By Stephanie Robertson
I cannot thank my friend JP enough for introducing me to works by Kate Morton. Morton’s books are literary, suspenseful, and intricately layered. They are anything but quick-reads. At times, I have to go back and re-read her paragraphs. Don’t lay her books aside for any length of time, you will probably have to start over at page one. But that’s never a problem for Morton’s faithful.
I read her books quickly, staying up well past bedtime when everyone else is asleep. Take The Clockmaker’s Daughter–its Steampunk vibe takes readers to England in the mid-1800s. A group of artists assemble at Edward Radcliffe’s country home to relax and work on their art. Lives change when Edward’s fiancee is shot, a valuable jewel goes missing, and Edward’s muse disappears.
Present-day. London archivist Elodie Winslow discovers an old satchel. It contains an artist’s sketchbook of an old Victorian home—for a mysterious, unknown reason, the house looks very familiar to Elodie. The satchel also contains a print of a striking young woman wearing an exquisite necklace. Who is the fascinating woman in the photo? Why does the Victorian home speak so strongly to Elodie, and why can’t she just let it go?
Told through multiple points of view, The Clockmaker’s Daughter combines mystery, suspense, some romance, and even a ghost story in this haunting, sweeping novel by master writer Kate Morton.
Pros: Kate Morton’s lyrical prose makes me want to stash my pen in a drawer and never write another sentence. Seriously, this woman knows how to turn a phrase! (Instead of comparing ourselves, maybe we writers can study her work and aim for the best work possible for our talent and skills.
Cons: Some Amazon reviewers complain that it’s hard to keep up with Morton’s many characters and multi-layered plot. I concur. At times I would ask myself, “Now who is that guy?” That just means that the author keeps us on our toes!
The Clockmaker’s Daughter is what I’d call a 99.9% clean read, meaning there is some language. However, I can’t think of anything that stands out as very abrasive, and I’m very sensitive to profanity. There are some references to sexual content, but nothing graphic. To be more specific, there is adultery that occurs “off-camera.” There are two examples of men who sleep with their girlfriends. Of course, none of that is okay to me, but it isn’t a main part of the plot.
Finally, if you don’t like ghosts in your stories, this one may not be for you. Personally, I love a good Kathryn Tucker Windham tale, so I really liked Morton’s. I’d definitely be able to share this with Mom!
Writer and Speaker Stephanie L. Robertson grew up on a southwest Alabama farm and now publishes a southern lifestyle blog at 
