Unfortunately this book wasn't for me but maybe it was because I hadn't the previous book. It was very slow and I nearly gave up after a quarter of the way through, but decided to skim read to the last quarter, which was good. The basic plot was fine but very drawn out except for the end which finished in a rush. I'm sure many readers will enjoy the book.

I didn't realise this was a sequel and, although it probably can work as a standalone, I wish I'd read the previous book first. I struggled to keep up with the different characters and found myself confused over who was who. Aside from that it was a decent novel but it didn't hold my interest.

It's a historical mystery novel set in Victorian London period. This is the sequel to the author's other book, "a small museum", but it can be read as standalone. The book deals with the boundary between scientific research and mortality. Rebecca Harris is an interesting main character, who has solid presence throughout the story.
Intriguing: 2
Unsettling: 1
Scariness: 1
It's a three ⭐ read for me.

Thank you for the e-arc.

LOVED IT, LOVED IT . Due to health issues cannot not but will write a proper review at a later time
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Rebecca Harris, the tenacious proprietor of Evergreen House, a refuge for women and children, is the protagonist of this story. She finds herself embroiled in a horrifying investigation following the gruesome murder of Rose Parmiter, the house's cook. Rebecca has to deal with both the dark past of the Everly family and outside threats as unexplained deaths continue to occur and ghosts from the past emerge. This book is evocative and captivating. It is a riveting read because of its fast-paced plot and compelling characters—some likeable, others not - and a great mystery at its heart.

The Surgeon's House
by Jody Cooksley
Pub Date: May 22 2025
A stellar follow up ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

London, 1883.

The brutal murder of Rose Parmiter seems, at first glance, to be a random and senseless act. Rose was the beloved cook at Evergreen House, a place of refuge for women and children, a place from which they can start their lives afresh. Proprietor Rebecca Harris, is profoundly shocked by the death of her dear friend and alarmed at the mysterious events which begin to unfold shortly afterwards. Could the past be casting a shadow on the present? The malign legacy of the Everley family who called Evergreen home, cannot be ignored.

After two further deaths it becomes clear there is an evil presence infecting their sanctuary, and Rebecca must draw out the poison of the past so the Evergreen residents can finally make peace with the darkness in their lives.

I was not sure if this was a sequel or just a book with flashbacks. But one could read it without prior knowledge. Talking of prior knowledge: I recognised the killers method what gave the killer away..
The house is very vividly described. I applaud the worldbuilding. But is there not something amiss in the timeline of the crazy lady? You also might like to explain a bit more to us ignorants how charities in those days worked. Why is dat board so powerful while the women earn their keep?

Evergreen, the titular surgeon’s house, belongs to the Everleys, a family of certain notoriety based on the gruesome experiments performed by Dr Lucius Everley and his sister, Grace, in the previous novel, The Small Museum.
Rebecca Harris and her husband, George, now run Evergreen, and having been caught up in the Everley affairs and their museum of grizzly artifacts, Rebecca is well aware of how hard she must work to keep the resident mothers and children of the house safe. And how much attention she must pay to their welfare, in order that they try to live productive lives. Their beloved cook, Rose’s, brutal murder begins a spree of other deaths, and seems to indicate a connection to the Everleys. Rebecca’s nemesis Mr Lavell, the administrator of the charity board, is determined to oust the Harrises and take Evergreen for himself, running it as a magdalen laundry with a strict Catholic agenda.
This is a finely crafted follow up to Cooksley’s previous novel carrying with it a suitably strong sense of menace. Points of view range between Rebecca, trying to preserve dignity at Evergreen, and Grace Everley in a mental asylum, plotting revenge. Cooksley’s poignant new novel is equally atmospheric, macabre and sinister as the first and a compelling read. It can be read as a standalone, but since gothic novel fans will love The Small Museum, I recommend reading it first.

The Surgeon’s House by Jody Cooksley

This is a companion novel to The Small Museum, which I haven’t
read yet, but I definitely will now! While it stands on its own with sufficient backstory to orient new readers, it’s clear the previous book is a fascinating story with a deeper evil world to explore. This is a gripping gothic tale, full of twists and turns that will leave you unsettled in the best way.

Rebecca operates Evergreen House, a home for unwed mothers and their children. The house has a horrific and storied past, one Rebecca experienced first hand. She is determined to transform it a home of compassion and second chances, despite the societal and charitable condemnation rampant in the 1800’s that deem these women and their children as worthless and beyond salvation.

