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    The Taxidermist's Daughter: A Novel
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    The Taxidermist's Daughter: A Novel
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    The Taxidermist's Daughter: A Novel
    Ebook408 pages6 hours

    The Taxidermist's Daughter: A Novel

    By Kate Mosse

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    A chilling and spooky Gothic historical thriller reminiscent of Rebecca and The Turn of the Screw, dripping with the dark twists and eerie surprises that are the hallmarks of Edgar Allan Poe, from the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Citadel.

    In a remote village near the English coast, residents gather in a misty churchyard. More than a decade into the twentieth century, superstition still holds sway: It is St. Mark’s Eve, the night when the shimmering ghosts of those fated to die in the coming year are said to materialize and amble through the church doors.

    Alone in the crowd is Constantia Gifford, the taxidermist’s daughter. Twenty-two and unmarried, she lives with her father on the fringes of town, in a decaying mansion cluttered with the remains of his once world-famous museum of taxidermy. No one speaks of why the museum was shuttered or how the Giffords fell so low. Connie herself has no recollection—a childhood accident has erased all memory of her earlier days. Even those who might have answers remain silent. The locals shun Blackthorn House, and the strange spinster who practices her father’s macabre art.

    As the last peal of the midnight bell fades to silence, a woman is found dead—a stranger Connie noticed near the church. In the coming days, snippets of long lost memories will begin to tease through Connie’s mind, offering her glimpses of her vanished years. Who is the victim, and why has her death affected Connie so deeply? Why is she watched by a mysterious figure who has suddenly appeared on the marsh nearby? Is her father trying to protect her with his silence—or someone else? The answers are tied to a dark secret that lies at the heart of Blackthorn House, hidden among the bell jars of her father’s workshop—a mystery that draws Connie closer to danger . . . closer to madness . . . closer to the startling truth.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 29, 2016
    ISBN9780062402172
    Author

    Kate Mosse

    Kate Mosse is the author of the international mega-bestsellers Labyrinth, Citadel, and Sepulchre, with sales of more than five million copies in forty-two languages. A publisher for many years, she is also cofounder and chair of the board of the prestigious Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize). She lives in Sussex, England.

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    Reviews for The Taxidermist's Daughter

    3.5/5

    144 ratings24 reviews

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    • 2/5
      The novel starts great. An excellent sense of imagery and style are established and everything seems to be heading in the right direction. After the first, approximately, sixth of the book-- everything begins to go downhill. This was not a good read and I do not recommend it to anyone. It was lacklustre, dull, and insipid.
    • 4/5
      Jackdaws, magpies, crows, and more, I love birds from the Corvidae family, and they were the perfect Gothic inspiration for Kate Mosse's gruesome historical novel, THE TAXIDERMIST'S DAUGHTER. This dark mystery centers around Connie, the daughter of a taxidermist - she, too, is one - and her quest to solve the mystery of a young woman's murder. The story hooked me right away with its Poe-esque atmosphere. Chilling! The mystery itself was puzzling, twisty, and complex. Taxidermy give me the creeps, as did this book, so really it was a fitting backdrop to the story. Nice blend of murder mystery and old fashioned Gothic.Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      1912 in a Sussex churchyard villagers gather on the night when ghosts of thoses who will not survive the coming year will be seen. Connie Gifford, the Taxidermist daughter lives with her father but struggles to remember her childhood after an accident.I've read books by Kate Mosse before and have found that they are very hit or miss for me. However with this one I found it very enjoyable.In this story that has a gothic feel to it the reader follows Connie as her memory comes back bit by bit. There is also a murder mystery with a few little twists.The book was a little predictable especially as the story all comes together, but it didn't spoil it for me. I loved the descriptions and the haunting feel I got from the book along with the small community and their superstions.A creepy, atmospheric thriller that kept my interest till the end. A great read for the dark nights to come.
    • 4/5
      Connie Gifford remembers very little of her life before her accident ten years ago, only that her father was once a noted taxidermist who ran a famous museum. Now, however, the two live an isolated existence in the marshes outside the village of Fishbourne. As spring rains cause the waters around Connie's home to rise, a body is found nearby in the marshes, with a possible connection to Connie's past...This was overall a pretty solid historical mystery. The setting was very well realized, and Mosse does an excellent job creating a creep atmosphere. There's even some great macabre scenes of the killer at work, using a grotesque form of taxidermy on the victims.The story slowly to a climax...and then rather abruptly ends. The biggest weakness here is in the complete lack of denouement at the end. We learn about the killer's motives, but many of the mysteries here are left dangling; instead there's a brief happy epilogue one year later. The build-up is there, the mystery is good, and then...it's over.A finished copy was provided through the goodreads.com first reads program.
    • 3/5
      I certainly liked the setting, the descriptions and Gothic atmosphere of this book but unfortunately a clear hint in one of the first chapters spoiled the whole plot: no surprises and no suspense left after that.I also feel that amnesia has become a popular and very easy solution to protect a plot these days.
    • 5/5
      ''The ghosts of all whom death shall doom within the coming year, in pale procession walk the gloom, amid the silence drear.''
      James Montgomery, 'The Vigil of St.Mark', 1813
      Our story starts in Sussex in 1912. It is the night before St.Mark's day, a night of spirits and shadows, when the living hide themselves to see the souls of the dead parading in the church yard.

