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THE TAXIDERMIST'S DAUGHTER
by Kate Mosse
William Morrow, April 2016
416 pages
$26.99
ISBN: 0062402153


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

In rural Sussex, 22-year-old Constantia Gifford plies her father's trade, taxidermy. It's 1912, and she and her father live alone in a decaying mansion, Blackthorn House, with only a maid for occasional company. Her father, ailing and alcoholic, has been spiraling downward for years, having had to close his famous museum of taxidermy and finding little work since, as taxidermy falls out of fashion.

Constantia, or Connie, has her own tribulations. Since an accident at the age of 12, Connie has had no memory of her childhood—or of the accident that claimed her memories. But those memories begin to slowly surface after she finds a woman's body outside Blackthorn House, her neck sliced with a taxidermist's wire. Connie begins to have flashbacks to another mysterious death that occurred at the time of her memory loss.

At the same time, Connie's father disappears. Another man, a doctor, has also gone missing; his son, Harry Woolston, partners with Connie as they look for their respective fathers. The dual disappearances are no coincidence; it soon becomes obvious that certain men are being targeted.

If you are expecting a traditional mystery, you may be disappointed in THE TAXIDERMIST'S DAUGHTER, which is more of a gothic thriller, steeped in spookiness, village superstitions, and long-held secrets. The ending probably won't come as a surprise, as the "twist" is signalled far in advance. However, if you relish gothic, regardless of the mystery aspect, you will probably enjoy this chilling, atmospheric book.

§ Lourdes Venard is an independent editor who divides her time between New York and Maui.

Reviewed by Lourdes Venard, April 2016

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