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The Witchfinder's Sister

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The Witchfinder's Sister

By: Beth Underdown
Narrated by: Lucy Brownhill, Roy McMillan
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About this listen

Penguin presents the unabridged downloadable audiobook edition of The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown, read by Lucy Brownhill and Roy McMillan.

It's 1645. When Alice Hopkins' husband dies in a tragic accident, she returns to the small Essex town of Manningtree, where her brother Matthew still lives. But home is no longer a place of safety. Matthew has changed, and there are rumours spreading through the town: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book, in which he is gathering women's names. To what lengths will Matthew's obsession drive him? And what choice will Alice make when she finds herself at the very heart of his plan?

©2017 Beth Underdown (P)2017 Penguin Audio Historical Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Exciting Scary

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Critic reviews

"Vivid and terrifying." (Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train)
"A richly told and utterly compelling tale, with shades of Hilary Mantel." (Kate Hamer)
"Anyone who liked Cecilia Ekback's Wolf Winter is going to love this.... [It's] about tiny braveries and small courage...a real David and Goliath story, but far less straightforward." (Natasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street)
"A tense, surprising and elegantly-crafted novel. The Witchfinder's Sister is a gripping exploration of the dark and twisted roots of seventeenth-century paranoia." (Ian McGuire, author of The North Water)
"Beth Underdown grips us from the outset and won't let go...at once a feminist parable and an old-fashioned, check-twice-under-the-bed thriller." (Patrick Gale, author of Notes from an Exhibition)
"Beth Underdown cleverly creates a compelling atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia.... Even from the distance of nearly four hundred years, her Matthew Hopkins is a genuinely frightening monster." (Kate Riordan, author of The Girl in the Photograph)
"Superb: dark, terrifying and utterly compelling." (Tracy Borman)

Featured article: Witches in fiction: 12 historical fiction books to listen to this Halloween


Throughout history, women have been branded as witches by people scared of their power, confidence and independence. In days past, accusations of being a witch – thrown at women for everything from being talented at working with herbs to being in the vicinity of a death – could result in banishment or even death. These 12 audiobooks, perfect for the longer nights, colder weather and the Halloween season, tell the stories of women through history, from goddesses to regular women, through a mix of horror, fantasy and historical fiction.

Featured article Witches in fiction: 12 historical fiction books to listen to this Halloween
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This is a fantastic read if a somewhat slow burner. I was so glad I stayed with it as it is intensely compelling from half way through the book. Based heavily on true, if shameful, events in English history, The Witchfinders Sister is deeply moving and demonstrates the lack of justice available for women during the 17th Century.

However, this is not a historical tract but a novel and Beth Underdown doesn't fail in her duty to portray all the hallmarks necessary in hooking the reader in and telling a story whilst staying true to the historical research. Not easy to do but expertly accomplished.

The narrator, Lucy Brownhill, does a magnificent job in telling the story. I love her voice and could listen to it all day.

Expertly researched!

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Good story without unnecessary gory details. I liked the way it was told from the perspective of the Sister. Fiction based on fact is always a winner for me.

really liked this book

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Well worth a read, clever and believable account of a chilling time in history showing how quickly human beings can turn against themselves. Excellent Narrator.

Great Read

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loved it, great story. my first audio book and I was enthralled with it x

loved it

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I loved this story. It’s so well crafted and the reading of it made it even better. The characters are rich and it kept me interested until the final word. Excellent

Intriguing

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This isn't really my normal sort of book but having enjoyed a couple of Karen Maitland books I thought I'd give it a go, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The narrator is fantastic and her voice is perfect for this type of story, I'll certainly follow her on to any other books she does.

Very enjoyable

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I loved this audiobook and couldn't get enough of it. The narrator Lucy Brownhill was absolutely perfect for this book, her intimate reading truly bringing it to life for me.
There was tension right from the opening sentences, which kept up until the last page, filling me with a foreboding every time I listened.
I really liked Alice the main character and really felt for her as she struggled to know what to do about her brother and his witch-finding duties. She wanted to think the best of him and believed the women would be released and therefore didn't want to make a fuss by telling him to stop. I kept feeling that she was headed in a really bad direction though as she seemed to focus on the wrong issues. I was expected the story to end differently, so was very happy with the ending, especially the last few words and I would love to know what happened next to Alice.
The story made me very grateful to be a woman in the 21st Century and not the 17th in which the book is set. Life was tough enough as it was then without the added fact that being a woman I would be likely to be suspected of witchcraft, just because of my gender.
I definitely recommend this if you enjoy historical fiction with seasonal feel to it.

Fantastic!

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it wasn't what I thought it would be, although thoroughly enjoyable and at times gripping! I had to keep listening but ended on a neutral level for me.

enjoyable

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A very interesting and believable story. It is as if she is telling you the story And at one time you could imagine her being tried as a witch too if she crossed Mathew. Really enjoyed it

A really good read

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I was gripped from start to finish. Living locally to many of the places discussed in the book, I have a fascination as to how something so remarkably wrong, was allowed to happen, and how one man, influenced son many. I have researched the true story behind this tale, and find this mixture of fact and fiction intriguing! The imagination behind this book marks this book out as one of the most interesting historical fiction novels I have read.
The performances only enhance this book, and bring each character alive making them truly believable.
Anybody who enjoys historical fiction, will be gripped to this book. It's dark subject matter is a refreshing change and so much more interesting that the usual 'Royal' subject matter of the genre.

An gripping read/listen!

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