      ''This is no place for the dead.''
      But the souls are not dead yet. They are the images of those who will die during the coming year. Or so the villagers believe, for in Kate Mosses' extraordinary tale, the living and the dead are separated by a misty thread. Who has died and who has not? Who caused the death of the girl during the Vigil of St.Mark? Who is responsible for the missing men? How bleak can lives become once the sins of the past return to ask for retribution?

      The centre of the story lies in Fishbourne, where Connie, a gifted young woman, tries to keep the work of her father alive, since he is in no position to do so. Harry, a young painter, finds his path meeting her own in an attempt to find the answer to secrets that go back in time, to a harrowing night, ten years ago.
      Who'll dig his grave? I, said the Owl, with my pick and my shovel, I'll dig his grave.''
      Death is always present. The black clouds of the gathering storms, the dangerous ground of the Marshes, the black colour of the birds frozen in time by the art of taxidermy. The words Blood, Skin, Bone are haunting the narration and its themes. It is a story about death and revenge, about the actions of the past and its consequences.

      The Taxidermist's Daughter is one of the most atmospheric books I have ever read, a gothic, historical thriller that has leapt out of a nightmare. The way Mosse unfolds her tale is fascinating, her themes are depicted in an allegorical manner, full of images of the threatening nature of the Marshlands. The landscape is the jewel of the story, followed by the two protagonists. Connie and Harry are the young minds who struggle to escape the past and forge their own future. As for the rest of the characters? Well, to say anything about them would be a huge spoiler in itself. You'll have to read the book to understand.

      The hightest compliment I can give is this: I was able to guess most of the continuation of the story -though, the end is extraordinary- but I never felt that the plot was predictable. This is how writers show how gifted they are and how much they respect their readers. Kate Mosse provides us with all the hints, the clues, the thoughts and the motives, and we take on the role of the Inspector. We are called to solve the mystery hint by hint, building the wall brick by brick.

