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Wild Dark Shore

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Wild Dark Shore

By: Charlotte McConaghy
Narrated by: Cooper Mortlock, Katherine Littrell, Saskia Maarleveld, Steve West
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About this listen

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A storm gathering force.

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny weather-lashed island that is home to the world's largest seed bank. As Shearwater risks being lost to rising sea levels, the island's researchers have fled, and only the Salts remain.

Until, during the worst storm in living memory, a stranger washes ashore. The family nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, but it seems she isn't telling the whole truth about why she's there. And when Rowan stumbles upon sabotaged radios and a recently dug grave, she realizes that she's not the only one on the island with a secret.

A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love.

©2025 Charlotte McConaghy (P)2025 Canongate Books Ltd Psychological Thriller & Suspense Exciting Heartfelt Scary Tear-jerking

Critic reviews

'Breathtaking' HANNAH KENT

'Spellbinding' Washington Post

'A wildly talented writer' EMILY ST JOHN MANDEL
All stars
Most relevant
This book is just breathtaking.

The narration is superb.

The story is delightfully unpredictable, the descriptions of the wildlife and landscape are breathtaking. The writing is subtle yet so thoughtful, the penguins, the whales, the seed stores, the Salt Family, the ocean and the waves, the seals, everything all so well written.

A masterpiece.

Utterly superb - what a brilliant book!

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At first I wasn’t sure. It’s not my usual book, but I’ve seen a lot of recommendations for it. So I gave it a go, and so glad I did. The story was beautiful. With the different voices reading the story I could really imagine them, and the things they were explaining.
I cried a few times!

First book of 2026

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The actor reading for Dom is too melodramatic and breathy. He’s channelling Karl Urban (who I know is Kiwi!!) to laughable affect, sounding like ‘hard Aussie guy’ caricature.

I like the story, the intrigue & tension but this guys voice takes me out of it and my eyes hurts from rolling so much. I’m going to stop the audio and read the book instead. The other actors are good, what a pity.

Male narrator ruined it for me

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This story is ok but the narration is truly awful, its all so breathy and the most ordinary line sounds like its from some steamy romantic novel, it made me laugh and annoyed me in equal measures throughout the whole book. made myself finish it but I wouldn't waste the credit, the character relationships were so unrealistic and unbelievable.

let down but narration

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This book covers so many topics, grief, parenthood, mystery and climate change. Beautifully written and no surprise that it is on so many books club lists.

Slow burn but so well written

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