The Fossil Hunter

Written by Tea Cooper

Narrated by Sophie Loughran

Buried secrets. An ancient fossil. And one woman's determination to unravel a nineteenth-century mystery.

Australia, 1847. The last thing Mellie Vale remembers before the fever takes her is sprinting through the bush with a monster at her heels—but no one believes her. In a bid to curb Mellie's overactive imagination, her benefactors send her to visit a family friend, Anthea Winstanley. Anthea is an amateur paleontologist who is convinced she will one day find proof that great sea dragons swam in the vast inland sea that covered her property millions of years ago. Mellie is instantly swept up in the dream.

Australia, 1919. Penelope Jane "PJ" Martindale arrives home from the battlefields of World War I intent on making peace with her father and commemorating the deaths of her two younger brothers in the trenches. Her reception is disappointing. Desperate for a distraction, she finds a connection between a fossil at London's Natural History Museum and her brothers' favorite camping spot. But the gorge has a sinister reputation: seventy years ago, several girls disappeared from the area. When PJ uncovers some unexpected remains, she's determined to find answers about what happened all those years ago ... and perhaps some closure on the loss of her brothers.

Weaving together these two timelines, The Fossil Keeper offers everything you love: history, mystery, suspense, romance, and startling discoveries that will keep the pages turning.

Praise for The Fossil Hunter:

"This elegant dual narrative historical from Cooper follows a young woman as she pieces together the fate of a 19th-century paleontologist ... Cooper's confident prose and deep empathy for her characters will keep readers hooked as she unspools her intrigue-filled mystery. Historical fans will want to dig this one up." — Publishers Weekly

• Tea Cooper is a USA TODAY?bestselling and Daphne du Maurier award-winning author
• Full-length historical mystery
• Stand-alone novel

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harper Muse
• Release date: Aug 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781400237982

Tea Cooper

Tea Cooper is an award-winning Australian author of historical fiction. In a past life she was a teacher, a journalist and a farmer. These days she haunts museums and indulges her passion for storytelling. Her internationally bestselling novels, include most recently The Naturalist's Daughter; the USA Today-bestselling The Woman in the Green Dress; The Girl in the Painting; The Cartographer's Secret, winner of the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award; The Fossil Hunter and The Butterfly Collector. To find out more, visit Tea on her website.You can also follow Tea on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Reviews for The Fossil Hunter

[claudia.castenir · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tea Cooper is one of the few current day foreign authors whose work I follow. She is an established Australian author of clean, historical fiction. I have truly enjoyed each of her books that I have read, and I was happy to receive a complimentary copy of The Fossil Hunter from Harper Muse via NetGalley without obligation. It is a pleasure to share my opinions with other fans of historical fiction.While I am not a fan of Darwin, The Fossil Hunter did not delve deeply enough into his work to tarnish my enjoyment of the book. The unanswered questions about the fossils found as well as those possibly still hidden in Bow Wow Gorge were compelling, but even more so were the questions regarding the fate of the fictional Anthea Winstanley and her adopted daughter Mellie Vale. The role of Providence in the story was also something to mull over. Tea Cooper's writing style is relaxed, yet builds the tension required for full engagement with a story. As an American, I love the glimpses into Australian culture and vocabulary. Cooper has done a wonderful job balancing and connecting the two timelines separated by about seventy years. I highly recommend The Fossil Hunter.