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The Deception of Harriet Fleet

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The Deception of Harriet Fleet

By: Helen Scarlett
Narrated by: Nicky Diss
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Dark and brimming with suspense, an atmospheric Victorian chiller set in brooding County Durham for fans of Stacey Halls and Laura Purcell.

1871. An age of discovery and progress. But for the Wainwright family, residents of the gloomy Teesbank Hall in County Durham, the secrets of the past continue to overshadow their lives. 

Harriet would not have taken the job of governess in such a remote place unless she wanted to hide from something or someone. Her charge is Eleanor, the daughter of the house, a fiercely bright 18-year-old, tortured by demons and feared by relations and staff alike. But it soon becomes apparent that Harriet is not there to teach Eleanor, but rather to monitor her erratic and dangerous behaviour - to spy on her. 

Worn down by Eleanor's unpredictable hostility, Harriet soon finds herself embroiled in Eleanor's obsession - the Wainwright's dark, tragic history. As family secrets are unearthed, Harriet's own begin to haunt her and she becomes convinced that ghosts from the past are determined to reveal her shameful story.

For Harriet, like Eleanor, is plagued by deception and untruths.

©2021 Helen Scarlett (P)2021 Quercus Editions Limited Gothic Historical Horror Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Scary Suspense Haunted Fiction Espionage
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This book is amazing, especially if you know and understand the north East, it’s like Downton Abbey Meets Preston Park!

What a book

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I throughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read the next one. The narrator was brilliant. Living near Yarm and Eaglescliffe made it more enjoyable as we know the area well.

Excellent

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I can understand the adverse criticism of the novel comparing it to Bronte’s Jane Eyre however, it does have its own twists. Other reviews seemed to rate the story highly and I can’t agree.

Unfortunately, I found the narrator monotonous and even though there was some attempt at accents it was lack lustre. Each paragraph seemed to have the same cadence and didn’t build tension, instead it assumed each step was creepy or about to become tense so that when there were heightened tensions it didn’t really emphasise them.
I felt that the ending ‘reader I married him’ style was hurried and far from a happy ending it seemed to lapse into a relationship that was actually quite dull.
Overall, it was a pleasant listen but not a great one.

Confused by reviews …..

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I enjoyed this book, lots of twists and turns. Great listen, performance was fantastic.

Brilliant

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A tale which borrows heavily from the Brontës and Austin yet comes no where close to their depth and class.
Many unlikely twists and turns poorly explained with very little heed to the passage of time.
Despite this I did enjoy the listen but found it equally frustrating.

Promised so much

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