
The Madstone
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Will Collyer
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By:
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Elizabeth Crook
About this listen
With echoes of Lonesome Dove and News of the World, the riveting story of a pregnant young mother, her child, and the frontier tradesman who helps them flee across Texas from outlaws bent on revenge, even as an unlikely love blossoms.
Texas, 1868. As nineteen-year-old Benjamin Shreve tends to business in his workshop, he witnesses a stagecoach strand a passenger. When the man persuades Benjamin to help track down the vanished coach—and a mysterious fortune left aboard—he is drawn into a drama whose scope he could never have imagined.
The missing coach has a surprise in store: its other passengers include Nell, a pregnant young woman, and her four-year-old son, Tot, who are on the run from Nell’s brutal husband and his murderous brothers. After learning of their plight, Benjamin offers Nell and Tot passage to the distant Gulf of Mexico, where they can escape to safety. This chivalrous act will prove more dangerous than he could have expected, as buried secrets—including a cursed necklace—reveal themselves.
Even as Benjamin falls in love with Nell and imagines life as Tot’s father, vengeful pursuers are on their trail. With its vivid characters and expansive canvas, The Madstone calls to mind Larry McMurtry’s American epics. The novel is full of eccentric action, unrelenting peril, and droll humor—a thrilling and beautifully rendered story of three people sharing a hazardous and defining journey that will forever bind them together.
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Critic reviews
“The Madstone is a treasure: a brilliant, beautiful page-turner of a book. Elizabeth Crook has reimagined the Western, giving us a poignant love story and a riveting road novel. I devoured it—and you will, too.” (Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Double Bind and The Flight Attendant)
“Elizabeth Crook is a magician of a novelist, bringing the past to life with a tale of epic proportions that must be read to be believed. The voice of Benjamin Shreve stands alone in recent fiction, and all of Crook’s characters linger long after you’ve finished reading. The Madstone is a marvel.” (Nathan Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Sweetness of Water)
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predictable
- By Pam on 01-16-25
By: Liz Parker
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Peach Blossom Spring
- A Novel
- By: Melissa Fu
- Narrated by: Eugenia Low
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 1938 in China and, as a young wife, Meilin’s future is bright. But with the Japanese army approaching, Meilin and her four year old son, Renshu, are forced to flee their home. Relying on little but their wits and a beautifully illustrated hand scroll, filled with ancient fables that offer solace and wisdom, they must travel through a ravaged country, seeking refuge. Years later, Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao. Though his daughter is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood.
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I Cried Every Listen
- By Anonymous User on 04-14-22
By: Melissa Fu
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Pleasantville
- By: Attica Locke
- Narrated by: J.D. Jackson
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Fifteen years after the events of Black Water Rising, Jay Porter is struggling to cope with catastrophic changes in his personal life and the disintegration of his environmental law practice. His victory against Cole Oil is still the crown jewel of his career, even if he hasn't yet seen a dime thanks to appeals. But time has taken its toll. Tired and restless, he's ready to quit.
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An Author You Need to Know
- By L. O. Pardue on 05-18-15
By: Attica Locke
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If We Survive
- By: Andrew Klavan
- Narrated by: Jeremy Johnson
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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High schooler Will Peterson and three friends journeyed to Central America to help rebuild a school. In a poor, secluded mountain village, they won the hearts of the local people with their energy and kindness. But in one sudden moment, everything went horribly wrong. A revolution swept the country. Now, guns and terror are everywhere—and Americans are being targeted as the first to die. Will and his friends have got to get out fast. But streets full of killers . . .hills patrolled by armies . . . and a jungle rife with danger stand between them and the border.
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Engaging
- By melinda neill on 06-20-23
By: Andrew Klavan
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The Enlightenment of Bees
- By: Rachel Linden
- Narrated by: Madison Lawrence
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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At 26, apprentice baker Mia West has her entire life planned out: a Craftsman cottage in Seattle, a job baking at the Butter Emporium, and her first love - her boyfriend, Ethan - by her side. But when Ethan declares he “needs some space”, Mia’s carefully planned future crumbles. Feeling adrift, Mia joins her vivacious housemate Rosie on a humanitarian trip around the world funded by a reclusive billionaire.
