In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists, led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe, descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared, a priceless heirloom is missing, and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins.
Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of a woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.
Birchwood Manor feels strangely familiar to Elodie, sparking memories of a favourite story from her childhood; but who is the beautiful woman in the photograph, and will she ever give up her secrets?
Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker's Daughter is a story of murder, mystery and thievery, of art, love and loss.