The novel vividly captures the harsh societal constraints of that era, including the psychological treatise on women's inherent weakness and proneness to hysteria, the punitive institutions that oppressed rather than supported them and the strict limitations placed on their agency. Cooksley powerfully reimagines mythical Greek women through their portraits to demonstrate the power held by those who write the story. Whether you are a judged a heroine or a villain depends entirely on who is telling the story.

Woven throughout this tale of resilient women is a chilling, atmospheric thriller that’s both shocking and disturbing. It’s a gripping and powerful story that you will race through because you won’t be able to put it down.

As with a lot of books I end up loving, we begin in a mortuary, many years ago, which is a favourite time of mine. 1883 if you need an exact time...
On the cold slab lay Rose, all her life and vigor gone, taken by her murderer. Rose was cook at Evergreen House, now a home of second chances, now a sanctuary for women and children running from brutality and terror run by Rebecca and her husband George, before... place of mass murder.
But a spectre hangs over Rose's death, that of Dr Lucius Everley long ago hanged for his murderous crimes, his sister and accomplice Grace forever languishing in an asylum.. a model of quiet insanity.
But Rose's gruesome death raises the question .... are all the Everley's accounted for or is there someone else, hiding in plain sight that is responsible for Rose's death ? Is all the horror about to being again ?
Doesn't this sound good. I adored this dark gothic story, I was dazzled by the evil that lives within this book. I loved the parts where we spend time with the chilling Grace in the asylum especially when she talks of her unseen daughter displaying no love or feeling. There is a cold chill in the room as we listen to her thoughts.
Brilliant, atmospheric, emotionally charged and unsettling. This house has a malignant past and you feel it on every page..

Thank you to netgalley and Allison and Busby and the fabulous Jody Cooksley for letting me read this brilliant histfic dark delight. A follow on from The Small Museum.

Suse

Before I read this book I noticed some of the reviews pointed out it was a sequel to The Small Museum and said it does give more of a background to what has gone before if you’ve read that first so I read it first. I quite enjoyed that book but found this one to be quite slow. Maybe it was because I read them in succession, but I also thought this was almost a repeat of the book before it.

In the sequel the plot surrounds Maddie’s sister Rebecca living in Evergreen House, previously the home of Maddie and her husband Dr Lucius Everley. A few years down the line, it is now a refuge for women and children who have fallen on hard times usually at the hands of violent husbands or disowned by their families after falling pregnant. It is owned by a trust and Rebecca along with her husband run the home. Her sister Maddie is pretty much off the scene until later in the book and only plays a minor part in this book.

After the murder of the cook Rose Parmiter, and a puzzle over who could possibly want to kill a kind older woman who as far as anyone could see couldn’t possibly have made an enemy of anyone, the story then drifts off into Rebecca’s constant battle with the governors of the home who seem hell bent on making life as difficult as possible for Rebecca with a couple more mysterious deaths much further on into the book.

The ending was quite good when all the mysteries were resolved, I just felt it took a long time getting there and I did find it quite hard to keep going to reach the end. It was OK but I did prefer the first book in the Evergreen House saga. I wasn’t that keen on this one to be honest as I felt it was dragged out for too long.

Up on Goodreads now, live on the blog on 19 May:

The Surgeon’s House is the follow-up of The Small Museum, which, honestly, I hadn’t even realised when I accepted the widget lovely Josie Rushin offered me. And once I did realise, truth be told, I was still a little hazy on the details myself, so don’t worry if you haven’t read The Small Museum: The Surgeon’s House stands perfectly well on its own. You’d be missing out, though, just saying.

I’ll cut right to the chase: I had a great time with The Surgeon’s House, just like I had fully expected to. I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again: I love Victorian England as a setting. It’s without a doubt one of my favourite eras to read about, it almost guarantees a gothic atmosphere, especially in the capable hands of Jody Cooksley.

Everything in Evergreen House is going well, women and children with traumatic pasts are finally safe and cared for, it’s not perfect but it sure comes close. But there is an element or two that is rather menacing, operating in the background, threatening to undo all the proprietors’ hard work. I was hooked from the start. That dark undertone, that first murder, those few quite creepy characters, it all had me and kept me fully invested.

Much like its predecessor, The Surgeon’s House is an atmospheric and engrossing gothic murder mystery and I would happily recommend it to fans of the genre.

The Surgeon’s House is out in digital formats and hardcover on 22 May, with the paperback to follow next year.

