The Specimen
  • Published: 7 January 2025
  • ISBN: 9781728294902
  • Imprint: Poisoned Pen Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 360
  • RRP: $32.99
Categories:

The Specimen

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Based loosely on the true case of the Burke and Hare murders, this is the story of a man who terrorized the streets of Edinburgh... and the woman determined to stop him at any cost.

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.
  • Published: 7 January 2025
  • ISBN: 9781728294902
  • Imprint: Poisoned Pen Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 360
  • RRP: $32.99
Categories:

About the author

Jaima Fixsen

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

Praise for The Specimen

The Specimen is a fantastic read! Tense, gripping and full of fabulous characters you grow to love or hate! I devoured it in two sittings.

Gareth Brown, bestselling author of The Book of Doors

The Specimen is a dark delight! Jaima Fixsen has crafted a dynamic cast of characters with real heart and set them against a riveting backdrop of science, witchcraft, and scandal. I couldn't put this book down!

Emily Ruth Verona, author of Midnight on Beacon Street

Propulsive and lush, Fixsen weaves an exquisitely gothic tale that explores the power of a mother's love to transcend all things, even the grave. From the first to the very last page, this novel kept me riveted, needing to know that Isobel would prevail against all odds. Fans of Hester Fox and Paulette Kennedy will adore this one.

Jess Armstrong, the USA Today bestselling author of The Curse of Penryth Hall

The Specimen unfolds a haunting tale of secrets, sacrifice, and obsession. This is a brilliant story that delves into the darkest corners of the human soul, where the quest for knowledge collides with the primal instinct to protect what matters most.

Kim Taylor Blakemore, author of After Alice Fell and The Companion

Fixsen’s ghost story is the most haunting of all: a tale of the real-life evil that shapes our world and the heroines who dare name these men monsters. With a meticulous hand, Fixsen conjures Edinburgh and its history of music, immigration, murder, ghosts, and above all, love.

J. R. Dawson, author of The First Bright Thing
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