Arrowood

A Novel

By: Laura McHugh

Narrated by: Sarah Scott

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

“Superb and subtle psychological suspense.” (Lee Child)

A haunting novel from the author of The Weight of Blood about a young woman’s return to her childhood home - and her encounter with the memories and family secrets it holds

TW Thriller Award Finalist

Arrowood is the most ornate and grand of the historical houses that line the Mississippi River in southern Iowa. But the house has a mystery it has never revealed: It’s where Arden Arrowood’s younger twin sisters vanished on her watch 20 years ago - never to be seen again. After the twins’ disappearance, Arden’s parents divorced and the Arrowoods left the big house that had been in their family for generations. And Arden’s own life has fallen apart: She can’t finish her master’s thesis, and a misguided love affair has ended badly. She has held on to the hope that her sisters are still alive, and it seems she can’t move forward until she finds them. 

When her father dies and she inherits Arrowood, Arden returns to her childhood home determined to discover what really happened to her sisters that traumatic summer. Arden’s return to the town of Keokuk - and the now infamous house that bears her name - is greeted with curiosity. But she is welcomed back by her old neighbor and first love, Ben Ferris, whose family, she slowly learns, knows more about the Arrowoods’ secrets and their small, closed community than she ever realized. 

With the help of a young amateur investigator, Arden tracks down the man who was the prime suspect in the kidnapping. But the house and the surrounding town hold their secrets close - and the truth, when Arden finds it, is more devastating than she ever could have imagined. 

Arrowood is a powerful and resonant novel that examines the ways in which our lives are shaped by memory. As with her award-winning debut novel, The Weight of Blood, Laura McHugh has written a thrilling novel in which nothing is as it seems, and in which our longing for the past can take hold of the present in insidious and haunting ways. 

Praise for Arrowood

“This robust, old-fashioned gothic mystery has everything you’re looking for: a creepy old house, a tenant with a secret history, and even a few ghosts. Laura McHugh’s novel sits at the intersection of memory and history, astutely asking whether we carry the past or it carries us.” (Jodi Picoult)

“An eloquently eerie tale.” (Booklist)

 “Poignant...lyrical.” (Publishers Weekly [starred review])

“A chilling, twisting tale of family, memory, and home... This engaging and thrilling tale about a young woman’s homecoming, the vagaries of memory, and the impact of tragedy on both a town and a family is a terrific choice for Laura Lippman and Sue Grafton readers.” (Library Journal [starred review])

©2016 Laura McHugh (P)2016 Random House Audio

Haunting and Powerful

This unsettling follow-up to Laura McHugh's impressive debut, The Weight of Blood, is a poignant meditation on memory, loss and the difficulty of returning home. It's central mystery is compelling but Arden's pursuit of closure and her efforts to adjust to her return to Keokuk, Iowa play an equally meaningful role in the story, raising it considerably above the average thriller or mystery novel. With two excellent novels under her belt, Laura McHugh is an author to watch!

Sarah Scott's narration struck the perfect tone for the book.

Enjoyable

Good story but a bit predictable. Story moved quickly and narration is pretty good. I especially enjoyed the main character's "in your face" attitude.

Good story - excellent narrator

This story was an attention grabber with a lot of suspense and was hard to put down. By the middle I ended up listening through to the end. I thought I had the "what happened to the twins" question figured out and was surprised at the end. Will look for more by this author and narrator.

Iowa Mystery

As an Iowan I was drawn to this book. I can see the large grand homes on the Mississippi and they are certainly full of mystery, murder and creepy stories. I grew up in one. I enjoyed the book, but felt the cadence was way too slow. At 1.25 it was too quick on certain characters. Sometimes I felt like it was too enunciated and I wished the reader would simply tell me the story rather than read every syllable, slowly. At the end when she introduces herself I thought, THAT! That’s the voice I wanted to hear! But regardless it was a great story for Halloween week. The characters were interesting and the details were concise. Wish our leading lady had a bit more gumption. Wanted to shout at her more than once.

Good and decent

I found this book to be intriguing and I enjoyed the twist. I actually listened through the entire audio book. I enjoyed the narrator and how she gave each character their own voice. I would recommend this book.

Great read!

Excellent story, read beautifully by Sarah Scott. A bit slow at times, but worthy read.

really excellent

Really good book with great characters, easy to follow storyline, and rich details. I wont say it was a thriller or total mystery but it was believable and did follow a who done it storyline.

Great story...

Enjoyed all the character development, couldn't stop listening! The narrator made it an easy listed too.

Actually Really Good

I didn't know if I'd like this book since I've been on a mystery bender, but I was into it from the beginning. I loved the pacing and I felt the characters were deep enough to get an understanding of them.

Narrator is reading.

The narrator has a pleasant voice. However she is clearly reading and is so exact with pronunciation like a college student reading their essay in front of the class. At times I increased the speed to get through the book faster both because of narrator and length to get through the mystery.