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Palace of Shadows
- Author
- Ray Celestin
- Narrator
- Daniel Weyman, Mark Meadows
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date
- 12 October 2023
- Run Time
- 10 hours 17 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Historical fiction, Historical crime and mysteries, Crime and mystery: private investigator / amateur detectives, Horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: sense of place, Narrative theme: journeys and voyages, Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction
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What to expect
'Chillingly gothic' — The Guardian, Best Crime and Thrillers of the Year
Inspired by the haunting true story of the Winchester Mystery House, Ray Celestin's Palace of Shadows is an outstanding historical thriller set against the awe-inspiring terror of the Yorkshire Moors. From the prize-winning author of the City Blues Quartet.
1899. The desolate Smugglers’ Coast of North Yorkshire is a place that strikes fear into those who live nearby. Unexplained deaths, suicides, young girls gone missing on the nearby moors — the locals say it’s the grand house that drives people mad.
Still, when Samuel Etherstone is contacted by its reclusive owner, Mrs Chesterfield, and commissioned to work on the property, he accepts the offer. For a penniless artist adrift in London, the opportunity is too tempting to ignore.
It is only on arrival at the Chesterfield house that he learns the sinister details of its architect’s disappearance. And yet the widowed Mrs Chesterfield, keeps adding wing upon wing, and no one will tell him the reason behind her chilling obsession. But as Samuel delves deeper into the mysteries that swirl about the house the nature of the project becomes terrifyingly clear . . .
'Darkly entertaining' — Laura Shepherd-Robinson, bestselling author of The Square of Sevens
‘Gloriously bonkers' — Andrew Taylor, bestselling author of The Shadows of London
'A beguiling standalone historical thriller . . . An absolute triumph' — Sunday Express
Critics Review
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'[S]et in the late 19th century, [Ray Celestin] takes the true story of American weapons heiress Sarah Winchester’s San Jose mansion and transports it to Yorkshire, with chillingly gothic results.
Guardian, 'Best Crime and Thrillers of 2023'
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[A] beguiling standalone historical thriller . . . Its jaw-dropping finale will leave readers reeling. An absolute triumph
Sunday Express
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‘I loved Palace of Shadows . . . set on the Yorkshire moors in the late 19th century. Based on a true story, a labyrinth of timelines populated by vividly written characters offers a darkly entertaining plot.’
Laura Shepherd-Robinson, bestselling author of The Square of Sevens
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‘I could see elements of Wilkie Collins, Bram Stoker and even Lewis Carroll in this gloriously bonkers novel . . . a hugely entertaining slice of Gothic fantasy’
Andrew Taylor, bestselling author of The Shadows of London
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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Palace of Shadows moves exhilaratingly into Gothic territory
Financial Times
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Beautifully crafted and delightfully creepy
Book
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A piercing and wholly captivating historical novel that creates the most sinister and atmospheric of gothic tones…The foreboding descent into [the house’s] depths are chilling, and yet oh-so addictive… Beautifully atmospheric and absolutely convincing
LoveReading
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Palace of Shadows is as authentically detailed as Dickens, sophisticatedly horrific as Poe, and is more than enough to give readers the chills on dark autumn nights
Buzz Magazine
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Welcome the darker months in with this deeply unsettling gothic tale
Sainsbury's Magazine
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Crime writer Celestin changes direction with this beautifully crafted and creepy Gothic novel . . . Chilling
The Sunday Post
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Mesmerising . . . [A] gothic masterpiece
Daily Record
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Ray Celestin
- Narrator
- Daniel Weyman, Mark Meadows
- Duration
- 10 hours 17 minutes
- Release Date
- 12 October 2023
- ISBN
- 9781035019106
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Genre
- Historical fiction, Historical crime and mysteries, Crime and mystery: private investigator / amateur detectives, Horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: sense of place, Narrative theme: journeys and voyages, Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction
Synopsis
'Chillingly gothic' — The Guardian, Best Crime and Thrillers of the YearInspired by the haunting true story of the Winchester Mystery House, Ray Celestin's Palace of Shadows is an outstanding historical thriller set against the awe-inspiring terror of the Yorkshire Moors. From the prize-winning author of the City Blues Quartet.1899. The desolate Smugglers’ Coast of North Yorkshire is a place that strikes fear into those who live nearby. Unexplained deaths, suicides, young girls gone missing on the nearby moors ­­— the locals say it’s the grand house that drives people mad.Still, when Samuel Etherstone is contacted by its reclusive owner, Mrs Chesterfield, and commissioned to work on the property, he accepts the offer. For a penniless artist adrift in London, the opportunity is too tempting to ignore.It is only on arrival at the Chesterfield house that he learns the sinister details of its architect’s disappearance. And yet the widowed Mrs Chesterfield, keeps adding wing upon wing, and no one will tell him the reason behind her chilling obsession. But as Samuel delves deeper into the mysteries that swirl about the house the nature of the project becomes terrifyingly clear . . .'Darkly entertaining' — Laura Shepherd-Robinson, bestselling author of The Square of Sevens‘Gloriously bonkers' — Andrew Taylor, bestselling author of The Shadows of London'A beguiling standalone historical thriller . . . An absolute triumph' — Sunday Express
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