The Turnglass cover art

The Turnglass

The Sunday Times Bestseller - turn the book, uncover the mystery

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The Turnglass

By: Gareth Rubin
Narrated by: Joe Eyre, George Greenland
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About this listen

 THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'The Turnglass is a bold, breathtaking piece of writing that absolutely nails its two books in one conceit. I doubt I’ll ever read anything like it again, which is the highest compliment I can offer' Stuart Turton

'Not just a book, but an experience - one in which twists and turns are both on the page and in the very act of reading itself. Two haunting narratives conspire to create a dark, menacing tale that spans half a century of secrets as they echo back and forth - all while the sand slowly drains away . . . This is a story about stories and their perspectives, the passage of time and the slow march of the inevitable. Vivid, resonant, melancholy and beautiful' Janice Hallett

‘A stunning, ingenious, truly immersive mystery. The Turnglass is a thrilling delight' Chris Whitaker

Stuart Turton meets The Magpie Murders in this immersive and unique story for fans of clever crime fiction.

1880s England. On the bleak island of Ray, off the Essex coast, an idealistic young doctor, Simeon Lee, is called from London to treat his cousin, Parson Oliver Hawes, who is dying. Parson Hawes, who lives in the only house on the island – Turnglass House – believes he is being poisoned. And he points the finger at his sister-in-law, Florence. Florence was declared insane after killing Oliver’s brother in a jealous rage and is now kept in a glass-walled apartment in Oliver’s library. And the secret to how she came to be there is found in Oliver’s tête-bêche journal, where one side tells a very different story from the other.

1930s California. Celebrated author Oliver Tooke, the son of the state governor, is found dead in his writing hut off the coast of the family residence, Turnglass House. His friend Ken Kourian doesn’t believe that Oliver would take his own life. His investigations lead him to the mysterious kidnapping of Oliver’s brother when they were children, and the subsequent secret incarceration of his mother, Florence, in an asylum. But to discover the truth, Ken must decipher clues hidden in Oliver’s final book, a tête-bêche novel – which is about a young doctor called Simeon Lee . . .

PRAISE FOR THE TURNGLASS:

'Rubin has pulled off the difficult trick of writing an ambitious novel that is also an easy, enjoyable read' The Times, Crime Book of the Month

'An intricate and thoroughly mesmerising tale of family plots and schemes across several generations' Guardian

'Your initial amazement at his ingenuity comes to sit alongside an appreciation of the heart and depth he brings to his stories. A risky idea, beautifully executed' The Telegraph Crime Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Mystery World Literature Fiction England Detective

Critic reviews

‘Rubin deserves top marks for originality and for braving such a niche literary format . . . what really stands out is the masterful way the tales are cemented together. Believable characters and accomplished characterization add to the suspense, and with Rubin’s expressive and easily digestible prose both stories can appreciated as old-fashioned murder mysteries' The Lady

‘Murder, mystery and secrets combine to create a dazzling achievement that will hook you in' Best Magazine

‘It’s an incredible book, it’s so different. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before’ Quick Book Reviews Podcast

‘You will feel yourself being drawn into the lives of the main characters and you will find it very difficult to put the books down' South London Press

‘The Turnglass is a narrative of mysterious beauty, locking two very different writing styles to tell two very different stories that are linked so, so very elegantly' Shots

‘This is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read this year’ Bay Tales
All stars
Most relevant
Firstly, I want to mention the narrator. He has a fantastic voice for reading audiobooks and does great, believable voices. I have one gripe that might be bigger some people than others. He needs to look at the technical aspect of narration in terms of equipment or proximity to that equipment. There's a lot of sounds from refreshing saliva I presume. I listen via headphones and via my car stereo, as you can imagine it's very obvious via headphones but is still noticeable in the car despite the road noises. I honestly feel bad for mentioning it but I know some people can get very odd put by sounds like that. otherwise it was one of the best narrators I've heard with a clear voice, nice pace and, as mentioned before, brilliant voices.

The story is an interesting concept and I have seen people prefering one of the other. Personally I liked both, they were different genres of story, with different settings and different characters. I will be hunting out the author on social media because I feel the ending could have gone a different way if he'd continued to be faithful to the whole concept. although I'm sure he's probably already had that suggested.
that being said, the first story was preferable to me because I prefer that genre but that doesn'taje the second one bad.
I had a good drive today that I was looking forward to because it meant I'd finish this book in the one trip.

Interesting concept, nice story

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great story good narration two books in one one very haunting story one to tie up first book great twists and turns however did guess outcome of second book well worth a listen

wow

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An extremely well written book with a fantastical story that proves it.
I would highly recommend you to dive in and enjoy.

Absolutely Brilliant!

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Have you ever read a Tête-bêche novel before? I have not and so was intrigued not only by this format but the intertwined stories held within.

Both stories draw you in right from the first page and it becomes very hard to put down - so much so that I bought the audio so that when I was forced to do other things such as cook, I could continue to read the stories.

You can start from either side of the book - it has no back cover but 2 front covers! So once you are done with one story, you flip the book and read the other. You can start from either side.

The blue side has almost a gothic feel to it. Set in 1880’s England. I started here because I wanted to go in chronological order.

I really enjoyed the the character development and the mysteries contained within each.

My favourite? I think I liked the 1880’s England one the best - probably because the main protagonist Simeon was a doctor and was very methodical in his thinking and action. Though I did really come to like Ken too.

#TêteBêche #TheTurnglass #ReadAndReview #Bookish #Bookstagram #Mystery

A Tête-Bêche Pair of Mysteries

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3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was something I had never read before and I can see why people would like it. I’m not saying I didn’t, but I didn’t quite get the gist of the story. However the actors who read for the characters, did a really great job at bringing them to life (love the music addition).

A different book (not sure if I completely understood)

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