
The Auctioneer
Valancourt 20th Century Classics
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Matt Godfrey
-
By:
-
Joan Samson
About this listen
One of the finest and best-selling horror novels of the 1970s returns at last to chill a new generation.
In the isolated farming community of Harlowe, New Hampshire, where life has changed little over the past several decades, John Moore and his wife, Mim, work the land that has been in his family for generations. But from the moment the charismatic Perly Dinsmore arrives in town and starts soliciting donations for his auctions, things begin slowly and insidiously to change in Harlowe. As the auctioneer carries out his terrible, inscrutable plan, the Moores and their neighbors will find themselves gradually but inexorably stripped of their freedom, their possessions, and perhaps even their lives....
A chilling masterpiece of terror whose sense of creeping menace and dread increases throughout, Joan Samson's The Auctioneer (1975) is a rediscovered classic of 20th-century fiction. With echoes of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and Stephen King's Needful Things, Samson's novel returns at last in this long-awaited new edition.
©1975, 2018 Joan Samson (P)2018 Valancourt Books, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Fisherman
- By: John Langan
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story.
-
-
The Horror of Loss
- By Jim N on 04-20-17
By: John Langan
-
The Hunger
- By: Alma Katsu
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They cannot escape the feeling that someone—or something—is stalking them. Whether it was a curse from the beautiful Tamsen, the choice to follow an experimental route West, or just bad luck - the 90 men, women, and children of the Donner Party are at the brink of one of the deadliest adventures in history.
-
-
Soap opera posing as horror
- By Karen Weaver on 03-23-18
By: Alma Katsu
-
Let's Go Play at the Adams'
- By: Mendal W Johnson
- Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"They're just kids.... It's only a game." That's what Barbara, a lovely 20-year-old babysitter told herself when she awoke bound and gagged. But the knots were tight and painful and the children would not let her go.
-
-
Shock Value Depravity
- By ATCTGAGTGCCTTTG on 04-17-20
By: Mendal W Johnson
-
Ghost Story
- By: Peter Straub
- Narrated by: Buck Schirner
- Length: 22 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For four aging men in the terror-stricken town of Milburn, New York, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. Now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past - and get away with murder. Peter Straub's classic best seller is a work of "superb horror" ( Washington Post Book World) that, like any good ghost story, stands the test of time - and conjures our darkest fears and nightmares.
-
-
Great Story! The Best of Peter Straub
- By Jaimie on 07-17-12
By: Peter Straub
-
The Only Good Indians
- By: Stephen Graham Jones
- Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From New York Times best-selling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a novel that is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American-Indian experience. Fans of Jordan Peele and Tommy Orange will love this story as it follows the lives of four American-Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a vengeful way.
-
-
this is the best book I've listened to maybe ever
- By Anthony on 07-15-20
-
When Darkness Loves Us
- Paperbacks from Hell
- By: Elizabeth Engstrom
- Narrated by: Karly Hutchins
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sally Ann and Martha. Two women, searching for love. Finding terror. During a terrifying storm, a gentle childhood is destroyed by a twisted man who promises love but delivers nightmare. In the lightless depths of an underground labyrinth, unseen creatures lie in wait for an innocent traveler, cold skeletal hands stretched out in welcome. There is horror in darkness - horror made greater when darkness loves us.
-
-
Loved it
- By timj26 on 04-30-23
-
The Fisherman
- By: John Langan
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. Steep-banked, fast-moving, it offers the promise of fine fishing, and of something more, a possibility too fantastic to be true. When Abe and Dan, two widowers who have found solace in each other's company and a shared passion for fishing, hear rumors of the Creek, and what might be found there, the remedy to both their losses, they dismiss it as just another fish story.
-
-
The Horror of Loss
- By Jim N on 04-20-17
By: John Langan
-
The Hunger
- By: Alma Katsu
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They cannot escape the feeling that someone—or something—is stalking them. Whether it was a curse from the beautiful Tamsen, the choice to follow an experimental route West, or just bad luck - the 90 men, women, and children of the Donner Party are at the brink of one of the deadliest adventures in history.
