The Haunting of Alma Fielding: SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2020
Oct 2020 · Bloomsbury Publishing
3.0star
2 reviewsreport
Ebook
368
Pages
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About this ebook
FROM BRITAIN'S TOP-SELLING TRUE CRIME WRITER
'A wonderful book' HILARY MANTEL
'Gothic, dark and scandalous' SUNDAY TIMES
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION
It is 1938. As the shadow of fascism darkens over Europe, strange things are happening in Alma Fielding's suburban home in Croydon. Crockery flies off the shelves; stolen rings appear on Alma's fingers; and white mice scuttle out of her handbag.
Nandor Fodor – chief ghost hunter for the International Institute for Psychical Research – arrives on the scene, determined to crack the case. As Fodor's obsession deepens, and Alma becomes ever more disturbed, the pair find themselves in a treacherous battle of wills . . .
'Prepare not to see much broad daylight, literal or metaphorical, for days if you read this' THE TIMES
'Nobody is better at unpicking stories of ghosts and murder than Kate Summerscale ... Will stay with you for weeks' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, SUNDAY TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR
'As gripping as a novel. An engaging, unsettling, deeply satisfying read' SARAH WATERS
'A detective novel, a ghost yarn and a historical record rolled into one . . . Electrifying' i-PAPER
'It would be impossible to read this dry-eyed' SPECTATOR
Note: There is a chance the book cover you receive may differ from the cover displayed here
'A wonderful book' HILARY MANTEL
'Gothic, dark and scandalous' SUNDAY TIMES
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION
It is 1938. As the shadow of fascism darkens over Europe, strange things are happening in Alma Fielding's suburban home in Croydon. Crockery flies off the shelves; stolen rings appear on Alma's fingers; and white mice scuttle out of her handbag.
Nandor Fodor – chief ghost hunter for the International Institute for Psychical Research – arrives on the scene, determined to crack the case. As Fodor's obsession deepens, and Alma becomes ever more disturbed, the pair find themselves in a treacherous battle of wills . . .
'Prepare not to see much broad daylight, literal or metaphorical, for days if you read this' THE TIMES
'Nobody is better at unpicking stories of ghosts and murder than Kate Summerscale ... Will stay with you for weeks' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, SUNDAY TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR
'As gripping as a novel. An engaging, unsettling, deeply satisfying read' SARAH WATERS
'A detective novel, a ghost yarn and a historical record rolled into one . . . Electrifying' i-PAPER
'It would be impossible to read this dry-eyed' SPECTATOR
Note: There is a chance the book cover you receive may differ from the cover displayed here
Ratings and reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Caroline Price
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December 28, 2020
A fascinating account of fake mediums back in the day. It really is intriguing the lengths some of these charlatans went to in order to fool the public. The main investigation focuses on one woman who was investigated thoroughly by a research society in 1938 but, it's hard to say whether she was an out and out hoaxer or a woman who had suffered abuse in childhood. Written by Kate Summerscale and narrated beautifully by David Morrissey, this was engrossing from start to finish. There is a feeling of deep sympathy for Alma Fielding, the woman concerned, she seems more troubled than anything else, her life had certainly contained a lot of tragedy. I felt that she was, quite possibly, an unintentional fraud. She certainly made no attempts to extort money from the public. Recommended.
About the author
Kate Summerscale is the author of the number one bestselling The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, the Galaxy British Book of the Year Award, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and adapted into a major ITV drama. Her first book, the bestselling The Queen of Whale Cay, won a Somerset Maugham award and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Award. Her third book, Mrs Robinson's Disgrace, was a Sunday Times bestseller; while her fourth, The Wicked Boy, was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2010, she lives in London. katesummerscale.com
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