In 1887 London, journalist Emily Gibson investigates the chilling past of a woman claiming to be Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney Todd's infamous accomplice, through a series of letters revealing a harrowing life in Victorian London, drawing her into a dangerous mystery.
"London, England, 1887: At the abandoned apartment of a missing young woman, a dossier of evidence is collected, ordered chronologically, and sent to the Chief Inspector of the London Police for review. It contains a curious correspondence between an inquisitive journalist, Miss Emily Gibson, and the woman Gibson thinks may be the infamous Mrs. Lovett-Sweeney Todd's accomplice, who baked men into pies and sold them in her pie shop on Fleet Street. A "wicked woman"-the talk of London Town. Rumors have swirled about Mrs. Lovett since the disappearance of hundreds of unwitting men decades prior-but is it actually Lovett, even if the suspected woman swears against it? As the woman relays the harrowing account of her life-from her upbringing on Butcher's Row,in the unruly and perilous streets of Victorian London, to her daring escape from a mad doctor-the correspondence unlocks an intricate mystery that brings Miss Gibson closer to the truth, even as that truth may cost her dearly. The Butcher's Daughter is a breathtaking epistolary journey, an inventive horror novel that sets the stage for the terrors of the modern era-and, at long last, unravels the true story behind Mrs. Lovett and her unspeakable crimes"--
The story of the vengeful barber Sweeney Todd has gripped fans across literary, stage, and screen renditionsbut little has been told of Mrs. Lovett, Todds partner in crime. Until now.
Enclosed herewith: a bloodcurdling correspondence of horror and intrigue, based on the original Victorian penny dreadful that started it all.
Your fingers may bleed with paper cuts as you tear through The Butcher's Daughter . . . I am spellbound."Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
London, 1887: At the abandoned apartment of a missing young woman, a dossier of evidence is collected, ordered chronologically, and sent to the Chief Inspector of the London Metropolitan Police. It contains a frightening correspondence between an inquisitive journalist, Miss Emily Gibson, and the woman Gibson thinks may be the infamous Mrs. LovettSweeney Todds accomplice, a wicked woman who baked men into pies and sold them in her pie shop on Fleet Street. The talk of London Towneven decades after her horrendous misdeeds.
As the woman relays the harrowing account of her life in the unruly and perilous streets of Victorian London, her missives unlock an intricate mystery that brings Miss Gibson closer to the truth, even as that truth may cost her everything. A hair-raising and breathtaking novel for fans of Sarah Waters and Gregory Maguire, The Butchers Daughter is an irresistible literary thriller that draws richly from historical sources and shines new light on the woman behind the counter of the most disreputable pie shop ever known.
