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The Taxidermist's Daughter
On sale
25th September 2014
Price: £25
Specsavers National Book Awards, 2014
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Selected:
Audiobook Downloadable / ISBN-13: 9781409153856
Sussex, 1912. In a churchyard, villagers gather on the night when the ghosts of those who will die in the coming year are thought to be seen. Here, where the estuary leads out to the sea, superstitions still hold sway.
Standing alone is the taxidermist’s daughter. At 17, Constantia Gifford lives with her father in a decaying house: it is all that is left of Gifford’s once world-famous museum of taxidermy. The stuffed animals that used to grace every parlour are out of fashion, leaving Gifford a disgraced and bitter man.
The bell begins to toll and all eyes are fixed on the church. No one sees the gloved hand pick up a flint. As the last notes fade into the dark, a woman lies dead.
While the village braces itself against rising waters and the highest tide of the season, Connie struggles to discover who is responsible, but finds herself under suspicion. Is Constantia who she seems – is she the victim of circumstances or are more sinister forces at work? And what is the secret that lies at the heart of Gifford House, hidden among the bell jars of her father’s workshop?
Told over one summer, THE TAXIDERMIST’S DAUGHTER is the haunting new novel from the bestselling author of LABYRINTH, SEPULCHRE, CITADEL and THE WINTER GHOSTS.
Read by Clare Corbett
(p) 2014 Orion Publishing Group
Standing alone is the taxidermist’s daughter. At 17, Constantia Gifford lives with her father in a decaying house: it is all that is left of Gifford’s once world-famous museum of taxidermy. The stuffed animals that used to grace every parlour are out of fashion, leaving Gifford a disgraced and bitter man.
The bell begins to toll and all eyes are fixed on the church. No one sees the gloved hand pick up a flint. As the last notes fade into the dark, a woman lies dead.
While the village braces itself against rising waters and the highest tide of the season, Connie struggles to discover who is responsible, but finds herself under suspicion. Is Constantia who she seems – is she the victim of circumstances or are more sinister forces at work? And what is the secret that lies at the heart of Gifford House, hidden among the bell jars of her father’s workshop?
Told over one summer, THE TAXIDERMIST’S DAUGHTER is the haunting new novel from the bestselling author of LABYRINTH, SEPULCHRE, CITADEL and THE WINTER GHOSTS.
Read by Clare Corbett
(p) 2014 Orion Publishing Group
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Reviews
Mosse's rich prose will drag the reader from any sunny poolside to water logged West Sussex and - tellingly - they won't even mind
THE TAXIDERMIST'S DAUGHTER is amazing - atmospheric, gripping . . . I can't put it down
a heady sense of atmosphere throughout
From the first page, The Taxidermist's Daughter will have you looking over your shoulder, as Mosse draws you into her gothic, chilling world
this cleverly constructed and wonderfully atmospheric mystery won't disappoint
I loved the atmosphere: the time, the place, the weather, the cold. An unholy collision of Daphne du Maurier and Agatha Christie
Kate Mosse's deliciously hokey new spinetingler ... anybody seeking a good, gothic spooker to snuggle into as the nights draw in need look no further ... The Taxidermist's Daughter is her best yet
This is magnificent. A gothic tale of murder, superstition and mystery that will really keep you glued to your seat ... The build is superbly done. The author is excellent on drawing out the tension, a real page-turner and a thrilling read
a serpentine yarn about blackmail, murder and dark secrets, told with brio
A superb, atmospheric thriller, its Gothic overtones commanding attention from the very first page, and the feathery motifs of the birds - crows, jackdaws, magpies - who fly through its pages growing more menacing with every turn
It is a cleverly constructed thriller, keeping its secrets for a good two thirds of the book. Mosse excels at building up clammy, dank suspense while keeping her readers in the dark ... A seriously satisfying read
The Taxidermist's Daughter is a jeu d'esprit in which ghosts and ghoulish patriarchal secrets, estranged female psyches and tumultuous bird-life coexist in a compulsively readable yarn with elements of folklore and beast fable ... Mosse's prose is often exceptionally lyrical in its description of the natural world
[Mosse] excels at horror, using language and imagery to create a truly original page-turner and is at her best when creating character
Glossy as a crow's wing. Sure as a surgeon's scalpel. I bloody loved it.
