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The Plague Charmer

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The Plague Charmer

By: Karen Maitland
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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About this listen

The Plague Charmer, by Karen Maitland, author of the much-loved Company of Liars - her first novel of the plague - will chill and delight fans of Kate Mosse and C. J. Sansom in equal measure.

Riddle me this: I have a price, but it cannot be paid in gold or silver.

Porlock Weir, Exmoor, 1361. Thirteen years after the Great Pestilence, plague strikes England for the second time. Sara, a packhorse man's wife, remembers the horror all too well and fears for the safety of her children. Only a dark-haired stranger offers help but at a price that no one will pay.

Fear gives way to hysteria in the village, and when the sickness spreads to her family, Sara finds herself locked away by neighbours she has trusted for years. And as her husband - and then others - begin to die, the cost no longer seems so unthinkable.

The price that I ask from one willing to pay...a human life.

©2016 Karen Maitland (P)2016 Headline Digital Historical Fiction Fiction Marriage Scary Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

"A compelling blend of historical grit and supernatural twists." ( Daily Mail)
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Great tale & I enjoyed the story. An interesting account & insight into life at the time.

A good read !

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not as good as A Company of Liars which I read first and then sought out her other work such as this one. Still wonderfully enchanting and visual though. I love the fishing village atmosphere she creates in this book and the narrator is brilliant. I endeavour to read more of her work next

Not as good as A Company of Liars but still great

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Brilliant story, very enjoyable, lots of plots, but there is too long a silence between chapters

Long silence

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such a sad and realistic storyline with many colourful characters brought to life by the narrator. a well written enjoyable book.

a well written and enjoyable book

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A dark and woeful tale that is awash with superstition (or is it magical realism) and thick with medieval grime. The multiple points if view are brilliantly realized through the narration which if it jars at first settles and is compelling. great dingy stuff... hugely recommended.

Bleak and wonderful

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