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The Haunting of Hero's Bay
- Author
- Amanda Block
- Narrator
- George Weightman, Valerie Antwi
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Publish Date
- 9 October 2025
- Run Time
- 12 hours 31 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
It knows all of this has happened before.
And will happen again . . .
1840
As a vast ship loses its way in the night-time mist, shattering against the cliffs of Crescombe, North Devon, a daring young artist dives into the murky sea. But it's not for heroism he is risking it all: something - or someone - is drawing him into those dark, perilous waters . . .
Now
When Finley arrives in Crescombe for the summer, he suspects he's not alone in his attic bedroom. Before long, he is uncovering secrets the remote seaside town has kept for almost two centuries: about ghosts and curses, about a ruthless old smuggling family, and about the young women whose bodies have washed up along the town's rocky shoreline, just below his porthole window.
Yet the more Finley learns, the closer he's bonded to those who have gone before him - and the closer he comes to meeting the same watery end...
By turns chilling, compelling and deeply emotive, this sweeping historical mystery will immerse you from the very first page.
'Block is a powerful storyteller' Jenny Colgan
'The spirit of Daphne du Maurier is watching over this terrific novel' Catriona McPherson
'Beautifully atmospheric' Callie Kazumi
Readers love Amanda Block
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Block's imagery will stay with you for a long time'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ In a league with Wide Sargasso Sea, The Woman in Black, and The Haunting of Hill House
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A quick glance at the first line will tell you you are in excellent hands'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I cannot recommend this novel enough'
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Block is seriously talented'
Critics Review
-
Amanda is a powerful storyteller - I loved it
Jenny Colgan
-
Pacy, cleverly woven and a fabulous adventure . . . mystery, love, art, smuggling, ghosts and more
Tracy Rees
-
A sweeping, ghostly tale of doomed love and a celebrated painting's link with a string of mysterious deaths in a secretive seaside town
Kate Lord Brown
-
A haunting tale of the wrongs of the past being re-lived in the present . . . Smugglers and ghosts, but also compassion and love
Sue Lawrence
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A rollicking read, shades of light and dark on the Devon coast. The pages just keep on turning
Sarah Maine
-
The kindly spirit of Daphne du Maurier is definitely watching over this terrific West Country novel: there are smugglers and shipwrecks, secrets and legends, clues hidden in artworks - and in hidey holes. Plus a quirky village full of irresistible characters, not one but two halting and tremulous love stories, and a protagonist whose plight and pluck are equally compelling. The Haunting of Hero's Bay was pretty much the perfect read. I loved it
Catriona McPherson
-
A beautifully atmospheric ghost story with a heartfelt centre. Romance-tinged but full of mystery, I loved it. Told with the same emotional human touch that made Amanda's debut novel so special
Callie Kazumi
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Amanda Block
- Narrator
- George Weightman, Valerie Antwi
- Duration
- 12 hours 31 minutes
- Release Date
- 9 October 2025
- ISBN
- 9781529360868
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Genre
- Fiction: literary and general non-genre, Contemporary horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Ghosts and poltergeists
Synopsis
The sea doesn't forget.It knows all of this has happened before.And will happen again . . .1840As a vast ship loses its way in the night-time mist, shattering against the cliffs of Crescombe, North Devon, a daring young artist dives into the murky sea. But it's not for heroism he is risking it all: something - or someone - is drawing him into those dark, perilous waters . . .NowWhen Finley arrives in Crescombe for the summer, he suspects he's not alone in his attic bedroom. Before long, he is uncovering secrets the remote seaside town has kept for almost two centuries: about ghosts and curses, about a ruthless old smuggling family, and about the young women whose bodies have washed up along the town's rocky shoreline, just below his porthole window.Yet the more Finley learns, the closer he's bonded to those who have gone before him - and the closer he comes to meeting the same watery end...By turns chilling, compelling and deeply emotive, this sweeping historical mystery will immerse you from the very first page.'Block is a powerful storyteller' Jenny Colgan'The spirit of Daphne du Maurier is watching over this terrific novel' Catriona McPherson'Beautifully atmospheric' Callie KazumiReaders love Amanda Block⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Block's imagery will stay with you for a long time'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ In a league with Wide Sargasso Sea, The Woman in Black, and The Haunting of Hill House⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A quick glance at the first line will tell you you are in excellent hands'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I cannot recommend this novel enough'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Block is seriously talented'
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