Wild Dark Shore cover art

Wild Dark Shore

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £14.69

Buy Now for £14.69

About this listen

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A storm gathering force.

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny weather-lashed island that is home to the world's largest seed bank. As Shearwater risks being lost to rising sea levels, the island's researchers have fled, and only the Salts remain.

Until, during the worst storm in living memory, a stranger washes ashore. The family nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, but it seems she isn't telling the whole truth about why she's there. And when Rowan stumbles upon sabotaged radios and a recently dug grave, she realizes that she's not the only one on the island with a secret.

A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love.

©2025 Charlotte McConaghy (P)2025 Canongate Books Ltd Psychological Thriller & Suspense Exciting Heartfelt Scary Tear-jerking

Critic reviews

'Breathtaking' HANNAH KENT

'Spellbinding' Washington Post

'A wildly talented writer' EMILY ST JOHN MANDEL
All stars
Most relevant
At first I wasn’t sure. It’s not my usual book, but I’ve seen a lot of recommendations for it. So I gave it a go, and so glad I did. The story was beautiful. With the different voices reading the story I could really imagine them, and the things they were explaining.
I cried a few times!

First book of 2026

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The actor reading for Dom is too melodramatic and breathy. He’s channelling Karl Urban (who I know is Kiwi!!) to laughable affect, sounding like ‘hard Aussie guy’ caricature.

I like the story, the intrigue & tension but this guys voice takes me out of it and my eyes hurts from rolling so much. I’m going to stop the audio and read the book instead. The other actors are good, what a pity.

Male narrator ruined it for me

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This story is ok but the narration is truly awful, its all so breathy and the most ordinary line sounds like its from some steamy romantic novel, it made me laugh and annoyed me in equal measures throughout the whole book. made myself finish it but I wouldn't waste the credit, the character relationships were so unrealistic and unbelievable.

let down but narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book covers so many topics, grief, parenthood, mystery and climate change. Beautifully written and no surprise that it is on so many books club lists.

Slow burn but so well written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Sad? Feeling hopeless about the state of the world? If you’re not already depressed. After reading this, you soon will be.

Cheerful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews