The House of Whispers

Get in the xigxag app
Already purchased

Click to open directly in the xigxag app.

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book. Pre-order Buy Now €{{ price }} Send as a gift
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

WINNER OF THE HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE YEAR AT THE FINGERPRINT AWARDS 2024!
*Picked as one of the best historical novels of 2023 by The Times!*

'A creepy, chilling story - another Anna Mazzola triumph!' JENNIFER SAINT

'Chilling and compelling, with echoes of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca' ESSIE FOX

Sometimes the secrets of the past are more dangerous than the present...

Rome, 1938.

As the world teeters on the brink of war, talented pianist Eva Valenti enters the house of widower Dante Cavallera to become his new wife.

On the outside, the forces of Fascism are accelerating, but in her new home, Eva fears that something else is at work, whispering in the walls and leaving mysterious marks on Dante's young daughter.

Soon she starts to wonder whether the house itself is trying to give up the secrets of its mysterious past - secrets that Dante seems so determined to keep hidden.

However, Eva must also conceal the truth of her own identity, for if she is discovered, she will be in greater danger than she could ever have imagined...

***

Praise for The House of Whispers:

'Mazzola builds up tension skilfully in a story that flirts with the supernatural as it moves towards a fiery conclusion' SUNDAY TIMES

'This gothic ghost novel will keep you reading well into the night' GLAMOUR

'Utterly brilliant. It's Rebecca meets Winter in Madrid with a sprinkling of Mazzola magic' LAURA SHEPHERD-ROBINSON

'An atmospheric spine-tingler' HEAT

'Packed with political and emotional intrigue, historically rich and deeply unsettling' SARAH HILARY

'Deliciously creepy' WOMAN'S WEEKLY

'Absolutely brilliant. Gripping, beautifully written and properly chilling' CAROLINE GREEN

'Atmospheric and unsettling' DAILY RECORD

'Beautiful, chilling, and darkly enchanting. Anna Mazzola is a truly gifted storyteller' CHRIS WHITAKER

'A sinister gothic tale' COSMO

'I ripped through The House of Whispers in double quick time' JAMES OSWALD

'A deliciously creepy tale from the masterful Anna Mazzola' WOMAN

'Robert Harris meets M.R. James in an evocative gothic tale' DAVID HEWSON

'A gothic tale of political and psychological terror' GUARDIAN

'The sense of place is impeccable, the sense of danger truly chilling' SINEAD CROWLEY

'A delicately told ghost story set in the bright heat of 1930's Italy. Claustrophobic and compelling' AMANDA MASON

Critics Review

A creepy, chilling story - another Anna Mazzola triumph!
JENNIFER SAINT
Chilling and compelling, with echoes of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, this is a thrilling mystery with many eerie twists and turns to keep you hooked all through the night
ESSIE FOX
Powerful, spine-tingling and beautifully penned, this is gothic historical fiction at its very best and cements Mazzola as one of its most talented exponents
ABIR MUKHERJEE
Darkly atmospheric and dripping with menace. Anna Mazzola is a twisted genius
TAMMY COHEN
Absolutely brilliant. Gripping, beautifully written and properly chilling
CAROLINE GREEN
Beautiful, chilling, and darkly enchanting. Anna Mazzola is a truly gifted storyteller, and in The House of Whispers has created a novel so rich in detail, so clever and twisting
CHRIS WHITAKER
Eerie and unsettling, but perhaps Anna Mazzola's superbly realised depiction of a nation gripped by the horrors of fascism is the most terrifying thing of all
KATE GRIFFIN
A wonderful tale, if also deeply unsettling and creepy. I ripped through The House of Whispers in double quick time
JAMES OSWALD
Robert Harris meets M.R. James in an evocative gothic tale set in a Rome on the edge of catastrophe . . . Mazzola's dazzling imagination is at its very peak
DAVID HEWSON
The sense of place is impeccable, the sense of danger truly chilling
SINÉAD CROWLEY
The thrilling tale of a woman caught between the pressures of pre-war Italy and the more mysterious manifestations of something amiss in her own household
ALISON LITTLEWOOD
A delicately told ghost story set in the bright heat of 1930s Italy. Claustrophobic and compelling
AMANDA MASON
Packed with political and emotional intrigue . . . historically rich and deeply unsettling
SARAH HILARY
Gothic, immersive and very, very scary . . . Set in 1939 Rome against the rise of fascism, injecting a powerful sense of dread
ALLY WILKES
A gripping, thrilling story which had me hooked from the start, as the terrifying reality of fascism in pre-war Italy is increasingly entwined in an anguished marriage
MARY CHAMBERLAIN
Tense historical fiction like no other . . . Dark and mysterious with whispers of a buried past hidden in the walls. I cannot recommend The House of Whispers highly enough
AJ WEST
Supernatural events in a house mirror the creeping fascism in 1930s Rome . . . An absolute page turner
JULIE OWEN MOYLAN
What a rare treat . . . Offers a real insight into a little-explored era - in this case Mussolini's fascist destruction of Italy. Utterly authentic
AK TURNER
Anna Mazzola skilfully blends personal trauma and political violence in her novel of innocence destroyed and betrayal - and adds a dash of Gothic for good measure
ELIZABETH BUCHAN
Fascinating, tense and very, very creepy
MICHAEL MALONE

More from the same

Author

Narrator

About xigxag

Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

 

Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.

 

Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.