The doll factory - Elizabeth Macneal

The Burial Plot, Elizabeth Macneal's latest cat-and-mouse thriller, is available to pre-order now!

Now a major TV series with Paramount+, Sunday Times bestselling The Doll Factory is a gothic suspense story of art, obsession and delusion, set in Victorian London.

'Astounding . . . I recommend it wholeheartedly' - Jo Whiley, BBC Radio 2 Book Club

London. 1850. On a crowded street, the dollmaker Iris Whittle meets the artist Louis Frost. Louis is a painter who is desperate for Iris to be his model. Iris agrees, on the condition that he teaches her to paint.

Dreaming of freedom, Iris throws herself into a new life of art and love, unaware that she has caught the eye of a second man. Silas Reed is a curiosity collector, enchanted by the strange and beautiful. After seeing Iris at the site of the Great Exhibition he finds he cannot forget her.

As Iris's world expands, Silas's obsession grows. And it is only a matter of time before they meet again . . .

'A sharp, scary tale of love, art and obsession' - Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick
BBC Radio 4 Book At Bedtime

Five Star Reader Reviews:

'Breathtaking'
'I couldn't put it down'
'Spellbinding'
'I never wanted it to end'
'A plot to stop your heart'

Elizabeth Macneal is the author of two Sunday Times-bestselling novels: The Doll Factory, which won the 2018 Caledonia Novel Award and has been adapted into a major TV series on Paramount+, and Circus of Wonders. Her work has been translated into twenty-nine languages. Born in Scotland, Elizabeth is also a potter and lives in Twickenham with her family. She can be found on instagram @elizabethmacneal

A remarkable example of historical fiction . . . full of life, colour and intelligence
Sunday Times

Stunningly confident . . . thoroughly engrossing
Ian Rankin

A must read . . . Elizabeth Macneal's compelling debut is a darkly brilliant tale of Gothic suspense
Daily Mail

Fantastic - vivid, poignant, colourful, and elegantly horrifying
Bridget Collins, author of The Binding

Macneal is excellent on the tension between idealised women and the reality . . . The Doll Factory is a remarkably strong debut; clever and readable with flashes of wonderful, descriptive prose
The Times - Book of the Month

Astounding . . . I recommend it wholeheartedly
Jo Whiley, BBC Radio 2 Book Club

This is a dark delight and fans of The Miniaturist and The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock will love it
Red Magazine

A deliciously gothic concoction that abounds with energy and imagination, conjuring up 1850s London life in all its Dickensian glory. Macneal marries art, obsession and possession in a plot that gains momentum and leaves the reader breathless
Daily Mail

I loved The Doll Factory from the very first page . . . an exquisite novel of obsession, delusion, resilience and love . . . breathtaking
AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs Bird

Astonishingly good . . . with and a plot that rattles like a speeding carriage to its thrilling conclusion. I couldn't put it down. You won't be able to either
Elizabeth Day, author of The Party

Magnificent . . . features an extraordinary, unforgettable cast of characters . . . you can't help but be entranced by this uniquely evocative and arresting story . . . the tension ramps up to a breathtaking climax . . . if you love books like The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, Tulip Fever and Perfume then add The Doll Factory to your reading list
Daily Express

Vividly rendered . . . captivating . . . engrossing
Evening Standard

This brilliant literary thriller gripped me from the opening page . . . a beautifully researched historical novel with a plot to stop your heart
Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites and The Good People

Brilliant . . . refreshingly original . . . beautifully orchestrated . . . fascinating
Andrew Taylor, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The American Boy

The summer's hottest author . . . at once a love story and a thriller . . . Iris is a fierce creation. She chafes against the Victorian constraints on her freedom, carves out her own space in the male art world
Sunday Times

Stunning . . . with an unbearably tense and chilling denouement that had me totally gripped
Sophie Mackintosh, Man Booker Prize longlisted author of The Water Cure

Elegantly plotted . . . compelling and chilling
The i

Exquisitely executed, well-researched and richly evocative . . . a fast-paced, inventive ride through the dirt and squalor of Victorian London
Mail on Sunday

Exquisite . . . authentic and suspenseful
Woman & Home

Pretty much everything you could want from a book set in Victorian London . . . terrific storytelling . . . Ever since the success of The Essex Serpent, there's been no shortage of good modern gothic novels. The Doll Factory might just be the best yet
Reader's Digest - James Walton