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.).

October 1, 2015
Known for her best-selling Pyrenees-based historical trilogy and for cofounding the Orange Prize (now the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction), Mosse sets her new work in a coastal English village where folks still gather in the churchyard on St. Mark's Eve expecting to see the ghosts of those who will die in the coming year. Among them is Constantia Gifford, who can't remember why her family has fallen into low repute. But the discovery of a dead body as the bells peal midnight starts bringing back wisps of memory--and strengthens her (dangerous) resolve to unfold the past.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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.

October 1, 2015

Known for her best-selling Pyrenees-based historical trilogy and for cofounding the Orange Prize (now the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction), Mosse sets her new work in a coastal English village where folks still gather in the churchyard on St. Mark's Eve expecting to see the ghosts of those who will die in the coming year. Among them is Constantia Gifford, who can't remember why her family has fallen into low repute. But the discovery of a dead body as the bells peal midnight starts bringing back wisps of memory--and strengthens her (dangerous) resolve to unfold the past.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.