The Taxidermist's Daughter

January 25, 2016
Macabre atmosphere and an appealing heroine can’t save this gothic historical thriller by bestseller Mosse (The Winter Ghosts) from sinking under the weight of its muddled, fantastic plot. Set in 1912 during several sodden spring days in rural West Sussex, the story centers on 22-year-old Constantia “Connie” Gifford—the titular character (and a deft taxidermist in her own right)—who, despite lingering seizures from the fall that almost killed her a decade earlier, is about the only thing keeping her alcoholic widowed father, a once-renowned avian taxidermist, and their isolated household afloat. But then the discovery of a murdered woman near their property, Blackthorn House, and a series of other disturbing events start to trigger Connie’s long-repressed memories of the night she fell, threatening the Giffords’ very lives. As Connie and new friend Harry Woolston, a handsome aspiring painter hunting for his missing father, join forces to investigate, some sparks do fly—as well as far too plentiful feathers (and guts) for some readers to stomach. Agent: Araminta Whitley, LAW Literary Agents (U.K.).

March 1, 2016

Mosse's latest novel (after Citadel) opens with a churchyard murder in April 1912, then leads us to a taxidermist's workshop, where Connie Gifford--the titular taxidermist's daughter--is cradling a dead bird. Connie, a spinster who lives with her father in a remote village on the English coast, can't remember her early childhood and is beleaguered by flashes of troubling memories. She and her father are both outcasts, so she lives a life of near solitude. When the body of the murdered woman washes ashore on her father's estate, however, the secrets and mysteries come charging forth, threatening to drive Connie to madness. VERDICT Mosse creates a rich atmosphere of foreboding, from start to finish. Her use of imagery is masterly, and her prose is lyrical and poetic. The novel requires some degree of patience, however, as there are many secrets withheld from the reader to unravel. Despite this flaw, it is certain to please devotees of gothic fiction, atmospheric suspense, and historical thrillers. [See Prepub Alert, 9/14/15.]--Erin Entrada Kelly, Philadelphia

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2016
A gothic novel from the award-winning and best-selling author of Labyrinth (2006). The story opens in an English coastal village on a dark and stormy night in 1912. Constantia Gifford has taken over the family taxidermy business and has become obsessed with birds. She suffers from some amnesia from a fall 10 years ago, but her memories have started to come back in nasty little snatches. Something else happened a decade ago involving four fine gentlemen, something that appears to have left everyone a bit edgy. It becomes fairly obvious what that something was early on, and the book sometimes lapses into melodrama, especially at the conclusion, also occurring on a dark and stormy night. Still, if fans of gothic fiction can stomach the taxidermy details, they will enjoy this book. The pacing is perfect, the prose is perfect for the theme, and the author creates lovely verbal landscape paintings. Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca comes first to mind when seeking a comparison to the overall mood of eeriness and damp that Mosse creates so vividly.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)