FICTION

The Taxidermist's Daughter

by Kate Mosse
Morrow. Apr. 2016. 432p. ISBN 9780062402158. $26.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062402172. F
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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.]
Reviewed by Erin Entrada Kelly, Philadelphia , Mar 01, 2016
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