The Fossil Hunter
This dual-period novel follows independent-minded Penelope Jane “PJ” Martindale, an ambulance driver who, upon the Armistice, heads to London in 1919. Her brothers were lost in the war, and relations with her doctor father, who blames her for his sons’ enlistment, are strained. But her American fiancé, Sam, has survived, and when PJ takes an impulsive trip to the Natural History Museum and becomes intrigued by an ichthyosaur fossil she sees there, she convinces Sam to accompany her to the location where it was found – Bow Wow Gorge, in New South Wales, Australia. Her brothers camped in this Gorge, and she soon learns that in the 1840s, a group of women went fossil-hunting there and supposedly never returned. Despite Sam’s misgivings, PJ is compelled to discover what happened to them.
Meanwhile, in the 1840s, pre-teen Mellie Vale recovers from a terrible fever to discover she’s an orphan – her father has been executed for murder while she was ill. When the daughters of the family who takes Mellie in head out for their annual trip to spend time with Anthea Winstanley, a fossil hunter and paleontologist, Mellie accompanies them. Mellie and “Aunt” Anthea quickly bond, and both live for fossil hunting trips into the Bow Wow Gorge, which Anthea hopes will result in the discovery of bones from prehistoric “sea dragons” – ichthyosaurs.
While male characters are broad-stroked, female characterization is strong, resulting in emotional investment – cringing at the “mean girl” slights to which Mellie is subjected, sharing her excitement at fossil-hunting and pitying her desperation for the comfort of mother-figure Anthea. Sense of place for the New South Wales setting is robust. Cooper is an accomplished storyteller, employing the dual-timeline device to foster tension and suspense about the fate of Anthea and the girls. The result is an absorbing tale with a strong mystery element and feminist bent, with special appeal for those interested in the history of dinosaur hunters.
