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Hearth of Darkness

If your home had a dark past, would you want to know?

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Hearth of Darkness

By: Matt Blake
Narrated by: Matt Blake
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About this listen

 'Captivating. What begins as a modern horror story slowly reveals itself as something more ambiguous and, ultimately, heartening. Blake is a very winning narrator.’ Julie Myerson

A haunting blend of true crime, psychological thriller and paranormal investigation, Hearth of Darkness is a razor-sharp exploration of what it means to feel unsafe… in your own home.

What would you do if your radio turned on by itself in the middle of the night?
If slugs started to fall from the ceiling?
If some rooms stayed stubbornly cold, no matter how high the heating?
If you constantly felt an eerie presence following you around from room to room?
And what if, quite by chance, you then found out that a notorious murderer used to live in your home?

Journalist Matt Blake tells the powerful true story of how he discovered that his new house was once the lair of the E17 Nightstalker. It was meant to be a refuge for him and his four-year-old daughter after a painful divorce. But unravelling the chilling secrets of the past threatens to suffocate the present.

Instinctively sceptical, Matt sets out on a scientific quest to make sense of the paranormal and find peace at home. In his quest, he speaks to the Church of England’s Deliverance Ministry for advice on ‘place memories’, scientists on the theory of ‘emotional residue’, property lawyers about how they sell ‘cursed’ properties (and whether he can get his money back) and psychologists about the human brain’s ineptitude in processing the ocean of electromagnetic radiation that surrounds us – finding that the truth is much more complicated and conflicting than he’d anticipated.

For fans of investigative writing, domestic noir, and those fascinated by the horrors that lurk behind closed doors, this book speaks to our innate desire to feel safe at home.

‘Expertly crafted and blisteringly honest … I was drawn in from the very first sentence.’ Manni Coe, author of brother.do.you.love.me Professionals & Academics Social Scientists & Psychologists True Crime Heartfelt Scary Fiction Paranormal
All stars
Most relevant
Excellent listen. Matt’s writing is engaging and kept me coming back for more until the end of the book. It was a personal story of his but interspersed were familiar names and stories that any true crime reader in the UK would know. Having been in and around that area of London a few years ago there was a familiarity to it that kept me interested and also the personal experience of Matt that kept it fresh. A great listen

True crime with a personal touch

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I did enjoy this book. However, it was often more like a documentary a lot of the time. Definitely worth a listen though.

Interesting listen.

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Really enjoyed listening to this book. Matt made it interesting, funny and very clear and easy to listen to.

Interesting

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A tedious selection of half baked thoughts and side tales. None of which amounts to anything worth listening to and the narrator sounded as bored as I was.

A story about nothing

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