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The Stolen Marriage

A Gripping 1940s Historical Mystery

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The Stolen Marriage

By: Diane Chamberlain
Narrated by: Susan Bennett
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About this listen

Step into the formidable world of The Stolen Marriage, an absorbing novel by Diane Chamberlain, painting a vivid portrait of love, betrayal, and uncertainty in a small town.

In 1944, Tess DeMello abruptly trades a promised future with the love of her life for a marriage shrouded in mystery with Henry Kraft in Hickory, North Carolina.

In a town tainted by racial animosity and the heavy burdens of war, Tess's new life is dominated by the enigmatic figure of her husband, Henry. As his inexplicably reclusive nature unfurls, unwelcome secrets emerge, causing Tess to reassess her hasty decisions.

Tess faces the cruel scrutiny of townsfolk following a local tragedy, fuelling fear and speculation. But when polio threatens her newfound home, Tess draws upon her nursing skills, defying Henry to serve her community.

As she unravels the mystery surrounding her husband and the town of Hickory, will she manage to save not only the lives of her young patients but also build a life for herself?

 20th Century Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Psychological Romantic Suspense Women's Fiction Marriage Romance Exciting Mystery

Critic reviews

A gripping and engrossing tale
Interracial relationships, Tess’s unbearable situation and the secrets Henry keeps all make for a tense, enthralling read. Diane Chamberlain’s gift for storytelling never fails
Twisty and smart (Heat on Pretending to Dance)
A gripping story of a girl's relationship with her father (Women & Home on Pretending to Dance)
[An] engrossing mystery (Hello! on The Silent Sister)
All stars
Most relevant
Bought this book as a trial of a new author and to try a different genre from Crime & Thrillers. Didn’t know what to expect as I’m quite picky on narrators, but I loved it. Had everything in it you could want in a story and had me gripped to the very end. Lovely narration too. Quite sad I’ve finished it.

Completely threw me. Loved it!

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This was not my usual diet of crime and thriller and I am always wary of very "pink" books. This was gentler fodder but well written about an age that was cruel, genteel, intolerant and confused. It was well narrated, well written and very interesting as a comparison to life today.

A lucky find

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Loved this book, brought the atmosphere of the time it is set strongly to life, and Susan Bennett's narration is excellent, her Yankee drawl for Henry's voice brilliant..well done Diane Chamberlain will definitely be listening to more of your audio books!

Good story and narration

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This is a thoroughly enjoyable book which draws you into the complicated life of the central character and her problems. Susan Bennett's performance is excellent.

Thoroughly enjoyable

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One of the things that I love about listening to Diane Chamberlain’s books is that once you’ve finished you’re a lot smarter than when you first started LOL Well I don’t know about smarter but definitely more knowledgeable and better informed. With “Necessary Lies” it was about the euthanasia program in the 50s, boy was that an eye-opener! And now here with “The Stolen Marriage” you finish the book knowing things about polio that you could never have imagined.

I think I’ve said this before but I will say it again, it is always a bonus when you listen to/read a book and as well as thoroughly enjoy it you learn from it as well. As DC commented at the end of the book, this was a fairly labour-intensive endeavour in terms of the research required. On behalf of myself and other readers, I would say thank you very much Diane for educating us about things we would otherwise have never have known about.

As far as this book goes, to be honest I found it hard going in the beginning because it was very dark and negative but having stuck with it, and boy am I glad I did!, it leads you down a very enjoyably twisty and winding path full of suspense, history, knowledge and the unexpected. And as always, Susan Bennett did a marvellous job narrating it. I think she and DC make an excellent team! Another thing I love about DC’s books is that you always get drawn into not only the story but the characters as well. The Stolen Marriage is no exception.

Now my only dilemma is which of the DC’s books should I read next LOL

Another brilliant book by DC

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