The premise of Healey's debut novel hooked me in right away with part of the mammal collection of the Natural History Museum of London moving to a countryside manor to escape the Blitz. I am definitely a sucker for crumbling manor's and their mysteries, too which this one has an element of - alongside a romance between the museum curator and the somewhat disturbed daughter of the manor. The plot unfolds a bit slowly, but the writing is otherwise engaging and well-detailed. The characters definitely come to life and there are unexpected solutions to the core mysteries of the manor (readers may have some inkling in parts, but there are some real surprises, too!). I imagine that an audio version would be equally enjoyable, too. I definitely liked this one! It's a strong, well-researched debut novel that leaves me curious to see what Healey will write next!