      As I was taking baby steps towards the end, I was afraid. It is a rare thing for me to feel frightened of the conclusion of a book, but here we share a shocking reading experience. I couldn't help being deeply influenced. It is the kind of story that you will look forward to read further, the kind of book that twists in your mind during the day. An exquisite creation, one of the best books I've ever read.And that's how simple it is.
      ''Old sins have long shadows.''
    • 2/5
      A blundering mess. This is the second time I’ve been hoodwinked into reading a book by this author, but it will be the last! The book blurbs are incredibly promising, but fail to deliver, to say the very least. At times the characters take wild leaps in logic to connect two pieces that have nothing to do with one another, but then at other times it practically takes someone literally spelling out the connection for them to get it, while myself, the reader, feel like I’m being hit on the head with a brick. I went ahead and finished it, more to put another notch on my reading tally, not from any interest in the story. Also - there are some pretty gruesome and disturbing scenes. Even more than you would expect from a book centered around a taxidermist.
    • 5/5
      This is not a novel for the faint hearted: gothic and gruesome.Something that she barely remembers, a fall down some stairs over a decade ago, has robbed Connie Gifford of her memory, and left her in "delicate" health, with occasional petit mal seizures. About the same time as her accident her father lost his taxidermy business and Cassie, an older girl whom she vaguely remembers, disappeared from her life. She thinks Cassie may have died.The book opens at midnight on 24th April 1912, at the Church of St Peter & St Mary in the Fishbourne Marshes of Sussex. This is the Eve of St. Mark when the ghosts of those destined to die in the coming year will be seen walking into the church at the turning of the hour. Connie has followed her father to the church and sees him meeting some men whom he knows. They are looking for someone Is she here? and as the bell begins to toll, the door of the church is flung wide, and a cloud of small birds flies out. No-one sees the murder take place. A week later a body floats up in the marshes.Connie has learnt the art of taxidermy from her father and at times produces stuffed birds for sale. So there are descriptions of her at work, which helps the reader understand later events in the novel.Connie's father has kept a secret since the night of Connie's accident, a secret that involves the four men who have met him in the church yard. An event that has occurred in the previous week holds out the promise that their secret may remain buried forever, but only her father suspects that what they have been told is not true. And is the secret still safe with him?This novel has a very black feel about it - there is a lot of darkness, a lot of rain. Gradually we are able to piece the puzzle together.
    • 4/5
      This is one of the first of this genre I've ever read. I think Daphne Dumaurier's Rebecca would probably lead the gothic fiction list. This novel has a very creepy setting (a marshy part of England), an outsider occupation ("bird stuffer", as it was called then), a woman of incomplete memory, and a looming storm. This was a tale well-told, of a father and daughter suffering in the aftermath of a horrendous crime. The secondary characters are well-drawn and the setting is just about as forbidding, isolated, and gloomy as the reader could possibly endure.
    • 5/5
      The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse is a beautifully written mystery/thriller with a very strong Gothic atmosphere. Mosse is among the best at creating the sense of being in a scene with the characters and that is an extremely important quality for a historical novel. I saw a reviewer make a statement about the novel reading like it was from the 1850s (it was a negative in the opinion of that viewer) and I would tend to agree somewhat, though I find it to be a positive. This is not simply a Gothic-ish novel from this millennium but rather a Gothic novel written as though from the period when they were starting and were immensely popular. That, I think, is quite an achievement. Thank you to that reviewer for giving me a different insight to the novel.The story unfolded steadily after a quick start in the Prologue. The tension built more rapidly which was, I think, enhanced by the steady progression of the plot itself. Many plots move along in spurts and that works well if the desired effect is startling the reader, like in many horror stories. In this thriller tension is built by having the reader curious about something but withholding it for an extra beat (okay, this isn't music but the idea is the same).I would highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction and of Gothic literature. The mystery of the story should appeal to most readers of mysteries as well as readers of thrillers.Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.
    • 4/5
      Constantia (Connie) was twelve years old when she had a terrible accident, falling down the stairs and hitting her head on the marble tiles. She doesn't remember the accident nor anything in her life that happened before that, has just been told she almost died. Now 22 and unmarried she lives with her father, a once renowned Taxidermist in Fishbourne Marshes, in a dilapidated mansion called Blackthorn House. It is 1912, in Sussex and a young woman's body is found dead. This will set long thought buried events into motion, because what Connie saw, which caused her to fall has cast reverberations down through the years and now come to fruition.So incredibly atmospheric, the marshes, the birds, yes jackdaws, rooks, crows, magpies, which all have several meanings. Loved the character of Connie, the small glimpses into her forgotten memory that come to light. Loved the young boy, who tries to help. So many great characters which help lighten the pervasive darkness of the story. Who is the dead girl? And what do the returning memories of Connie, signify. How dangerous is her remembering? This is the second book in as many weeks I have read featuring birds. I loved the plural of hummingbirds being called a charm, but my new favorite may just be the storytelling of rooks.
    • 4/5
      So I am totally behind in reviews, so behind and unorganized I cannot even find the notes on who sent me this one for review. I know. I know, bad little reviewer. This was an intriguing story that hooked me from the opening chapter. I'm not going to lie, I was a little grossed out by the descriptions of the Taxidermy, but I personally just don't get the appeal of taxidermy. Nothing against the practice, its just something I don't get. That being said the writing was gorgeous and the characters intriguing. Its been months since I read this one, but I still remember everything about it, so that says something about the story and the writing, as well quite frankly I cannot even tell you what I had for breakfast this morning. The author has obviously done extensive research and you can really tell she was fascinated about the subject matter. The mood of the story was haunting and made me shiver. Had a wonderful gothic feel, that reminded me of some of the Victoria Holt books I read as a young adult. I felt immersed in the story and disjointed from reality when I had to get back to real life. This is a perfect one for a cold winters nightFavorite Quotes/Passages"Taxidermy is a craft. More than anything, it is about beauty. Preserving beauty, representing beauty, about finding a way to capture the essence of a bird or a an animal.""In his short life, he learned how to be knocked down and get back on his feet again. He'd also discovered that sometimes it was better to keep out of the way. Live to fight another day."
