The Doll Factory is the perfect blend of subtle suspense, creepy obsession, and well-developed characters. I was so captivated by all the layers in this story, and all of them centering on a girl named Iris, who’s just fighting to be free to live the life she wants.

Silas Reed, a taxidermist, creates collectors’ objects for the artists and upper classes of London. Albie, an almost toothless street urchin, provides Silas with many of the corpses he uses in his trade. Albie’s sister is a prostitute; the two live together in Madam’s house. Rose and Iris, twins, work in Mrs. Salter’s doll shop. Rose has been disfigured by smallpox; she creates the clothing for Mrs. Salter’s dolls. Iris’ has a misshapen clavicle because of an accident during her birth; she paints the dolls but secretly longs to break away and paint more seriously. Louis, an artist, hires Iris to pose for a painting he is created to enter an annual and prestigious exhibit. Silas’s obsession with Iris and his determination to win her friendship and, possibly, a romantic relationship with her propel the action and the main storyline.

Elizabeth Macneal keeps chapters short, thus creating tension and a rhythm that propels the reader forward. Iris is a compelling character; her determination and her character are engaging. Silas is a horrific and loathsome character. Louis never quite steps up for his beliefs or others. However, the most sympathetic character in this novel is Albie. His work ethic is admirable; his sense of right and wrong drives his actions, and he places the welfare of others above his own.

Language and situations are appropriate for the period of history and the characters’ social status. There is some mild profanity that is not gratuitous and that is realistic as used. Several scenes of intimacy leave no doubt as to the action, but none are so graphic as to become soft pornography. These scenes, too, are appropriate within the context and development of the novel.

“The Doll Factory” is an excellent novel and is one that you may not stop reading once you begin. I know it kept me reading from its first page to its last.