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Very cheesy
- By Annon on 10-07-19
By: Rachel Linden
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We Were Brave
- By: Cap Daniels, Melissa Mason
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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When New York Times best-selling novelist Cap Millhouse finds himself alone, destitute, and defeated on the cold winter streets of his hometown, his former fame now buried beneath mountains of despair. His new reality dances in the wake of decisions he can never undo and memories he can never escape. Imprisoned inside his own psyche, Millhouse believes his death is the only path capable of finally putting his demons to rest.
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A different path for me
- By Dallas Britt on 05-10-21
By: Cap Daniels, and others
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To the Bright Edge of the World
- A Novel
- By: Eowyn Ivey
- Narrated by: John Glouchevitch, Christine Lakin, Kiff Vandenheuvel
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In the winter of 1885, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester sets out with his men on an expedition into the newly acquired territory of Alaska. Their objective: to travel up the ferocious Wolverine River, mapping the interior and gathering information on the region's potentially dangerous native tribes. With a young and newly pregnant wife at home, Forrester is anxious to complete the journey with all possible speed and return to her.
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A Jumble
- By Sara on 09-04-16
By: Eowyn Ivey
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Rare Objects
- A Novel
- By: Kathleen Tessaro
- Narrated by: Susan Bennett
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Maeve Fanning is a first-generation Irish immigrant born and raised among the poor, industrious Italian families of Boston's North End by her widowed mother. Clever, capable, and as headstrong as her red hair suggests, she's determined to better herself despite the overwhelming hardships of the Great Depression. However, Maeve also has a dangerous fondness for strange men and bootleg gin - a rebellious appetite that soon finds her spiraling downward, leading a double life.
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I loved this book!!
- By Traci J on 08-19-17
By: Kathleen Tessaro
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The Cape Doctor
- By: E. J. Levy
- Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Beginning in Cork, Ireland, the novel recounts Perry’s journey from daughter to son in order to enter medical school and provide for family, but Perry soon embraced the newfound freedom of living life as a man. From brilliant medical student in Edinburgh and London to eligible bachelor and quick-tempered physician in Cape Town, Dr. Perry thrived.
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Absolutely adored this story - beautifully written
- By TJReads on 09-09-21
By: E. J. Levy
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Spaceman of Bohemia
- By: Jaroslav Kalfar
- Narrated by: Jot Davies
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Orphaned as a boy, raised in the Czech countryside by his doting grandparents, Jakub Procházka has risen from small-time scientist to become the country's first astronaut. When a dangerous solo mission to Venus offers him both the chance at heroism he's dreamt of, and a way to atone for his father's sins as a Communist informer, he ventures boldly into the vast unknown.
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A beautiful book
- By English Teacher on 04-09-18
By: Jaroslav Kalfar
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Qualityland
- By: Marc-Uwe Kling
- Narrated by: Patricia Rodriguez
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Qualityland, Marc-Uwe Kling's first book to be translated into English, is a brilliantly clever, illuminating satire in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and George Orwell that offers a visionary, frightening, and all-too funny glimpse at a near future we may be hurtling toward faster than it's at all comfortable to admit. So why delay any longer? TheShop already knows you're going to love this book. You may as well head to the cash register, crack the covers, and see why that is for yourself.
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Patricia Rodriguez does an amazing job narrating
- By Morrie on 04-28-20
By: Marc-Uwe Kling
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Dead Sea Conspiracy
- A Novel
- By: Jerry B. Jenkins
- Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski, Brian Nishii
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Archaeologist Nicole Berman is the first woman to be awarded a permit to lead a dig in Saudi Arabia. Nicole believes what she hopes to discover has the power to to rewrite world history. She assembles a team that will ultimately surprise—and in some cases—betray her. In a parallel storyline, listeners are launched back to ancient Ur where young Abram is sent to learn from his forebears, who tell him firsthand stories of being on the ark during the Great Flood.