    • 4/5
      This is my first taste of what author, Kate Mosse can do with pen and paper. I have to say that I am impressed and I want to read more. Yet before I go on about the book I want to comment and say that I thought that the story would have more of a haunting, dark feel to it. Although, it did not I was not disappointed in the book overall. I found the characters engaging, the plot to move along at a good steady pace with a nice backdrop for the location and a good ending. Connie in a field of men did stand out as a strong, forward thinking woman. I like that she took up her father's profession. One that not many women would choose as one of their top three picks. While the idea of taxidermy can be grotesque after reading about the delicate care and the idea of bring something back from the dead and sculpturing it into something beautiful did intrigue me. In fact, I could actually see why people get into this profession. The story does pick up and get better the further that I read. The last half of the book is where the action really happens.
    • 3/5
      Blackthorn House was a place you didn't want to visit.Blackthorn House had the odd Gifford family living there.Blackthorn House had secrets.Connie Gifford and her father lived at Blackthorn House and were well known for their taxidermy, but no one ever came around any more for visits or taxidermy.What had happened to make them outcasts? Was it because of their business? Was it because Connie had had an accident many years ago and sort of became a recluse? Was it because her father was quite odd and always would disappear? Or was it that Gifford and a select few had a secret?There was something going on in the town that had people watching the Blackthorn House and holding secret meetings that resulted in the men of the town going missing, hiding, and worrying.As the book continues, we keep hearing about something that happened ten years ago that frightened the men in the town because of their involvement.THE TAXIDERMIST'S DAUGHTER had odd, mysterious characters and a dark undercurrent. Some parts of the book are not for the faint of heart...pretty gruesome.It took a while to get interested, but the story line was well crafted and became good after a woman's body was found and the secrets kept for ten years began to be revealed.The writing was very descriptive, and you could see the characters as they represented that time period no matter what their social class was.I can’t say it was a favorite, but it did keep me interested by keeping me wondering what the secrets were. 3.5/5This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      Set in 1912, The Taxidermist's Daughter takes place within a week in Fishbourne, Sussex. Connie Gifford follows her father to the graveyard and witnesses a strange scene involving a number of gentlemen following which her father takes to his room and drinks himself into a stupor. She doesn't know what it's all about but other strange things start to happen and men are going missing. Connie's father is a taxidermist but she also stuffs animals, despite it being quite frowned upon for a woman to do such a thing.I really liked this book. I have found some of Kate Mosse's other books a bit too long and drawn out but this one is a more reasonable length and a very intriguing storyline. I liked how it all unfolded and it kept me guessing for the most part. It's very atmospheric and I found I could easily imagine each setting. Quite a dark tale but I enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      The belief that in death, beauty could be found. The belief that through the act of preservation, a new kind of life was promised. Immortal, perfect, brilliant, in the face of the shifting and decaying world. Page 15Connie has lived alone with her father, the taxidermist for as long as she can remember. Her memory, after a childhood accident, has remained a blurry, hazy and untrustworthy source of information. Snippets and fragments will sometimes force their way to the surface, yet she cannot for certain claim them to be just a figment of her imagination or concrete evidence that she has lost more than she once thought. Unexpectedly, a body of an unknown girl washes up on the marshes behind Connie's house and suddenly the memories that have lain dormant for so long breaks through like a torrent and for the first time in her life, Connie isn't sure she's ready to face the truth. Mosse delivers a dark and creepy mystery that centres around the macabre art of taxidermy, the science of preserving life through death. What was once alive can be brought back to life through an intricate process and painstaking attention to detail. When the dead refused to remain dead and when our memories are unreliable , secrets flourish and darkness pervades. Fans of Mosse's gothic storytelling, her atmospheric conjuring, and knack for historical narratives will not be disappointed with her latest offering.
    • 4/5
      Kate Mosse writes atmospheric, haunting novels strongly imbued with place and time. The Taxidermist's Daughter is set in 1912 England, in a slightly altered Fishbourne on the Sussex coast. Gruesome murders occur and no one is above suspicion - the locals, many of whom have secrets to keep, and incomers, renting properties for the season or to hide. Much of the unease in the book comes from the local geography where marshes separate the village from the sea and where the shifting line between land and water can make travel treacherous. Taxidermy is a strong thread through the book, but I wonder if many readers today will appreciate the slightly terrifying atmosphere of a room full of stuffed animals - that musty smell, the unnatural stillness and the strange quiet as if the exhibits are absorbing all sound.The love stories work well and the Edwardian attitudes to class, privilege and madness are all appropriately rewarded.
    • 5/5
      If you like your Crime Fiction infused with more than a touch of horror,then look no further than 'The Taxidermist's Daughter'. As I never tire of saying,"there are few authors who can write a truly original story",and with this book Mosse has joined the ranks of those few.The story takes place in Fishbourne,Sussex in the year 1912 and Cassie Gifford who has been trained as a taxidermist by her father,is working on a stuffed bird in her workshop.There begins a series of disappearances in the area which later turn out to be murders of a particularly horrific kind. These killings seem to be connected to the stuffing of birds and thus to Cassie and her father.
    • 4/5
      I I I u I I Ii I I
    • 3/5
      This is the third book I've read by Kate Mosse. I thoroughly enjoyed The Winter Ghosts, and couldn't get through Labyrinth, so with the book with the interesting title I decided to give her a third chance.

