The Midwives

By: Duncan Ralston

Narrated by: Steven Barnett

Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

A killer on the loose. A writer on the run. A town plagued by an ancient evil.

On tour with his latest book, true crime writer Martin Savage discovers one of his most-dangerous subjects has escaped. The so-called "Witch Hunter", a delusional murderer of women and their unborn children, holds a deadly grudge. He'll stop at nothing to get his revenge, and destroy everything Martin cares about.

With nowhere to run, Martin and forensic psychologist Sheila Tanner flee to the town he left when he was a boy, after his mother was locked away in a psychiatric facility. A town hidden deep in his past, where no one would think to look for them.

But things are not what they seem in Barrows Bay. The idyllic island holds terrible secrets. An ancient evil lived here long before the first Irish settlers crashed upon its shores in a coffin ship. An evil wearing the innocent faces of elderly midwives who've delivered every child in the Bay for 250 years.

Martin and Sheila think they’re safe in his childhood home. But Martin’s mother has plans for them. Plans that require sacrifice.

And sacrifice requires blood.

©2020 Duncan Ralston (P)2020 Duncan Ralston

Intriguing

I listened to the book compulsively. It has an interesting story line. An original story that is well thought out and mildly gruesome in a small part.
Ralston is truly a storyteller with a great imagination. He writes intelligently and avoids clichés. I look forward to more from this Author.

Don't call these Midwives!

Bravo Duncan Ralston! I loved The Midwives!
Due to circumstances I don't want to spoil, true crime author Martin Savage and forensic psychologist Sheila Tanner are on the run. They flee back to Martin's childhood home on Barrow's Bay. And that's when things get good. There is a group of old ladies on the island. Everyone calls them the Midwives and they do in fact deliver babies. But what are they really, other than scary as hell? I did not read a thing about this book before I began it so I had no idea. Are they the fates (cause of those scissors)? witches? some kind of fey creatures? You will have to read the book to find out. The writing is very good and the story pulls you right in. It's hard to stop reading once you start. I can't wait to read more by this author!
The audio book is read by Steve Barnett. He adds so much to this already great story. I enjoyed listening, maybe even more than reading it myself.

Such a good little town witch story.

Narrator , on point. Story is an A+. Duncan Ralston always weaves a story together so well. It made me look forward to my drives to work.

Great witch book

I love books about witches and this one didn’t disappoint. It was a great story with not a lot of filler. It has some gore. Lots of suspense. The narrator was great. The only thing I didn’t like was that I wanted for a little bit more to happen in the story, not saying nothing happens. Because a lot does. Overall it’s a really great story, and I’ll definitely be reading and listening to more of Duncan’s books.

Midwives

This was an excellent book. I enjoyed the initial art of the story. I thought Barrows Bay was even better. Really enjoyed this book.

Excellent Story

THE MIDWIVES was my first Duncan Ralston novel and definitely will not be my last. Not sure if it was the cover which is a great cover but for me is a bit misleading or if it was comments by others who had read the book but I was expecting something quite different. THE MIDWIVES surprised me but in a good way! The characterization and backstory made this a great listen. Heading to Audible to add everything by Duncan Ralston to my wishlist.

The chiefs kiss

Midwife, is a nother testimony to the imagination and talent that Ralston has brought his readers time and time again. The story offers a modern grims fairytale theme with is a extreme horror twist.

Very good book from the first lines

This book starts you off with a creepy scene involving these midwives and then things get going with our main character. He is flawed but is likable along with most of the supporting characters. The story flows very well and things come together at the end for a very exciting conclusion. There’s not a lot of fluff it was a great story. Duncan always does a great job this time is no different.

A thoroughly excellent read

This was my first exposure to Duncan Ralston's work, and I'll definitely be checking out more. I thought this was a thoroughly excellent tale blending, as the book itself suggests in a clever moment of self-awareness, the folk horror of Midsommar with the more traditional horror of Rosemary's Baby. The moments of gore are expertly delivered, not focusing on the splatter, but delivering the grisly details with vivid imagery, the characters are well-realised, and the plot moves along at a steady pace, delivering mystery, horror, and a well-told story.

Without giving too much away, Ralston uses his initial threat of a vengeful serial killer to drive his protagonists back home, and that's where things get really weird. Not everything is as it seems, and given the nature of the world today, seeing large groups of people falling for the glamour of charismatic leaders with ulterior motives is part of what makes this so good. You get the feeling that the evils exposed in this book really could exist - and people really would turn a blind eye to it.

All up, it's a great listen. Ralston's style is pinpoint and tight, not wasting words or bothering with overly flowery descriptions while still creating imagery and a tight and engaging plot.

The narration is exceptional and clear. The accents are fun, and the production is crisp.

Loved it.

You'll Never See Old Ladies in the Same Light

Story – 5/5
Narration – 5/5

“The Midwives”, by Duncan Ralston is easily the best new horror I’ve listened to this year.

It is literally all kinds of creepy; sometimes it’s creepy in a serial killer kind of way, at times it’s creepy in a cannibalistic kind of way, and often it just WTF kind of creepy.
In my opinion, this is the author’s best novel, so far.
The narrator was very good. His voice reminds me of Craig Wasson’s and his character voices are quite good. I’ve both read and listened to this one and I must say that listening brought a whole new appreciation of the creepiness of this tale.

Recommendation – Buy it!