"The Specimen is a fantastic read! Tense, gripping and full of fabulous characters ... I devoured it in two sittings." - Gareth Brown, bestselling author of The Book of Doors

Loosely based on Scotland's infamous Burke and Hare murders, The Specimen is a haunting historical crime thriller perfect for readers of The London Seance Society and A History of Fear.

***

Walk carefully, lest you become a part of Dr. Burnett's collection...

Edinburgh, 1826. Isobel Tait does her best to raise her young son Thomas alone, but yellow fever has left him with a scarred heart. Even a specialist, the renowned Dr. Connall Burnett, can do nothing for him. Isobel decides to make the most of the remaining time with her son.

Until he goes missing. A chance visit to Dr. Burnett's collection of specimens elicits a horrifying realisation: there, in a small jar among stuffed lizards and misshapen bones, is a new addition: a tiny human heart.

The use of stolen bodies by Edinburgh's medical men is a controversial but open secret. But Isobel can't shake a horrible suspicion that the doctor's a proxy killer obsessed with his quest for specimens.

Determined to find proof, she goes undercover as a maid in Burnett's house and soon becomes the keeper of his specimens. She'll have to gather evidence, protect his patients, and exact justice?and not get caught.

Based on a true story, The Specimen is a mesmerising work of Gothic historical fiction that explores 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.

Tropes
Gothic Thriller
Mystery
Historical Fiction
Evil Doctor
Vengeful Mother
Based On a True Story

About the Author
Jaima Fixsen is half of the USA Today bestselling author duo Audrey Blake. She lives in Alberta, Canada.

Reviews
The Specimen is a fantastic read! Tense, gripping and full of fabulous characters ... I devoured it in two sittings. * Gareth Brown, bestselling author of The Book of Doors *



Book Information
ISBN 9781464233296
Author Jaima Fixsen
Format Paperback
Page Count 464
Imprint Poisoned Pen Press
Publisher Sourcebooks, Inc