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The Bequest Audiobook
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Publisher Description
After her professor’s suspicious death, a PhD student uncovers dark machinations among her academic associates in this “richly atmospheric and irresistibly readable” (Joyce Carol Oates) Gothic mystery set between Scotland, Italy, and France.
Fleeing a disastrous affair with a colleague in Boston, Isabel Henley moves to Scotland to begin a PhD with a renowned feminist professor―only to learn, upon arrival, that her advisor has suffered a deadly fall. Soon after, Isabel is informed that another scholar at the university is about to publish a book on her dissertation topic, leaving her disconcerted and in search of a new subject, all while struggling to acclimate to her new home abroad.
Isabel needs a good friend during such a rocky start, and finds one when she reconnects with Rose Brewster, her charismatic classmate from undergrad. But when Rose confides to Isabel that she is in trouble, and then goes missing, Isabel’s already-unsteady life is sent into a tailspin. A suicide note surfaces, followed by a coded message: Rose is alive but, unless Isabel can complete the research begun before her friend’s disappearance, both women will be killed by her captors.
As Isabel follows the Rose’s paper trail from Genoa to Florence and, finally, to Paris, she uncovers family secrets, the legend of an enormous cursed emerald, and a chain of betrayal and treason which parallels her own perilous present. If she can put the pieces together soon, she could solve a 400-year-old mystery―and save her and her friend’s lives in the process.
Combining epistolary elements, Gothic suspense, and an atmospheric “dark academia” setting, The Bequest is a gripping literary thriller that will appeal to fans of Alex Michaelides’ The Maidens and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.
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“Kimberly M. Wetherell’s skilled narration creates the perfect backdrop for this dark academic thriller…Wetherell seamlessly shifts among American, Scottish, and Italian accents, as well as covering a range of English accents. Her strong characterizations and spot-on timing help to keep the listener engaged.”
— AudioFile
Quotes
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“There are two attractions here: the present-day academic whodunnit and the olden puzzle revealed in Renaissance letters; viewers of the Netflix series The Chair will eat this up.”
— First Clue -
“The author not only maintains suspense but makes the historical figures come vibrantly alive through their correspondence.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“This one will appeal to lovers of Dan Brown and Elizabeth Kostova and other mysteries of old documents and historical figures."
— Kirkus Reviews -
“A first rate mystery…[with] intriguing plot and well drawn characters.”
— Martin Cruz Smith, New York Times bestselling author -
“Intricately plotted, exquisitely written, and brimming with atmosphere, The Bequest is a brilliant debut, as smart as it is compelling.”
— Tasha Alexander, author of In the Shadow of Vesuvius -
“Whether evoking present-day Scotland in a windswept region overlooking the North Sea, or Renaissance Genoa in a time of vertiginous political plotting, The Bequest is filled with unexpected turns and revelations for the reader as well as the historian-heroine.”
— Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times bestselling author
Awards
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An AudioFile Editors’ Pick of the Month
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An Amazon Editor’s Top Pick in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
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A CrimeReads Pick of Most Anticipated Novels of the Month
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A Bustle Pick of Upcoming Books
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A PopSugar Pick of Most Anticipated New Books
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About Joanna Margaret
Joanna Margaret is an art historian whose previous writing and scholarly work has focused on Florentine aristocrats in sixteenth-century France. She holds a PhD from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and an MFA degree from New York University. The Bequest is her first novel.
About Kimberly M. Wetherell
Kimberly M. Wetherell is a classically trained actor, award-winning filmmaker, international opera director, published essayist, and talented audiobook narrator.