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Title details for The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins - Wait list

The Blue Hour

A Novel

by Paula Hawkins
Gemma Whelan
Audiobook
0 of 4 copies available
Wait time: About 5 weeks
Place a hold Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
0 of 4 copies available
Wait time: About 5 weeks

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

""The best Paula Hawkins yet – by a tense and haunting mile."" – Lee Child

""An atmospheric, stylish puzzle box of a thriller... truly exceptional."" – Liz Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The God of the Woods

""A masterful exploration of the nature of obsession...I loved it."" – Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Happiness Falls and Miracle Creek

The propulsive and powerful new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

Welcome to Eris: an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.

Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.

Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.

And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge....

A masterful novel that is as page-turning as it is unsettling, The Blue Hour recalls the sophisticated suspense of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith and cements Hawkins's place among the very best of our most nuanced and stylish storytellers.

""Atmospheric and marvelously twisty."" – Danya Kukafka, author of Notes on an Execution

"Reminiscent of du Maurier: art, islands, missing spouses ... Hard to put down." – Mick Herron

""A masterpiece! Gorgeous and chilling."" – Shari Lapena

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 29, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780063396555
      • File size: 295933 KB
      • Duration: 10:16:31

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 24, 2024
      This predictable offering from bestseller Hawkins (The Girl on the Train) centers on an enigmatic artist, her socially awkward companion, and a lifelong fan of her work. In the present, a Tate Modern retrospective of late painter Vanessa Chapman is cut short when a forensics expert notices that an apparent animal bone in one of her sculptures is actually a human rib bone. James Becker, an employee at the foundation that manages her estate, tries to settle the matter by heading to Eris Island, where Chapman lived for the last decade of her life, and interviewing her companion there, Grace Haswell. Hanging in the air is the 20-year-old disappearance of Vanessa’s husband, Julian, whose body was never found; rumors swirl in the press that the rib bone may have belonged to him. As James and Grace bond over their love for Vanessa, flashbacks illuminate Julian’s fate and the precise nature of Vanessa and Grace’s relationship. Hawkins manages few surprises and fewer insights into her characters, resulting in a narrative that’s curiously uninvolving even as her skills as a stylist are on full display. This fails to add up to more than the sum of its parts. Agent: Simon Lipskar, Writers House.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Gemma Whelan masterfully brings to life this dark, atmospheric mystery. Her performance captures Hawkins's beautifully written descriptions of settings, artworks, and characters. The isolated Scottish island of Eris, accessible only when the tide recedes, emerges as a compelling character alongside its recently deceased inhabitant, the reclusive artist Vanessa Chapman. When a human bone is discovered in one of Chapman's sculptures on exhibit at the Tate, attention is drawn back to the island and the mysterious disappearance, decades earlier, of Chapman's husband. Whelan excels at differentiating characters from across the British Isles, creating distinct vocal personas. Yet the audiobook requires careful listener engagement, with its frequent shifts between timeframes and perspectives. A richly layered audio experience for the patient listener. E.Q. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from March 1, 2025

      When a human bone is discovered in a posthumous exhibition by enigmatic artist Vanessa Chapman, everyone suspects it belongs to her husband Julian, who went missing decades ago. Her friend and heir, Grace, will do anything to keep both the art world and the authorities from picking apart Vanessa's life in search of answers. On the remote Scottish isle Vanessa called home, Grace is now the protector of a lifetime of secrets, but exactly whose secrets are they? Hawkins (A Slow Fire Burning) crafts an emotionally intense psychological suspense full of twists. Revelatory diary excerpts and dual timelines build a tension that will have listeners on the edge of their seat. Narrator Gemma Whelan gives an expressive and engaging performance, with unique accents and affects for each unlikable character. The audiobook also features a conversational Q&A between author and narrator about their respective inspirations and artistic processes. VERDICT This menacing story about art, adultery, and obsession is recommended for fans of Ana Reyes, Sally Hepworth, and Shari Lapena.--Lauren Hackert

      Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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