MILL ON THE FLOSS meets PSYCHO
[A] classic tale of marshland murder and madness ... The strength of this book likes as much in the startling imagery and atmospheric description as it does in the story ... A deliciously dark novel that races towards its grotesque conclusion
Mosse throws one bravura scene after another. This is a book full of heart and superb twists, with an unforgettable heroine and a mystery that will have you thinking long after you've turned the last page
A new novel from Kate Mosse is always a treat. Set in a Sussex village where a grisly murder has taken place, The Taxidermist's Daughter is part ghost story, part psychological thriller and will send shivers down your spine.
Murder, haunting, superstition and fear stalk the pages of this superior gothic thriller set in the Sussex salt marshes. An unputdownable read.
This haunting and atmospheric Gothic novel sweeps you along to its dramatic conclusion
Fans of Mosse will not be disappointed - her ability to draw you in and keep you hooked until the very end makes this novel an addictive read, and the themes of strong women living in a man's world as well as pre-forensics murder investigations are fascinating. Read, but be warned - you may be seriously spooked...
Mosse grew up on the edge of Fishbourne's muddy estuary, and she writes beautifully about its flora and fauna and flowing tides. Against this lyrical background her complex plot moves at rocket speed. Unputdownable, romantic, this is sure to be a bestseller.
Mosse weaves some difficult themes into the narrative, such as the effects of sexual violence, murder and grief, and her descriptions of the marshlands of Fishbourne - where she herself grew up - are outstanding. Her writing in these passages comes alive and, in turn, breathes life into the setting. The dangers of the marshland - the wind has "teeth", and the water "pulses" - cleverly echo and magnify the suspenseful and precarious nature of its inhabitants' lives.
This latest tale from the bestselling author of Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel (a mere 5 million in sales) is set in Sussex in 1912 and filled with grizzly murders, stuffed birds and suspicious villagers. It's a compulsive read reminiscent of Daphne Du Maurier.
[A] creepy chiller of a novel
This eerie thriller centres around Connie, who lives in a house containing all that's left of the once world-famous museum of taxidermy.
This novel drips with Edgar Allen Poe-style gothic touches
Cassie is a character you warm to very quickly and others are so brimming with personality they leap off the page
Nestled in among the feathers and flesh is a dark and mysterious tale, but one that is also touching and passionate. Mosse strikes a fine balance between character and concept, creating a thriller so unique that her talent is indisputable
Fans of Mosse will love this haunting tale of murder and suspicion
Kate Moss may have been hitting the front pages as one of the stars of London Fashion Week, but it's the author Kate Mosse who's making headlines in the books world this week
Difficult to put down . . . thrilling, mysterious
bridged the literary-commercial divide
A beautifully told story of revenge, justice and secrets. If you haven't read any Kate Mosse then this is a gem to start with ... Cast with a Victorian darkness, filled with taxidermy, cemeteries and shifty types it is everything you could possibly want from this genre
A spine-tingling tale
This spooky and enthralling gothic thriller focuses on a village murder mystery. When 17 year old Constantia, who lives in her fathers decaying house (once a world famous taxidermy museum), turns detective, she soon realises she's the one under suspicion.
Laden with life, death and destruction, this novel oozes with a character that shows Mosse's passion for the place where she grew up
Mosse is an engaging storyteller, deftly dealing with the intricacies of her involving, gruesome plot
A cleverly constructed thriller . . . Mosse excels at building up clammy, dank suspense while keeping her readers in the dark. A seriously satisfying read