A botanical illustration of a butterfly. A missing baby. And a twisted
mystery fifty years in the making.
1868, Morpeth. Theodora Breckenridge, still in mourning after the loss
of her parents and brother at sea, is more interested in working quietly
on her art at the family's country estate than she is finding a husband
in Sydney society, even if her elder sister Florence has other ideas.
Theodora seeks to emulate prestigious nature illustrators, the Scott
sisters, who lived nearby. She cannot believe her luck when she
discovers a butterfly never before seen in Australia. With the help of
her maid Clarrie and her beautiful drawings, Theodora is poised to make
a scientific discovery that will put her name on the map. Then Clarrie's
newborn son goes missing and everything changes.
1922, Sydney. When would-be journalist Verity Binks is sent an
anonymous parcel containing a spectacular butterfly costume along with
an invitation to the Sydney Artists Masquerade Ball the same day she
loses her job at The Arrow, she is both baffled and determined to
attend. Her late grandfather, Sid, an esteemed newspaperman, would
expect no less of her. At the ball she lands a juicy commission to write
the history of the Treadwell Foundation, an institution that supports
disgraced young women and their babies. As she begins to dig, her
research quickly leads her to an increasingly dark and complex
mystery--a mystery fifty years in the making. Can she solve it? And will
anyone believe her if she does?
The Butterfly Collector is USA TODAY bestselling author Tea Cooper
at her best.
- Historical mystery set in Australia in the late 1800s and early 1900s
- Stand-alone novel featuring two strong female leads
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
- Also by Tea Cooper: The Fossil Hunter, The Cartographer's Secret,
and The Woman in the Green Dress
