The Specimen by Jaima Fixsen
Publication Date: October 15th 2024 by Poisoned Pen Press & Recorded Books
Pages: 416
Audio Book Length: 13hrs 3min
Narrator: Cathleen McCarron
Source: Publishers
Rating: ★★★★★
My
Thoughts:
It’s 1826 in Edinburgh, Scotland when Isobel’s seven-year-old
son, Thomas, goes missing. She’s wild with grief and hounds the police daily,
but there’s not sign of him anywhere. Months later, Isobel, at the urging of friends,
is attending a museum of morbid curiosities when she starts to hear the beating
of Thomas’ heart!
The Specimen was suspenseful and had me on the edge of my
seat as Isobel searches for the truth and stumbles on a way to do it that puts
her in danger! I was rooting for her as she uncovered the details and looked
for a way to serve up justice! There’s a splash of spine-tingling supernatural here,
too!
The writing was rich and vivid without sacrificing pace! Don’t
miss reading the author’s note at the end which gives a bit of the history of
the true story The Specimen was based on and how she came up with the story!
I alternately read and listened to The Specimen. The audio was fantastic! Cathleen McCarron’s Scottish accent
was wonderful to listen to and there were pronunciations I wouldn’t have got
right otherwise. She seamlessly performed both male and female voices. Loved!
5 Stars
Book Description:
Walk carefully, lest you become a part of Dr. Burnett's collection…
1826. Isobel Tait finds herself, by chance, staring at a tiny human heart floating in a jar. It should be of little consequence; Dr. Burnett is renowned for his collection of oddities and medical specimens, and this, a juvenile heart with a damaged mitral valve, is not the strangest thing on display. Except that the condition is rare, and that Isobel's young son, who has been missing for months, suffered from the ailment.
A phantom pulse beats in Isobel's ears. She knows something here isn't right.
Missing persons cases are all too common in Edinburgh, where people simply vanish like mist. But Burnett is obsessed with his specimens – how far would he go to acquire a new one? Determined to investigate, Isobel joins his staff as the keeper of his collection. What she'll unearth, though, is far worse than any of her nightmares…
Based on true crimes, The Specimen is a mesmerizing story about one woman's search for truth and vengeance in the darkest of places—where the deadliest secrets lie hidden in plain sight, on a freshly dusted shelf.
1826. Isobel Tait finds herself, by chance, staring at a tiny human heart floating in a jar. It should be of little consequence; Dr. Burnett is renowned for his collection of oddities and medical specimens, and this, a juvenile heart with a damaged mitral valve, is not the strangest thing on display. Except that the condition is rare, and that Isobel's young son, who has been missing for months, suffered from the ailment.
A phantom pulse beats in Isobel's ears. She knows something here isn't right.
Missing persons cases are all too common in Edinburgh, where people simply vanish like mist. But Burnett is obsessed with his specimens – how far would he go to acquire a new one? Determined to investigate, Isobel joins his staff as the keeper of his collection. What she'll unearth, though, is far worse than any of her nightmares…
Based on true crimes, The Specimen is a mesmerizing story about one woman's search for truth and vengeance in the darkest of places—where the deadliest secrets lie hidden in plain sight, on a freshly dusted shelf.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds suspenseful and a little creepy. I think I would like it. :D
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of this one.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, that sounds properly creepy. Reminds me of the Resurrectionists who brought bodies for the medical research like what the Lady Darby mysteries mention. Great review, Rachel!
ReplyDeleteSophia Rose
I commend you on listening to a Scottish accent. I find those hard.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds a bit creepy. I'm glad it was such a win for you.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart
Freaky. What has happened?!
ReplyDelete