The Gabriel Hounds

By: Mary Stewart

Narrated by: Ellie Heydon

Romance, intrigue, legend and adventure meet in this Lebanon-set classic gothic romance by beloved author Mary Stewart.

Legend has it that when the Gabriel Hounds run howling over the crumbling palace of Dar Ibrahim, high in the Adonis Valley of Lebanon, death will follow on their heels. When rich, spoilt Christie Mansel arrives at the decaying palace to look after her eccentric Aunt Harriet, she arrives to the sound of howling dogs. The palace is riddled with hidden passages and the servants are unwilling to let anyone see Harriet during the day. It seems the palace hides an extraordinary secret . . . one that somebody is willing to kill to keep.

The deep blue oblong of sky above the open court was pricking already with brilliant stars. No ugly diffusion of city light spoiled the deep velvet of that sky; even hanging as it was above the glittering and crowded richness of the Damascus oasis, it spoke of the desert and the vast empty silence beyond the last palm tree.

'A comfortable chair and a Mary Stewart: total heaven. I'd rather read her than most other authors.' Harriet Evans

©1967 Mary Stewart (P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critic reviews

"A comfortable chair and a Mary Stewart: total heaven. I'd rather read her than most other authors." (Harriet Evans)

Excellent novel and performance

Excellent novel and performance. Will be listening and reading more of Stewart’s works. A great find.

Slow start, but plenty happens

It took a while for this Stewart story to get started, but once it did it was a fun mystery in an unusual setting.

I truly enjoyed Ellie Heydon’s narration. She masters the art of keeping the story interesting and moving without trying to act all the characters. I will be looking for more books narrated by her.

Good story

Just the book to listen to when you’re sick in bed with the flu. I enjoyed it.

Mayhem in a dilapidated Middle Eastern palace.

Nonstop action, mystery, and romance from the marvelous Mary Stewart! You can’t put it down.

Makes you want to visit the Levant

I've enjoyed re-reading this book for the past 45 years and am pleased to have it on audible. Overall the narrator does a good job, but the Lebanese driver (hired car) sounds like he is a London cabbie. That accent was never used by any driver in the Levant, but it is more funny than offensive. The story of a young lady visiting her eccentric Aunt, who has based her lifestyle on Lady Hester Stanhope, builds gradually into a tense mystery full of Salukis, harems and sinister characters. Mary Stuart's description of the locale is, as always, wonderful.