The Shadow House

A Novel

By: Anna Downes

Narrated by: Anna Downes, Natasha Beaumont

Extraordinarily tense and deliciously mysterious, Anna Downes' The Shadow House follows one woman's desperate journey to protect her children at any cost, in a remote place where not everything is as it seems.

A house with deadly secrets.

A mother who'll risk everything to bring them to light.

Alex, a single mother-of-two, is determined to make a fresh start for her and her children. In an effort to escape her troubled past, she seeks refuge in a rural community. Pine Ridge is idyllic; the surrounding forests are beautiful and the locals welcoming. Mostly.

But Alex finds that she may have disturbed barely hidden secrets in her new home. As a chain of bizarre events is set off, events eerily familiar to those who have lived there for years, Alex realizes that she and her family might be in greater danger than ever before. And that the only way to protect them all is to confront the shadows lurking in Pine Ridge.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

©2022 Anna Downes (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Downes is . . . sowing the seeds of psychological terror, rooted in everyday traumas from sleeplessness to coping with teens, and branching out to create a nightmare world. A hair-raising mood piece you'll be glad to awaken from."—Kirkus Reviews

"This gripped me from the first tense and beautifully written page and didn’t let go. The intriguing, eerie premise of The Shadow House delivered in every sense—I won’t be moving to an ecovillage anytime soon! Anna’s writing is visceral and compelling and the main characters are so well-drawn. I couldn’t trust anyone . . .The tension in this novel slowly ratchets as twist after twist are revealed, climaxing in an edge of the seat finale that had me furiously turning the pages. A must read!"—Sarah Pearse, New York Times bestselling author of The Sanatorium

"In her riveting and haunting novel, Anna Downes leads us deep into the dark tangled fear and self-doubt of a young mother struggling to distinguish between real and imaginary threats to her child. Downes captures the abject terror that can accompany motherhood. The Shadow House will keep you turning pages into the night."—Mary Dixie Carter, author of The Photographer

A Thrilling Read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Lots of twists and turns kept me listening well into the night. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery!

Great read

I am so used to reading authors I know and was getting quite bored. I took a chance on a new author and what a lovely surprise I got. This is a good story and well read. It entertained me from the beginning to the end.

Another good book!

This is the second book I have listened to by this author. She has a great job with the story plot and the narration. Hope she comes out with a third book.

Things Can & Will Get Better

I was lucky enough to receive an Advance Reader Copy of Anna’s first book “The Safe Place”. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! I have nothing but huge praise for her and releasing her first book. Of course after I finished that one, I wanted another. I just finished the Audiobook version this time and I think I love it even more than the physical copy. The Australian accents an even Anna herself reads as well!

You guys need this one! I couldn’t stop listening and then I thought I had it figured out. Nope, I was hit with a huge twist that my mouth dropped open. Just go buy it, borrow it from the library, audiobook. However you read books but just get it!

Great Story and Narrators

I’m very picky about the voices of audiobook narrators, and these women did not disappoint. The story was solid, had several twists here and there, good characters, and a great ending, as well.

great story

such a great story. I really liked the spookiness. the one narrator was a little rough for me, but didn't affect finishing the book

Very entertaining

Unsettling topics and suspenseful storylines keep you engrossed in the story until you find out what happens next

The Shadow House

I enjoyed this “spooky” story and getting to know the characters. It was an easy three-day listen for me. That second narrator almost got me though, but I got used to her. Author’s note at the end was inspiring. I always appreciate learning where and how authors come up with their ideas. I think I’ll check out her debut novel, too.

Light and interesting

Loved this audible book. Easy listening and interesting characters that are relatable and believable. Plot was easy to follow and finished in a day.

Too long

I was liking it, but dragged on, I listen to books as I work and this one was different.