St. Mark's Eve. I have to confess that I was unfamiliar with this eerie date and had to do some research. It was a custom of many English villages from the 17th through the 19th centuries to sit in complete silence in a church from 11pm until 1am. The belief was that, on this night, the ghosts of those who were about to depart in the year to come would appear to all who had gathered inside the church. Needless to say, this bit of English folklore is quite creepy and unsettling.

It is the St. Mark's Eve tradition that plays a major role in Kate Mosse’s latest historical/supernatural thriller. Mosse always excels at literary novels that focus on ancient history or folklore, but never has she gone to the dark side like she does in THE TAXIDERMIST'S DAUGHTER. The essence of St. Mark's Eve is apparent here --- not overtly, but conceptually. Death, memory and loss are all at play, and the result is a very moody, atmospheric read.

"THE TAXIDERMIST'S DAUGHTER is not for those who are easily unnerved as this story gets under your skin, while Mosse manipulates the narrative like a skilled taxidermist wielding her precision blade."

The setting is the small fishing village of Fishbourne (Sussex UK) in the year 1912. The village locals tend to shun and veer from the broken-down mansion known as Blackthorn House. The inhabitants are Mr. Gifford, who has made his living as a taxidermist, and his 22-year-old daughter, Constantina. In this time, Connie was considered a spinster as she was unwed and unattached to any man. As she dabbles in her father's odd profession, she spends much of her time looking back. She has many unanswered questions regarding events in her life, and her despondent and weary father is not much help.

Connie keeps reverting back to the night of “the accident” and her life as two separate parts before and after. She suffered a head blow at the age of 12 and still bears the scars from it. She lost most memory of this event, but has always had a creeping feeling that it involved someone named Cassie. Connie recognizes that her father could have the answers, but may never get him to divulge this information.

Scattered throughout the book are passages from a box on taxidermy, along with writings from a journal. The author of the journal is not initially known --- all that can be surmised is that the writer is seeking justice of some sort. Strange things start happening in the town. Some of the villagers appear to have gone missing, while the body of a murdered young woman is discovered in a river bank. 

As Connie begins her own personal investigation into the events in the village, as well as the identity of the woman named Cassie, she comes to a startling revelation. At the center of it all is a mysterious group known as the Corvidae Club, whose four members are represented as birds --- Jackdaw, Magpie, Rook and Crow. The Crow particularly stands out for Connie, who needs to identify the person symbolized by this bird. She shudders as she realizes that a group of crows are referred to as a “murder of crows.”

As Connie's memory of her vanished period begins flooding back, the story moves towards an eventual showdown. With a brutal storm wailing outside and hammering the village, a final confrontation is at hand.

Kate Mosse pulls no punches and keeps things mysterious, dark and brooding throughout. THE TAXIDERMIST'S DAUGHTER is not for those who are easily unnerved as this story gets under your skin, while Mosse manipulates the narrative like a skilled taxidermist wielding her precision blade.