The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton is a tough one for me to review. It felt like the perfect October read when I started – beautiful cover, mystery, some dark/ghost themes – but I honestly struggled to get through to the end. I usually love Kate Morton and even though she is a little formulaic, and I try to read her new releases whenever they come out. This one, unfortunately, was probably my least favorite so far.
The story takes place over the course of 150 years, with general character/perspective shifts over time, but consistent input from Lily Millington throughout. It centers around Birchwood Manor, a house that is seemingly under the protection of old, sacred magic but also has a dark past. We hear about it from its origins, to the purchase by artist Edward Radcliffe, all the way to the summer of 2017 when unsuspecting Elodie Winslow uncovers some secret connections to the house that draw her into the mystery surrounding it (and plenty of characters in between).
I honestly think the formula for the story was solid, but the execution did not meet the quality standard I’m used to expecting from Kate Morton. I struggled to buy into the mystery, and for the first 200 pages was pretty disengaged. Whenever the story started to pick up I’d get really excited, and then the character perspectives would shift. My favorites were definitely Ada, Leonard, and Juliet, and I don’t feel like we got enough out of them. The result ended in a mystery coming together that I never actually cared that much about, and the end was more morbid than I was expecting which caught me off guard.
I really hate to do this – again due to my love for Kate Morton’s other books – but I think this is a 2.5 star read for me. I just really struggled to get through it, reading felt a bit like a chore, and I was eager to finish if only to move on to the next book. If you’re a fan of historical mystery, I’d definitely recommend Kate Morton as an author, but probably not this specific book. It’s my job here to be honest, so that’s just where I’m landing. Let me know if you agree/disagree!
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