The Shape of Darkness
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The Shape of Darkness
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Narrated by:
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Sophie Aldred
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By:
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Laura Purcell
About this listen
Bloomsbury presents The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell, read by Sophie Aldred.
Winner of the Historical Crime Book of the Year 2021 Award at the 2022 Fingerprint Crime Awards
‘Dripping with atmosphere with a corkscrew plot, Laura Purcell just gets better and better’ STACEY HALLS
‘It truly kept me guessing to the very last page’ SONIA VELTON
Wicked deeds require the cover of darkness...
A struggling silhouette artist in Victorian Bath seeks out a renowned child spirit medium in order to speak to the dead – and to try and identify their killers – in this beguiling new tale from Laura Purcell.
Silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another...
Desperately seeking an answer, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father, hoping that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them. But Agnes and Pearl quickly discover that instead they may have opened the door to something that they can never put back...
What secrets lie hidden in the darkness?
Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Dripping with atmosphere with a corkscrew plot, Laura Purcell just gets better and better." (Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars and The Foundling)
"It's her best one yet and that’s saying something. A story of a woman haunted in every way possible, I think it’s a future gothic classic." (Martyn Waites)
"Darkly addictive and utterly compelling. Reading Laura’s books is like watching a horror movie where you have to keep hiding behind a cushion because you dread what is coming next, but you simply have to find out!" (Ruth Hogan)
What listeners say about The Shape of Darkness
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Belinda
- 24-03-21
Guilty pleasure
It was indeed a guilty pleasure to retreat into listening to this curious tale. There was plenty of mystery to reflect upon and then to grasp. It was very well researched and I learnt a little history from it. I have a ‘shadow’ of an in-law from a long time since so it was interesting to hear facts about the art. I also had distant relatives who practised the deceptive art of the séance, so that too was very absorbing indeed! If you read this Ms Purcell I’d like to thank you very much indeed for the entertaining listen!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily B.
- 07-03-22
a fantastic gothic thriller with an occult leaning
Fab story. endearing characters. kept me guessing. intricate tale. I shall seek out more from this author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alan Wilson
- 12-07-24
Another amazing story by Laura
This was brilliant. So well narrated, and what a story! I love a period piece and delivers in chills and suspense, and a desire to find out what is happening! Brilliant!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fran Manca
- 22-06-21
Absolutely brilliant!
Brilliant listen. Really well constructed story, all characters have a multidimensional depth, clever plot twists. Beautifully narrated!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sarah McCaffrey
- 21-04-21
Awesome
This was a great story superbly told. Creepy and engaging. Keeps you guessing all the way, the end is awesome. Just fantastically enjoyable.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Krypton
- 10-06-21
Trying to be too clever maybe
Well I thought it was pedestrian for quite a while and then when a spark of something different arrived it wasn’t that great. I kept going but some confusion arose and the ending was a bit of a damp squib.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aisha Joda
- 06-10-21
Mystery, intrigue and the supernatural...class!
narrator was excellent. She portrayed the main characters so brilliantly! The story was full of turns and twists with a fantastic unexpected end, all set in Victorian Bath. I thoroughly enjoyed it
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Layla Blackwell
- 07-09-21
Interesting storyline, well read.
Gripping Story with interesting twists and turns. Intriguing characters and full of great little details. Really enjoyed it. ☺️
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- H Angeli
- 26-03-21
Laura Purcell never disappoints
this book is amazing! even better than the silent companions!
I loved it. I would recommend to anyone who likes creepy stories.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Big Tuna HeyOhhh
- 20-09-21
Maybe more of a drama than chiller
Overall somewhat enjoyable, a solid gothic story but somehow it still felt a bit meh. More drama than chiller. I also struggled with the protagonist, feeling she was very selfish in her continued actions & I was constantly annoyed by her for pining away for Montague. I guess I wanted her to be more of a feminist & less of a silly damp squid.
Also the ending felt a bit rushed & not super unexpected. Might have been less critical with a better kick of an ending & would've earned it a higher score.
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