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A must read
- By Misty on 07-03-23
By: Jerry B. Jenkins
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The Gold in These Hills
- By: Joanne Bischof
- Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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1902: Upon arriving in Kenworthy, California, mail-order bride Juniper Cohen is met by the pounding of the gold mine, an untamable landscape, and her greatest surprise of all: the kind and charming man who awaits her. But when the mine proves empty of profit, and when Juniper’s husband, John, vanishes, Juniper is left to fend for herself and her young daughter in the dying town that is now her home.
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Excellent story!
- By Amazon Customer on 07-14-23
By: Joanne Bischof
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In the Clearing
- By: J. P. Pomare
- Narrated by: Eryn Jean Norvil
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against a ticking clock, this "haunting" and "atmospheric" thriller pits a ruthless cult against a mother's love, revealing that our darkest secrets are the hardest ones to leave behind (Sally Hepworth, New York Times best-selling author of The Good Sister).
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Descriptions of childhood sexual abuse, Graphic
- By Lea Crusen on 06-02-21
By: J. P. Pomare
What listeners say about The Madstone
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- Anonymous User
- 03-09-24
Highly enjoyable tale of a young man's Journey in post Civil War Texas
Great story telling about a young cabinet-maker who decides to help a pregnant woman and her young son travel by horse drawn wagon through Texas to the Gulf of Mexico to escape murderous pursuers of the Swamp Fox. A realistic, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking book of hardships and the human spirit.
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- J C
- 12-11-23
An entertaining western yarn and a coming of age and first love story
It was well written and the narrator did a great job as well. I enjoyed it.
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- BK
- 02-02-24
Great fun
In the tradition of "Lonesome Dove," "True Grit," and "News of the World." It's a fun story that's perfect for listening to. Definitely takes you away from the world.
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- Myra Holloway
- 01-12-24
Entertaining and informative
Great narrator, interesting story, keep my attention at every turn. The author’s command of the language and grammar of the time period was remarkable. One of the best books I’ve read lately.
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- CarenK
- 12-26-23
Best Audiobook Reading Ever
Everything about this book is extraordinary - the story, the well-defined characters, the locations all deserve praise. What stands out, though, is the performance by Will Collyer. I have never before been so consistently moved, engaged, and enthralled as I was by the way he inhabits the characters in this novel. An amazing winning combo - an excellent novel, read perfectly, with heart and emotion.
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- Scott B. Delaney
- 08-17-24
Texas History Brought to Life
Great storytelling with broken English throughout. Authentic feel and easy to follow. Worth the read!
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- Sampson
- 01-18-24
Outstanding
A wonderfully researched and written tale. The reader is drawn in immediately and becomes complete vested in the characters. Can’t wait for the author’s next book!
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- Welsh Texan
- 12-30-23
A solid Texas hillcountry western
Some perspective-My favorite books in this genre are Lonesome Dove, The Son, and Cold Mountain (I know it's not geographically a western). I really enjoyed The Madstone.
It is not full of larger-than-life characters. It features regular people experiencing difficult circumstances in a historical context. The character development is thorough and very well done.
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- Judy in Salt Lake
- 12-17-23
A thoroughly engrossing book based in historical record of post Civil War times in Texas 
Beautifully drawn characters, a thoroughly engaging and exciting plot, and historical fiction. I felt like I glimpsed what life might have been like at this time, and in this place, It’s amazing anyone survived it. I really did not want this book to end. Loved the personality of the main character, Excellent narration. Extremely well written, and researched.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-04-24
The characters. But the reader was also excellent and gave The Madstone a « good voice ».
love the language/vernacular used, which seemed in keeping with Benjamin’s time and learning. I also liked its format as a written missive to Tot from Benjamin. Readers should first read The Which Way Tree for an even fuller enjoyment of the main character and his rambunctious earlier adventures.
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