-
-
Soap opera posing as horror
- By Karen Weaver on 03-23-18
By: Alma Katsu
-
Let's Go Play at the Adams'
- By: Mendal W Johnson
- Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"They're just kids.... It's only a game." That's what Barbara, a lovely 20-year-old babysitter told herself when she awoke bound and gagged. But the knots were tight and painful and the children would not let her go.
-
-
Shock Value Depravity
- By ATCTGAGTGCCTTTG on 04-17-20
By: Mendal W Johnson
-
Ghost Story
- By: Peter Straub
- Narrated by: Buck Schirner
- Length: 22 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For four aging men in the terror-stricken town of Milburn, New York, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. Now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past - and get away with murder. Peter Straub's classic best seller is a work of "superb horror" ( Washington Post Book World) that, like any good ghost story, stands the test of time - and conjures our darkest fears and nightmares.
-
-
Great Story! The Best of Peter Straub
- By Jaimie on 07-17-12
By: Peter Straub
-
The Only Good Indians
- By: Stephen Graham Jones
- Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From New York Times best-selling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a novel that is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American-Indian experience. Fans of Jordan Peele and Tommy Orange will love this story as it follows the lives of four American-Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a vengeful way.
-
-
this is the best book I've listened to maybe ever
- By Anthony on 07-15-20
-
When Darkness Loves Us
- Paperbacks from Hell
- By: Elizabeth Engstrom
- Narrated by: Karly Hutchins
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sally Ann and Martha. Two women, searching for love. Finding terror. During a terrifying storm, a gentle childhood is destroyed by a twisted man who promises love but delivers nightmare. In the lightless depths of an underground labyrinth, unseen creatures lie in wait for an innocent traveler, cold skeletal hands stretched out in welcome. There is horror in darkness - horror made greater when darkness loves us.
-
-
Loved it
- By timj26 on 04-30-23
-
The Return
- By: Rachel Harrison
- Narrated by: Sarah Scott
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julie is missing, and no one believes she will ever return - except Elise. Elise knows Julie better than anyone, and feels it in her bones that her best friend is out there and that one day Julie will come back. She’s right. Two years to the day that Julie went missing, she reappears with no memory of where she’s been or what happened to her. Along with Molly and Mae, their two close friends from college, the women decide to reunite at a remote inn. But the second Elise sees Julie, she knows something is wrong - she’s emaciated, with sallow skin and odd appetites.
-
-
Great climax.
- By Amazon Customer on 03-25-20
By: Rachel Harrison
-
How to Sell a Haunted House
- By: Grady Hendrix
- Narrated by: Jay Aaseng, Mikhaila Aaseng
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world. Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success.
-
-
Nope, nope, nope.
- By Karen Johnson on 01-24-23
By: Grady Hendrix
-
The Spite House
- A Novel
- By: Johnny Compton
- Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he's desperate for money—it's not easy to find steady, safe work when you can't provide references, you can't stay in one place for long, and you're paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.
-
-
FINALLY! A True literary horror/ghost story
- By KristiW594 on 03-20-23
By: Johnny Compton
-
Kill Creek
- By: Scott Thomas
- Narrated by: Bernard Setaro Clark
- Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When best-selling horror author Sam McGarver is invited to spend Halloween night in one of the country's most infamous haunted houses, he reluctantly agrees. At least he won't be alone; joining him are three other masters of the macabre, writers who have helped shape modern horror. But what begins as a simple publicity stunt will become a fight for survival. The entity they have awakened will follow them, torment them, threatening to make them a part of the bloody legacy of Kill Creek.
-
-
UNUSUAL PREMISE, COULDN'T STOP LISTENING
- By Linda Likes to Learn on 12-02-17
By: Scott Thomas
-
Animal Farm
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture, quoted so often that we tend to forget who wrote the original words! This must-read is also a must-listen!
