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The Cloisters

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, hoping to spend her summer working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she is assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art.

There she is drawn into a small circle of charismatic but enigmatic researchers, each with their own secrets and desires, including the museum's curator, Patrick Roland, who is convinced that the history of Tarot holds the key to unlocking contemporary fortune telling.

Relieved to have left her troubled past behind and eager for the approval of her new colleagues, Ann is only too happy to indulge some of Patrick's more outlandish theories. But when Ann discovers a mysterious, once-thought lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards she suddenly finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power, toxic friendship and ambition.

And as the game being played within the Cloisters spirals out of control, Ann must decide whether she is truly able to defy the cards and shape her own future . . .

Bringing together the modern and the arcane, The Cloisters is a rich, thrillingly told tale of obsession and the ruthless pursuit of power.

© Katy Hays 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 Crime Thrillers Fiction Historical Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Renaissance Thriller & Suspense Thriller Crime Suspense

Critic reviews

Beguiling and atmospheric, an entrancing and gripping tale. (KATE MOSSE, author of Labyrinth)
Elegant and atmospheric and suffused with brooding menace, The Cloisters transports us to the dark corridors of museum life, embroiling the reader in a twisting mystery, while also intelligently exploring the nature of fate versus freewill. (LUCY CLARKE, author of The Castaways)
Glamour, power, seduction, ambition - The Cloisters has it all. I adored this deliciously gothic, beautifully written novel. (LOUISE O'NEILL, author of Idol)
This is a modern, Gothic masterpiece. Successfully linking modern critical thinking with the divinity of the past, and human nature's desire to believe that there is something else out there. 9/10
The dark and enigmatic world of The Cloisters captured me from the off . . . a story of academic obsession, Renaissance magic and the ruthless pursuit of power. Captivating in every sense. (SARAH PEARSE, author of The Sanatorium)
Sultry and sinister . . . Hays' debut teems with sexual tension, the secrets of divination, and scholarly obsessiveness . . . jaw-dropping. (SARAH PENNER, author of The Lost Apothecary)
A sinister slow burn tale of obsession, power, secrets and academic rivalry . . . it's been weeks since I finished the book and I'm still impressed by how much it affected me. ****
'Dark and compelling . . . richly atmospheric and full of historic detail, it draws the reader into its world of the archive and the occult. As its central mystery unfolds amid the stifling heat of a New York Summer it soon becomes clear that nobody in it is quite who they first appear.' (SALLY HINCHCLIFFE, author of Hare House)
Like the moment before a thunderstorm on a summer afternoon, The Cloisters is sultry, lush, and trembling with menace.
In Hays' hands, the subject of tarot is a fascinating one and the twists and turns come thick and fast. It's full of menace.
All stars
Most relevant
I was excited about the tarot card theme of this book and the plot building up, but it fizzled out before gaining momentum.

A book that could have been better

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The narrator was terrible and I found the story boring, flat and predictable. Almost never made it to the end, it felt like if dragged on.

Not worth the time.

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This wa great for the dark academia vibes and settling but the characters were a bit flat and the plot a bit predictable. Well narrated which is why I finished.

Ok but not amazing

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It took me a while to warm up to this but once it took a hold, it was fiendishly addictive. It really did give me hours and hours of top quality story telling and total immersion in another world with, twist after turn and just what I love to escape to and relax with at the end of the day.

Part of my initial failure to engage was, I think, down to the narration, which while fine, bar a few mispronunciations like chaise longue, was just miscast as sounded much too old for a twenty something just starting out.

At the beginning also, it seemed the word "arcane" cropped up in every sentence which makes me wonder are there any editors left in the world - but after this slightly self conscious start it really took off and I was gripped.

I have to say I am not a fan of museums (though I have been to many), not fascinated by history and zero interest in Tarot Cards and I did not like any of the characters - but I had such a wonderful time listening to this unique book, So if you are reading the blurb and think New York/Museums/Artifacts/Tarot cards are not my bag, do not let this put you off at all as it is a unique and captivating book.

It took me such a long time to finish it as I was enjoying it so much, I did not want to miss a word.
Recently two books I really enjoyed, including this one, have been compared unfavourably to Donna Tartt's work.
I have yet to really get into or finish any of Donna Tartt's highly acclaimed books, so I would suggest they appeal to a different audience of reader/listener and not to be put off by this.

No spoilers but my main - and really only small niggle - is about the sailing details and safety protocols as I would have thought experienced sailors would have strict protocols as with most sports, when people take them seriously they have a safety checklist and that rankled a little.
However this was a minuscule fly in a very, very delicious and enthralling ointment so I am happy to suspend disbelief on this one. The writing was so evocative and intriguing I really got immersed and felt like I had seen a film more than read a book and indeed I hope it will be brought to the screen as would be a cracker of a movie.

In the crowded murder mystery thriller market, where there is so much sub par fare, The Cloisters really stands out for its excellent writing and story telling talent and I am adding Katy Hays to instant pre-order status for her next book, which I am looking forward to already!

Unique and Devilishly Dark and Delicious - I loved

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I loved the story and the twist at the end that I didn’t expect. I wasn’t so keen on the performance but it was ok I guess

Brilliant story

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