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Publisher's Summary

The new chilling and captivating novel from the best-selling author of Richard & Judy pick The Secrets Between Us.

When Edie’s mother-in-law, Anna DeLuca, dies, she is relieved. Edie blames Anna for the accident that destroyed her family. So, when her will lures Edie to Sicily and the long-abandoned Villa della Madonna del Mare, she sees through Anna’s games.

Suspecting Anna is meddling from beyond the grave to try to reunite her and her ex-husband Joe, Edie is determined to leave Italy as soon as possible. But before she can, the villa starts to shed its mysterious secrets.

Who are the girls beside Anna in her childhood photos, and why has one of them been scratched out? Why does someone, or something, want them to leave the past untouched? The villa is a place where old ghosts feel at home, but does their legacy need to be laid to rest before Edie and Joe can move on....

Best-selling author Louise Douglas returns with a captivating, chilling and unforgettable tale of betrayal, jealousy and the mysteries hidden in every family history.
©2020 Louise Douglas (P)2020 Boldwood Books
Women's Fiction Genre Fiction
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What listeners say about The House by the Sea

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • SMATTHEWS
  • 18-06-20

not really a ghost story

This is a story of healing and forgiveness. I wish the plot summary was a little more direct and detailed so people would not waste time if this subject matter were not their cup of tea

7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Stacey Frantz
  • 16-10-21

Beautiful suspense!

Gorgeous storytelling. Suspense. Every chapter reads like art. Captivating and wonderful with a fabulous performance by the reader. Highly recommend.

5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Tera
  • 08-01-21

Amazing Book With All The Feels

I absolutely loved this book, it made me feel so many different feelings. It had a little bit of everything, mystery, love, suspense, loss, forgiveness, and so much more. I would recommend it to anyone!

4 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Laur
  • 24-09-20

Fell Flat

I just could not connect to this book... part of it was subject matter (at times it felt like it was leaning towards the horror genre with ghostly elements), but the actual story pace was slow and predictable. Repetitive content encouraged me to start skimming. Character development was flat. I generally enjoy reading/listening anything Sicily, but even Sicily couldn't pull me out of this.

4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
  • Anonymous User
  • 14-03-22

I'm not a parent

2hrs in and I'm done. I get it you child died 10 years ago.
After 2 hours we know who she blames, that she's still mad and that's about it.
I'm over getting beaten over the head with it for a solid 2hrs, 15 minutes would have covered all the angst but unfortunately NOPE!

3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • JonM
  • 27-10-21

Shoddy research!

This author should have done some research on cats if she was going to include them in her novel. Tortoiseshell cats are always female. Yet she writes about a tortoise shell boy. Then she says the kittens didn’t have their eyes open at 4 weeks. Kittens open their eyes by day 10.
The repetition and reiteration of the same theme got very tedious. I doubt I’ll be interested in listening to anything else by this writer.
Kudos to the narrator, though. I’m sticking it out because of her!

3 people found this helpful

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  • Karyn Poole
  • 30-09-21

Good story!

Very creative, well thought out. Nice exposure to Sicily, which I've not previously had. I could relate to the experience of losing a child, how that never stops being haunting. Narration was excellent.

2 people found this helpful

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  • Brittany M.
  • 19-04-21

Couldn't stop listening!

Loved this book so much I finished it too quick! Such a wonderful story with a great twist. My first book by this author, now ready to read more by her! Narrator was excellent too.

2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • VICTORIA E PRALL
  • 18-04-22

Fluff

Not much story a lot of fluff !!! Way too much detail at times I had to fast forward
The narrator was good

1 person found this helpful

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  • KLM
  • 10-04-22

Good mystery

I enjoyed this mystery set in Scilly. I was unable to determine the mystery. This book needs your full attention it is not one to listen to while you go to sleep.

1 person found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • hfffoman
  • 20-10-20

Nowhere near as good as In her Shadow

This is writing of the worst quality. Look at the review which goes into detail with quotations. It is spot on. I actually liked In her Shadow, largely because Emma Powell's voice is so gorgeous. Unfortunately it isn't so expressive here - perhaps because she has adapted to sound like a half-witted middle aged woman wallowing in self pity, in which case all credit to Ms Powell but the book is still a definite miss.

