The Puzzle Wood

Author Rosie Andrews
Narrator Olivia Vinall
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Run Time 10 hours and 54 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Celtic religion and mythology, Esoteric thriller, Historical crime and mysteries, Industrialisation and industrial history, Myths and Legends, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Narrative theme: Politics.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Bloomsbury presents The Puzzle Wood by Rosie Andrews, read by Olivia Vinall.

'Arresting... [a] tale of madness, murder, disputed inheritances and hints of the supernatural' Sunday Times

'Delicious ... dark ... sinister' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of number one bestseller, Pandora
'Thrilling' Emilia Hart, author of Sunday Times bestseller Weyward
'Stunning' Lianne Dillsworth, author of Theatre of Marvels
'Marvellous' Naomi Kelsey, author of The Burnings

Deep in the woods, something is stirring…

When Miss Catherine Symonds arrives to take up a position as governess at remote Locksley Abbey in the foothills of the Black Mountains, where England bleeds into Wales, she is apprehensive.

It is not the echoing, near empty house with its skeleton staff that frightens her, nor the ancient woods that surround the Abbey or even the dogs that the owner, Sir Rowland, encourages to stalk the grounds, baying for blood. It is Catherine herself who fears scrutiny: her reference and very identity are fraudulent. She is travelling in disguise to investigate the fate of the last governess at the house, who took her own life out in the woods. For that governess was Catherine’s own sister, but until now she had believed Emily had died many years before, when they were just children…

In the outstanding new novel from the author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Leviathan, an isolated forest becomes the unsettling, beguiling backdrop to a tale of myths, memory and murder…

Critics Review

Arresting . . . with its tale of madness, murder, disputed inheritances and hints of the supernatural, The Puzzle Wood . . . carries enjoyable echoes of Wilkie Collins and the sensation fiction of the mid-19th century

Sunday Times

A richly layered Gothic mystery with delicious undertones of menace throughout, The Puzzle Wood is a story full of dark twists with an even darker heart at its sinister core

Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of number one bestseller, Pandora

A tale steeped in myth, memory and a pervading sense of gothic menace, The Puzzle Wood is a truly dark and atmospheric historical novel

Culturefly

Myths, menace and murder pepper the pages of this deliciously dark gothic mystery

Sunday Post

A thrilling trick mirror of a novel, full of twists and turns, myth and menace. Brilliant

Emilia Hart, author of Sunday Times bestseller Weyward

A beguiling mystery, a mythical tale of a forest, and a fantastic Gothic romance rolled into one. Its intriguing secrets and complex characters kept me guessing to the very last page. What will you find hidden within – and beneath – The Puzzle Wood?

Laura Shepperson, author of Sunday Times bestseller, The Heroines

An immediately engaging tale of dark secrets, myths and the supernatural, The Puzzle Wood pulls readers into its labyrinth and refuses to let you go

Alison Stockham, author of Sunday Times bestseller The Cuckoo

Marvellous – gothic tropes are given new menace and intrigue, from the mysterious reclusive wife to the savage pack of hounds, the local superstitions vying with the man of science, the precocious sweet-but-creepy child, the sinister master, and many more. The writing is visceral, at once brutal and beautiful, and the plot is twistier than the trees of the eponymous wood. A wonderfully haunting and eerie novel

Naomi Kelsey, author of The Burnings

The Puzzle Wood by Rosie Andrews is a twisty, masterfully creepy historical novel. It is a richly imagined gothic mystery, with a deep vein of the supernatural running beneath its roots. Perfect for fans of Mrs England by Stacey Halls, this dark tale is sure to enchant

Cailean Steed, author of Home

The skilfully woven threads of this tale reveal a dark and stunning tapestry. Rosie Andrews has crafted an enthralling, original and deeply satisfying read. I loved it

Lianne Dillsworth, author of The Theatre of Marvels

Wonderful. A dark, twisting immersive tale of deception & duplicity, skilfully embroidered with myth, murder & mystery. Gothic as it should be – beautifully written & crafted. Brava, Rosie Andrews

Kate Griffin

The Puzzle Wood is an intriguing, unputdownable take on the gothic mystery where identities are hidden, memories are lost and the death toll keeps rising. As the puzzle pieces fall into place you’ll be left screaming

Cari Thomas, author of Shadowstitch

Praise for The Leviathan: Darkly compelling and dripping with atmosphere, The Leviathan is a bewitching tale of good, evil and all of the shades in-between’

Stacey Halls

Praise for The Leviathan: Spectacular – deliciously creepy, immensely atmospheric and exquisitely written. Rosie Andrews is a phenomenal new voice in historical fiction

Lizzie Pook

Praise for The Leviathan: It’s hard to believe that such an accomplished novel could be a debut – The Leviathan is a gloriously dark story that sweeps you along to its harrowing yet satisfying conclusion. Superb

Susan Stokes-Chapman

User Reviews

Book 5.0

Narration 5.0

5.0

Great read. Lots of unexpected twists which have you gripped right to the end

Elizabethelliott1 30/07/2024

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