Old Soul Audiobook By Susan Barker cover art

Old Soul

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Old Soul

By: Susan Barker
Narrated by: George Blagden, Jill Winternitz, Olivia Vinall
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The Historian meets Under the Skin in this searingly provocative literary horror novel about one woman’s determination to stay alive at any terrifying cost.

In Osaka, two strangers, Jake and Mariko, miss a flight, and over dinner, discover they've both brutally lost loved ones whose paths crossed with the same beguiling woman no one has seen since.

Following traces this mysterious person left behind, Jake travels from country to country gathering chilling testimonies from others who encountered her across the decades—a trail of shattered souls that eventually leads him to Theo, a dying sculptor in rural New Mexico, who knows the woman better than anyone—and might just hold the key to who, or what, she is.

Part horror, part western, part thriller, Old Soul is a fearlessly bold and genre-defying tale about predation, morality and free will, and one man’s quest to bring a centuries-long chain of human devastation to an end.

©2025 Susan Barker (P)2025 Penguin Audio Editors Select Horror Psychological Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Exciting Scary

Critic reviews

“Every subplot is a beautifully complete, historically accurate little world of its own. . . Rendered so bleakly that H.P. Lovecraft would be envious. . . Do not miss Old Soul, the most satisfyingly grim supernatural novel in years.” —Wall Street Journal

"Old Soul is an extraordinary achievement. A brutal interrogation of art, connection, the meaning of and impulse toward life itself. I couldn't put it down." —Beth Underdown, author of The Witchfinder's Sister

"Susan Barker is a tremendous writer and Old Soul snags the reader in its claw and mesmerises from page one. I often wondered if I was devouring the story or vice versa, I was so engrossed. It is not an option to put this book down." —Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch

Dear Listener,

What drew me to write Old Soul, and what am I excited for you to discover?
"I wrote Old Soul out of a love of many things: horror and the supernatural, monstrous women, darkly romantic love stories, and novels that contain stories-within-stories, spiraling across decades and continents. The novel is about one man’s quest to track down a mysterious woman who destroyed the lives of many, including his closest friend. It’s about the tug-of-war between our self-centered desires and the obligations we owe to others, especially to those we love. At the center of it all is the question: Without human connection, is life—even eternal life—worth living at all?
My hope is that listening will be an exhilarating ride. I would love for you to experience all the heart-thudding, spine-chilling escapism of the horror genre as you move through time and place with our appalling antihero, witnessing her deeds through her victims’ eyes. And if Old Soul leaves you feeling scared, maybe even too nervous to turn out the lights ... then my job as an author is done."– Susan Barker, writer of Old Soul
Compelling Testimonies • Haunting Mystery • Strong Characters • Unique Storyline • Well-written Descriptions
Highly rated for:
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Loved that I was surprised at the end. Looking forward to more by this author.

Creepy and good

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Best new novel I’ve read in years. I will read anything Barker writes going forward.

Stunning

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If one has an open mind about supernatural possibilities, the story is terrifying - both the antagonist and her victims are sad. Neither are free from the Tyrant.
This story is one that I've not heard of before. I have read very few stories about skinwalkers, but none have been like this. I'm not sure if this is a "true" skinwalker, but the evil seems awfully similar.
The character descriptions and their stories were well written. I listened to the audiobook version and thought the narration was well done.
I'd recommend this book.

Terrifying Thought

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I really enjoyed the detail and creativity of this story, and the character development was very well done. That said, the book overall was heavy and not a happy journey, and the ending did not leave me where I wanted to be.

Very Heavy

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It’s hard to know what is actually good, with book intros always selling it as the next big thing, short listed for so and so prize etc.

This book seems like one that will some day be considered a “classic” - similar to Frankenstein, Dracula, etc.

But with modern twists, and way more depth.

Is it “scary”? I can’t decide for you, but I don’t think this book is meant to be scary per se - more like haunting, mysterious, and a little sad.

Modern classic

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I give it a strong 3.7 so rounded up to 4. The story of Jake meeting Mariko at the beginning was quite compelling. Two strangers meet and discover people close to them had odd disturbing deaths and that a strange and mysterious woman was somehow involved.

At first I was confused by the structure which skips between Jake’s testimony gathering and a storyline where the woman is preparing her next victim. Ultimately Jake set out on a journey to find this strange woman and is able to get testimonies from various people who also encountered the woman who seems to be the cause of a loved one’s death. Each testimony is a horror story all by itself.

Those testimonies are interspersed with the story of the evil woman out in the badlands on a “photoshoot” with her young naive victim. That story drags on a bit. The evil woman is trying to “wrap something up” with her young female victim in preparation for what seems to be some kind of “sacrificial lamb” story that will allow her to continue to not age and to go on living under some dark presence, like a dark mystical Lord of sorts.

Overall, there were enough disquieting scenes to keep you engaged. I really liked the female character Theo which is the longest testimony and the story that finally interweaves with the other ongoing storyline. That story for me made this one worth the time.

Strong characters…

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The story definitely kept my interest but I couldn’t help but be distracted by the “German accent” that was much more of a Russian accent. Strange.

Good story but…

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I really enjoyed trying to figure out where this story was going. It could get a little confusing at times because of the change in narrators in different time periods. Multiple character’s stories unfold but not necessarily sequentially. It creates an unease too, almost like the confusion and determination the first character finds in this discovery. Great job!

Interesting!

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I stayed up all night to finish this book. It stays with you after its done.

Excellent Story

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This was my second most disliked book on audible after 150+ books. I think it was the last 2 hours that had me confused and a bit grossed out. Glad the books over and I won't be recommending it.

Vulgar at random times; no real value

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