27 people found this helpful

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  • allison flynn
  • 13-02-21

okay read, but predictable. a bit boring

got a bit boring, just wanted it to end and thankfully it did. oh hum

15 people found this helpful

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  • marysinton
  • 04-04-20

The House by the sea

Rather boring book.predictable from first chapter. Too twee. Ok holiday reading but very very boring.

12 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Frankie
  • 19-05-20

Very very good

This book absorbed me from start to finish. It has everything: love, grief and betrayal, murder and mystery, against an intriguing backdrop of Sicily. The island is not presented as a place of holiday bliss, but instead a realistic description of scenic beauty combined with ugly regions and old superstitions.

The story is absorbing, with strong and believable characters, and some moments of high drama and danger. There is also a strong element of the supernatural throughout the book, which gives atmosphere and some moments of horror, but ultimately peace and an acceptance of earlier tragedies, even happiness

10 people found this helpful

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  • Suzanne O'Brien
  • 21-01-21

First thoughts weren’t good!

I first thought this book was dull, but I kept listening and became intrigued by the story line.
Filled with grief but also relief and hope for the future.
A pleasant read!

9 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • rbooler
  • 13-10-20

kept me interested all along

enjoyed it possibly a little longer than needed .
one of my first audible books and wont be the last.

7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Ms Henrietta R. Bond
  • 07-05-20

couldn't stop listening

I really loved this story and was utterly gripped. Beautiful setting and characters one could easily relate to. Douglas's characters are very real - flawed but lhighly likeable human beings who care about others and making a difference to the planet. The plot unfurls effortlessly and I was intrigued by the contrast of menace and beauty all in one place. Great plot twist at the end.

7 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Katherine Fulcher
  • 19-04-20

Really great read

4 star = great read, would recommend to friends, but probably wouldn't read again and again. Really good read, a great break from reality in a genre I wouldn't usually pick up. Great writing and performance, and a good balance of power and sensitivity between male and female characters, who were all interesting with believable strengths and weaknesses. The only reasons that, for me, it wasn't a 5-star read is that it finished a little too abruptly for my liking, and I wasn't bought in to the characters enough to feel any lasting affection for them (and so come back to them later).

5 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 14-03-20

Beautifully written, loved every second

The House by the Sea captivated me from beginning to end. Louise Douglas has created a great story, And I loved Edie and Joe. Felt their heartbreak and the moments of healing. Can picture the villa and the sea. Emma Powell has narrated this perfectly.

4 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Amazon Customer
  • 16-07-21

Trite and predictable,

A very poor story line. Predictably happy ever after with ridiculous plot lines. The narration suited the book, whinny and sugary.

3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Nicky Webber
  • 22-11-21

Family suspense set in Italy.

Good plot with plenty of intrigue and suspense. Became quickly invested in the main characters and immersed in their story.

1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Jane Markac
  • 17-06-22

Absolutely Sparkling Read

I so enjoyed this book.The bright, artistic vernacular was riveting.
So well read with clear even prose, easy to hear.
A great story that made me feel as though I was in Scilly with them. A story of heartbreak and hope, love overcoming violence.

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  • Linda D.
  • 01-06-22

Captivating

How lovely to read a story with a true romance attached. It has restored my faith in the human beings being able torelate and retain love as it should be. excellent

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Lorraine
  • 05-05-22

Most enjoyable story

It took me a little while to get into the story but once I did I couldn’t wait to continue to listen as often as I could.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Amazon Customer
  • 15-03-22

ok

This was an ok story . Gentle to listen heart warming Not the worse but not the worst. .narration fine.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Anonymous User
  • 20-02-22

Push through

Starts well, the middle went a bit long but push through because the ending is worth the wait

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • carol Vona
  • 15-11-21

Very enjoyably story

Narrator is fantastic makes the whole story beautiful and vivid. Happy and sad moments with some thrill to the storyline. Thoroughly recommend if you want something easy to listen to with a beautiful ending.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Anonymous User
  • 09-11-21

Good story

Well written. Good pace. Well defined characters. Narration excellent and well suited to this story. Enjoyed.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Jessica A Souter
  • 19-10-21

The House by the Sea

I loved this book. I wasn’t too sure about it at the start but then I totally got into it.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • julee latimer
  • 14-10-21

wonderful escape

Loved the descriptions of like in Sicily intertwined with a compelling tale of love, loss and intrigue.