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The Shadowing

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The Shadowing

By: Rhiannon Ward
Narrated by: Helen Barford
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About this listen

 When well-to-do Hester learns of her sister Mercy's death at a Nottinghamshire workhouse, she travels to Southwell to find out how her sister ended up at such a place.

Haunted by her sister's ghost, Hester sets out to uncover the truth, when the official story reported by the workhouse master proves to be untrue. Mercy was pregnant - both her and the baby are said to be dead of cholera, but the workhouse hasn't had an outbreak for years.

Hester discovers a strange trend in the workhouse of children going missing. One woman tells her about the Pale Lady, a ghostly figure that steals babies in the night. Is this lady a myth or is something more sinister afoot at the Southwell poorhouse?

As Hester investigates, she uncovers a conspiracy, one that someone is determined to keep a secret, no matter the cost...

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'A creepy, evocative mystery' Heat

'An historical novel dripping with menace' Shari Lapena

'If you like gothic mystery, buckle up! This atmospheric read has it all' Woman magazine Detective Fiction Ghosts Gothic Historical Horror Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Haunted Scary Mystery Paranormal

Critic reviews

A creepy, evocative mystery
An historical novel dripping with menace, featuring a sympathetic heroine, seances, and family secrets-there's so much to love about The Quickening!
If you like gothic mystery, buckle up! This atmospheric read has it all
Utterly brilliant... full of secrets and deliciously creepy, I raced through it
A spooky treat, which had me turning the pages faster and faster
A powerful, spine-tingling, beautifully written gothic mystery full of real, complex characters, smart, dark twists and utterly immersive historical detail
It's twisty and atmospheric, seriously creepy, and has an inspiring central character I was rooting for
All stars
Most relevant
I enjoyed this story so much that I just couldn’t stop listening. Narrator did an excellent job. Would recommend.

Enthralling

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This book was a genuinely enjoyable listen. Some have said that the pacing was a little slow on this but I think it's much better done than her other book honestly. It is a little more down to earth as well so feels a bit more realistic even with the touches of the paranormal. A little love story hidden inside it as well which usually I don't appreciate but in this case I think lended itself well to the story.

An interesting story with some genuine fragments of history added in!

genuinely enjoyable listen

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I enjoyed this audio book from start to finish. An interesting tale and well narrated. Excellent Nottinghamshire accent.

An interesting novel

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Having worked in and around Southwell years ago seen the work house, this story was a must. I really enjoyed the characters and the story line, once started, I really had to keep listening until the end.

Would highly recommend this story for anyone looking for an interesting and gripping story.

A very original story line

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