Kate Mosse
HarperCollins
Historical Suspense
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.
Big fan of Kate Mosse here! I loved her books LABYRINTH, SEPULCHRE and CITADEL. So I was chomping at the bit to read her latest release, THE TAXIDERMIST'S DAUGHTER, which I received as a birthday gift from the owner of Shelf Media Group, Margaret Brown.
The book did not disappoint. Deliciously creepy and macbre, it has all the elements of a gothic thriller: a remote seaside village, a large ominous house, an approaching storm, mysterious disappearances, a hint of romance, bizarre deaths. Mosse is a master at detail and drawing out the suspense. And while the story was a tad predictable at times, I never got bored or failed to feel that need to turn the page to see what happens next.
A thrilling and addictive read that lives up to Mosse's reputation.
Ooohhh; it's on my list of must reads!
ReplyDeleteHave you read her other books? They're all great.
Delete