-
-
If you hate spoilers, save the intro for last.
- By Dusty on 02-18-11
By: George Orwell
-
The Handyman Method
- By: Nick Cutter, Andrew F. Sullivan
- Narrated by: Corey Brill
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a young family moves into an unfinished development community, cracks begin to emerge in both their new residence and their lives, as a mysterious online DIY instructor delivers dark subliminal suggestions about how to handle any problem around the house. The trials of home improvement, destructive insecurities, and haunted house horror all collide in this thrilling story perfect for fans of Nick Cutter’s bestsellers The Troop and The Deep.
-
-
Great but Short
- By Leah C. on 08-11-23
By: Nick Cutter, and others
-
The Ruins
- By: Scott Smith
- Narrated by: Patrick Wilson
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Ruins follows two American couples enjoying a pleasant, lazy beach holiday together in Mexico. On an impulse, they go off with newfound friends in search of one of their group, the young German who, in pursuit of a girl, has headed for the remote Mayan ruins, site of a fabled archeological dig.
-
-
Singularly Harsh
- By Fredrick J. on 03-07-17
By: Scott Smith
-
The Ceremonies
- By: T. E. D. Klein
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
- Length: 21 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For graduate student Jeremy Freirs, citified, cynical, yet prone to daydreams, summer is the time to shed a few pounds and finally get some reading done for a course on Gothic literature. He's picked just the right place: the small, secluded village of Gilead, New Jersey, only 90 minutes from Manhattan but, with its antique customs and clannish traditions, seemingly centuries away. For farmers Sarr and Deborah Poroth, young members of Gilead's fundamentalist community, the summer threatens a conflict between their passionate natures and the stern dictates of their faith.
-
-
Let the ceremonies begin...
- By writing.reader on 06-19-19
By: T. E. D. Klein
-
The Institute
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis' parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there's no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents - telekinesis and telepathy - who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and 10-year-old Avery Dixon.
-
-
I really wanted to like this novel.. but..
- By Wendi on 09-21-19
By: Stephen King
-
Brave New World
- By: Aldous Huxley
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Lenina and Bernard visit a savage reservation, we experience how Utopia can destroy humanity. Cloning, feel-good drugs, anti-aging programs, and total social control through politics, programming, and media: has Aldous Huxley accurately predicted our future? With a storyteller's genius, he weaves these ethical controversies in a compelling narrative that dawns in the year 632 A.F. (After Ford, the deity). When Lenina and Bernard visit a savage reservation, we experience how Utopia can destroy humanity.
-
-
Michael York should stick to the stage and leave narration to the pros.
- By SD on 08-21-19
By: Aldous Huxley
-
Under the Dome
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Raul Esparza
- Length: 34 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when - or if - it will go away.
-
-
Glad I Listened to 11-22-63 First
- By Russell on 02-09-12
By: Stephen King
-
You See the Monster
- A Modern Horror Novel
- By: Luke Smitherd
- Narrated by: Luke Smitherd
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Guy is about to finish writing his breakthrough online article. He overheard the story by chance in a pub and it’s guaranteed to go viral - all he needs to do is persuade the World’s Unluckiest Man to talk to him. His best friend Larry’s quest for killer clickbait material has led him to a recently appeared shanty town in Glasgow, where he finds some kind of urban voodoo cult. Ex-cop Sam has already come face-to-face with the terrifying force behind both these phenomena, but he’s been trying to put it out of his mind.
-
-
A pleasant (horrifying) surprise
- By Theasophia on 10-24-21
By: Luke Smitherd
nice.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Better than I expected
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well done
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It's scary cause it's true
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not sure why this is considered horror.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not a horror story as I was led to believe
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The Horror At Hand
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Does not belong in the "horror" section
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Interesting plot!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Unbelievable
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.