writing style feel quite modern.
That said, it is deliciously dark and gothic. I read it in a few hours and enjoyed it very much.
There’s a sequel to the book, but I don’t think it needs one. It ends on a pretty final and unambiguous note, and I didn’t love the book or feel vested in the characters enough to feel the need for a sequel.
Still, it delivered on the spookiness and chill factor, and that was enough for me. Overall, recommend!