      It was a good quick read, and the writing was very good, with a good fast pace and effortless flow. There were a lot of characters to remember but they were all well described and I never lost track of who was who. There were quite a few names with crow references in them (which I'm guessing was deliberate), and quite a few names beginning with C (which may also have been deliberate).

      This is a gothic novel, which I didn't know to begin with but quickly became apparent as there were quite a few elements of gothic tales scattered throughout. I was a little disappointed at how unoriginal the story turned out to be, with gatherings of crows and sudden storms and suchlike, and a main character who lost memories of certain events that gradually resurfaced throughout the book, which was used as a way of introducing a sinister backstory. The story became predictable, and I had worked out the ending about half way through, but it was interesting to see it unfold nonetheless.

      Going back to the characters in the book, I was a little bit disappointed in the main character, who through her memories sets the scene that leads up to the main events in the book. Unfortunately I found that was all she was really there for, and the story would have turned out the same had she not been present at all.

      I gave the story three stars as I enjoyed it overall, and the writing was very good, but I wish the story had been a little more original and the characters more developed.
    • 2/5
      Don't believe the blurb. The truth is that the author appears to equate wordiness with atmosphere in this book, and melodrama with plot, while the characters are as dull as the turbid waters of Fishbourne Creek. I made it to p. 65 before giving up. My time is better spent elsewhere.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful, Gothic novel. Dark, mysterious characters. I oved it. The descriptions from the old taxidermy book did make me squirm a little but definitely added to the atmosphere.
    • 3/5
      An entertaining listen on a drive to Wales, Ross and back to Sussex - particularly because I hadn't realised the Sussex connection when I bought it. Characters and scene setting are vivid, and the plot works well right through to its surprising end. I don't watch TV crime series, but I felt it had the flavour of these, neatly tying up the ends at the end (I shan't spoil...!).
    • 5/5
      I chose a great time of the year to read Kate Mosse's book The Taxidermist's Daughter. It is October so scary books are required reading! Like in the book our weather has been very rainy and windy adding to the ease of being transported into the story. Ms. Mosse does a great job of giving you just enough information to keep the pace going and the mystery unfolding. The gruesome details of taxidermy help with the creepiness also. It's always a good 4 to 5 stars for me if I give up all other interest after work so I can get back to my book.