The Midnight House

By: Amanda Geard

Narrated by: Caitlin Shannon

Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

People disappear. Secrets remain....

My Dearest T, Whatever you hear, do not believe it for a moment....

1940: In south-west Ireland, the young and beautiful Lady Charlotte Rathmore is pronounced dead after she mysteriously disappears by the lake of Blackwater Hall. In London, on the brink of the Blitz, Nancy Rathmore is grieving Charlotte's death when a letter arrives containing a secret that she is sworn to keep—one that will change her life forever.

2019: Decades later, Ellie Fitzgerald is forced to leave Dublin disgraced and heartbroken. Abandoning journalism, she returns to rural Kerry to weather out the storm. But, when she discovers a faded letter, tucked inside the pages of an old book, she finds herself drawn in by a long-buried secret. And as Ellie begins to unravel the mystery, it becomes clear that the letter might hold the key to more than just Charlotte's disappearance.

An unforgettable and spellbinding story of secrets, war, love and sacrifice, perfect for listeners of Kate Morton, Eve Chase and Louise Douglas.

©2022 Amanda Geard (P)2022 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

Critic reviews

An intriguing multi-layered mystery spanning generations, evocative and beautifully written (TRACY REES)

I was pulled in from page one. It's beautiful and I love it (LIZ FENWICK)

With its gorgeous setting, wonderful characters, & secrets that kept me glued to the pages, it's a beauty - a hit for 2022! (JENNY ASHCROFT)

Tragic but Beautiful, Didn't Want it to Be Over

I will admit right up front that it takes a lot of criteria for me to rate a book with five stars. I am picky in that I want it to be beautifully written, I want it to make sense, I don't want it to end in a cliffhanger, I want the narrator to bring the story to life... not ruin it, and I want to be thinking of the book for several days after I've finished because it made that much of an impact. The Midnight House checks each and every box for me!

While this story is tragic, it's my own fault because I choose this genre time and time again. I must say that this is one of the best in this genre that I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and I want to devour anything this author has ever written or will ever write in the future.

I won't go into any details of this story, because I want you to experience it for yourself, but know that it is well worth a credit and then some. The story was beautiful, and the narrator was nothing short of excellent. Although it left me feeling grieved, I am happy, because it just means that the writing was so well done that it made me fall in love with these characters to the point of feeling the loss myself!

Touches the nostalgic heart

I loved this story. So sad, but very very human and finds the joy and love I starting over ❤️❤️❤️

A Truly Perfect Mystery

It took me just a second to really get into this book. Initially I wasn’t a huge fan of the narration but oh how happy I am that I held on…
This is an exceptional and beautifully constructed mystery with truly interesting characters (and there are many unique characters in this story) that are all developed incredibly well.
What I love about this story so much is that the reader is never at that place where we’ve all been, where we see where it’s going 200 pages before it comes out.
You literally can’t ever predict which way this story will turn.
There are so many facets, so many intriguing elements; Blackwater Hall, the small Irish village it sits on the border of, the loch which is as black as night and has its own stories to tell, the city of Dublin, London during WW2, and not one but two true mysteries.
The protagonist is vulnerable yet strong, ambitious yet completely uncomplicated and family oriented, a truly lovely lead made this book quite easy to just sort of fall into.
I didn’t want it to end.
It’s rare that I so relate or am so immersed in a story that it is capable of bringing tears to my eyes, but this one did.
It is a perfect mystery. I think that sums it up.
Just buy this one. I wish there was more on offer from Amanda Geard because I’ll be buying anything this woman writes in the future.
She writes with great attention to detail, understands how to truly give the reader an experience, she leaves no aspect unexplored, it a very fulfilling experience to read a book such as this.
So often I find myself disappointed by books that promise so much, and by the third or fourth chapter I’m shutting it down.
I’m happy to say this is a novel I will probably read the hard copy of as well, it’s one to have on your bookshelf as well as in your audible library.
The narration is phenomenal!
Caitlin Shannon had to cover a huge array of accents, dialects, ages, genders, etc and she does so effortlessly.
Beautiful from the first word to the last.
Thank you Amanda Geard for a fascinating story and thank Caitlin Shannon for bringing these characters to life, I felt like I knew each and every one of them.
✨✨✨✨✨

Stay with this one. It will pay off in the end.

This was a challenging book to follow as an audiobook in the beginning. So many characters, in so many time periods, and in so many places. It was a little hard to keep it all straight as I listened, but as the mystery unfolded, it became a delicious listen. Very well written with well drafted characters in a story that kept me hooked.
It was made all the better by the truly stunning narration work done by Caitlin Shannon. She handled the twists and turns (and accents aplenty!) with finesse and skill. Her voice was melodic and pleasing to the ear. She brought the full cast of characters to life and infused them with unique charm. A real joy to listen to. (Side note: I’m also a fan of her first name. 😁 I rarely find someone who spells it the same way I spell mine.)
Overall a great book with a story that pays dividends on the initial mental deposits required to keep all the details straight.