The Marsh King's Daughter

By: Karen Dionne

Narrated by: Emily Rankin

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Praised by Lee Child and Karin Slaughter, and sure to thrill fans of The Girl on the Train and The Widow, The Marsh King's Daughter is mesmerizing psychological suspense, the story of a woman who must risk everything to hunt down the dangerous man who shaped her past and threatens to steal her future: her father.

At last, Helena Pelletier has the life she deserves. A loving husband, two beautiful daughters, a business that fills her days. Then she catches an emergency news announcement and realizes she was a fool to think she could ever leave her worst days behind her.

Helena has a secret: she is the product of an abduction. Her mother was kidnapped as a teenager by her father and kept in a remote cabin in the marshlands of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. No electricity, no heat, no running water, not a single human beyond the three of them. Helena, born two years after the abduction, loved her home in nature - fishing, tracking, hunting. And despite her father's odd temperament and sometimes brutal behavior, she loved him, too...until she learned precisely how savage a person he could be.

More than 20 years later, she has buried her past so soundly that even her husband doesn't know the truth. But now her father has killed two guards, escaped from prison, and disappeared into the marshland he knows better than anyone else in the world. The police commence a manhunt, but Helena knows they don't stand a chance. Knows that only one person has the skills to find the survivalist the world calls the Marsh King - because only one person was ever trained by him: his daughter.

©2017 Karen Dionne (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Narrator Emily Rankin's buttery voice smoothly delivers Dionne's psychological thriller.... The complicated tension between daughter and father, and wanting to know how she and her mother escaped the marsh years, keeps one listening." (AudioFile)

“Dionne’s breathtaking psychological thriller is a fairy tale writ large...the suspense in the plotting and the cold distance Helena’s voice projects [hold readers] entranced until the stunning climax.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

“Exceptional.... Helena’s conflicting emotions about her father and her own identity elevate this powerful story.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Incredible journey

An absolute knuckle biting story. I was both happy and sad for the story to end.

Just ok

The book is an ok book to listen to. It didn't get interesting until close to end which was disappointing. So much was left out, other parts dragged on and it became boring at times. The narrator was really good and was the best part of the book.

Fascinating character

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and found the characters intriguing. I thought the switching back and forth from present to past made the story even richer, because it helped me to gain a little insight into a life that was utterly foreign to my own experience.

Was hesitant at first, totally worth it

This book was so well done. This narrator is always great, and the story was captivating the entire time. So glad I took this risk.

Twisted, unfair, brutal, love, fear, strength

A powerful, power-packed descriptive of fear disguised as love, torture, respect, and survival. I was immersed in the storytelling of the narrator and could see it unfold as I listened, not wanting the tale to end.

Intriguing

This is not something I would pick for myself to read. I belong to a book club and this was chosen. It is very intense, descriptive, and I highly recommend reading (or listening) to it. I might just listen again before our book club meeting. The only thing I can think of that I didn’t care for was how many times I heard “my father”. If only I had $1.00 for every time I heard those 2 words. 😉

Amazing

This book was a thrill ride told by an excellent storyteller. It is at points sad, and shows the resilience of the human spirit. I loved it. One of those books that you sigh and just take a moment of silence when it is finished to let the brilliance just sink in.

The narration was perfect as well.

I didn't like it until I did

I don't know how else to explain it, I was complaining about it in my head for about the first half but I kept going and then I started wondering what was going to happen next. Its far fetched and I really did not like the main characters sympathy for the "bad guy" but overall it ended being an interesting read and and a bit different from what I've been reading lately.

I couldn't stop listening

What a story of love and hate between a father and daughter.
i loved the setting in the U. P. of Michigan

Good book but could never even like the main character

Great read but could never feel anything but anger and contempt towards the main character. I think that is part of the appeal of the story. She is so much her father that it makes the story haunting. I wanted to like her but even in the end, I cannot.