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Magpie Lane  By  cover art

Magpie Lane

By: Lucy Atkins
Narrated by: Susie Riddell
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Publisher's summary

When the eight-year-old daughter of an Oxford College Master vanishes in the middle of the night, police turn to the Scottish nanny, Dee, for answers.

As Dee looks back over her time in the Master's Lodging - an eerie and ancient house - a picture of a high achieving but dysfunctional family emerges: Nick, the fiercely intelligent and powerful father; his beautiful Danish wife Mariah, pregnant with their child; and the lost little girl, Felicity, almost mute, seeing ghosts, grieving her dead mother.

But is Dee telling the whole story? Is her growing friendship with the eccentric house historian, Linklater, any cause for concern? And most of all, why was Felicity silent?

Roaming Oxford's secret passages and hidden graveyards, Magpie Lane explores the true meaning of family - and what it is to be denied one.

©2020 Lucy Atkins (P)2020 Quercus Editions Limited

Critic reviews

"Enthralling...creepy and compelling." (The Times)

"Deliciously dark." (Alexandra Shulman)

"A gorgeously satisfying triumph." (Lucy Mangan)

What listeners say about Magpie Lane

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good, but makes me feel sick

It’s really well written and the narrator is amazing! However, the story is creepy and I am 2/3 in and need to take a break from it. I do plan to finish, but I don’t exactly enjoy it due to the nature of the plot. So I think it is really good, but also not for me as I don’t enjoy grimness.

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  • Overall
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Ten stars if I could

Top marks across the board - great story, building nicely to the reveals, fantastic setting and packed with fun details about Oxford, all spectacularly brought together by a first-
rate narrator. Wow. Going to be hard to find something to listen to next - anything will pale in comparison!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
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Perfection

This is as good as it gets.
I finished it in a day because I was utterly riveted from word one.
Lucy Atkins is quite possibly the most talented and original voice in this genre.
I fell in love with everything about this book.
Narration is pitch perfect.
Five Stars all the way ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best book I’ve read in ages.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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What a lovely lovely book

A ( possibly) unreliable narrator, a lonely traumatized child, secrets that slowly reveal themselves, and a superb voice actor make this a remarkable listening experience. Wonderful.

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3 people found this helpful