Massive thanks to Allison & Busby and NetGalley for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

This wonderful gothic and mysterystyle novel takes place in England in the 1880's at the Evergreen House which happens to be a refuge for women and children to start over. This book follows the social struggles that these people face while trying to start over. The owner of the house Rebecca is in a constant struggle of dealing with those who are trying to sabotage the home. Things seem to get worse when the cook is murdered and Rebecca finds herself having go back through old records in order uncover who the killer is.
I will admit that this novel was something to get used to. However, weaving in some of the historical aspects into the mystery made it very much enjoyable. I am greatful that I took the time to read this book.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

Historical fiction hasn't been my go to genre since my 9th child was born 5 years ago, but the title, the description and that captivating cover had me wanting to know more about this story.

And here it is - Jody Cooksley has created a gripping novel based in London in the 1800's. The complexity of themes and the depth of characters makes this book hard to put down. Despite it being a historical novel the themes and issues addressed make this book timeless and worth reading. The gambit of emotions that the reader experiences is shocking; and this is due to the craftmanship of the author - the ability to weave words in such a way as to draw the reader in and entangle them in the journey.

A captivating book that deserve tik-tok fandom all its own.

I didn’t realise that this was a companion book to the previous novel, The Small Museum, so the story was confusing at first.
Evergreen House was once the location for despicable and inhumane experiments performed upon both animals and humans by Dr Everley.
Maddie was his long suffering wife, and suffered greatly from both his deeds and the treatment shown to her by his sister, Grace, who is now in an asylum, she escaped punishment due to mental illness . Maddie gave Evergreen House to her sister, Rebecca and George her brother in law
and they have turned a place of evil into a happy, safe and welcoming home for unmarried women and their children, where they can be educated and learn employment skills, much like the ideas of Mr Charles Dickens, he also believed in these places as being beneficial to Fallen Women, and he knew the low regard that society placed upon the female sex in particular.
I liked the sense of good works in this field being undertaken, almost as a penance in this case.
There was a sense of dread and a subdued atmosphere throughout this novel, but not in the way that a true Victorian Gothic thriller should be.
I liked the Asylum scenes, Grace was a chilling , manipulative and strong willed character, deluded and devious to the end.
The house did manage to lose its malign influences in the end, but the deaths were a loss to the story. I had the sense that the book was rushed, and it fell flat in some areas, almost like all the best ideas had already been used up.
I rated it as a three star read. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Allison and Busby for my advanced copy, freely given in return for my honest review. I will leave copies to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

Lacked a little suspense. Not a traditional thriller but that appeals to many readers. Could be a unique take for those who want something new.

This is a dark gothic tale which is a companion novel to her book The Small Museum.
Although this is a stand alone novel which definitely does not detract from the storyline you become much more invested in the characters if you have read the first book.
Having started the book and finding it difficult to get into I abandoned it to read the Small Museum and from then on I was hooked
The Surgeons house is a brilliant read once you know the premise of what has gone before.

This was a gripping historical mystery set in a large victorian house, in London, in 1883.

Evergreen House is a home for unmarried women and their children. The house is run as a charity under the supervision of Rebecca and her husband George. Rebecca is determined to provide education and a happy reguge for the women.

Evergreen house was formerly the residence of Doctor Everley, his son Lucas and his daughter Grace before he was convicted for murdering babies and their mothers as part of his medical research.
Grace is now in a mental institution which saved her from the death penalty. The story is partly narrated by Grace who seeks recompense after being shut away and losing her father and brother.

The story starts with the brutal murder of the beloved cook, Rose.When two further deaths follow, it seems there is an evil presence at work. Rebecca desperately tries to investigate who is wanting to harm them and if there is a link to the Everley legacy.

I found this an easy read with some intriguing characters and a plot that kept me turning the pages. I loved the atmospheric, slightly gothic, victorian setting.

The story portrayed how incredibly hard it was for vulnerable women during this time and the harsh, uncaring way they were largely dealt with by society. The creeping sense of foreboding felt by the women as those in authority impose sanctions and threaten to take over the house is well written.

After I finished reading this I realised it was a sequel but this can easily be read as a stand alone. I am now keen to read the first book 'The Small House'

While this book is a sequel, I think anyone can read it just fine as a standalone without being confused, However I felt this book was flat compared to the first. The characters were blah and the writing could've been better. Would not recommend.

I really enjoyed "Small Museum" by Jody Cooksley but didn't realise that "The Surgeon's House" was a sequel until some of the plotlines began to sound familiar. Set 8 years on, in the same house as the previous book, things have changed a lot and the house is home to women who need a second chance in life, those who have children out of wedlock etc. Nice to catch up with old characters and to be introduced to new characters. I preferred "Small Museum" but this book has its own merits and can be read without prior knowledge of the first book.