Jody Cooksley

London, 1883. The brutal murder of Rose Parmiter, beloved cook at Evergreen House, shatters the sanctuary Rebecca Harris has built for vulnerable women and children. As grief grips the household, unsettling events begin to stir - echoes of a past that refuses to stay buried. The malign legacy of the Everley family, who called Evergreen House home, casts a sinister shadow, and when two more lives are claimed, dread spreads through the refuge. Rebecca must draw out the poison of the past before Evergreen's promise of hope is consumed by darkness.

It''s 1881. 8 years have passed since Grace and Lucius Everly were punished for their crimes against humanity, yet Evergreen House is still not clean of their sins. In The Surgeon''s House, sequel to The Small Museum, Maddie''s sister, Rebecca, remains uneasy. Mysterious deaths, the unwelcome presence of Grace''s husband, Edward Threlfall, and consistent intrusions from members of the authorities force Rebecca to question the stability of the life she has created.Thwarted at every turn, caught between society''s patriarchal gaze and the Victorian era''s obsession with science and morality, it appears as though Rebecca must relinquish all that she has worked towards. How can she protect the lives of the women and children, to whom she has promised safety, when it feels as though the very walls breathe their secrets and betray her trust? Jody Cooksley''s writing is immersed in Victoriana. Her debut novel The Glass House focused on photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, The Small Museum was inspired by the extraordinary cabinet of curiosities that is the Hunterian Museum in London.

A shiver thrilled my spine at the thought of what might be contained in collections to be kept away from ordinary eyes ...London, 1873. Madeleine Brewster''s marriage to Dr Lucius Everley was meant to be the solution to her family''s sullied name. After all, Lucius is a well-respected collector of natural curiosities - his ''Small Museum'' is his life''s work, although firmly kept under lock and key. His sister Grace''s philanthropic work with fallen women also adds to the polished reputation of the family.However, Maddie finds herself unwelcome in her new home and the more she learns about Lucius and Grace, the more she suspects that unimaginable horrors lie behind the respectable façade.Then Maddie is framed for a crime that would take her to the gallows and leave the Everleys free to continue their dark schemes. Her only hope is her friend Caroline who must prove Maddie''s innocence before the trial reaches its fatal conclusion.