The Poison Thread Audiobook By Laura Purcell cover art

The Poison Thread

A Novel

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Poison Thread

By: Laura Purcell
Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle, Elizabeth Knowelden
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.25

Buy for $20.25

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

"[An] uncanny Gothic mystery... Satisfying." (The New York Times Book Review)

"A romping read with a deliciously dark conceit at its center... Reminded me of Alias Grace." (Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Deathless Girls)

From the author of The Silent Companions, a thrilling Victorian gothic horror story about a young seamstress who claims her needle and thread have the power to kill

Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy, and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor, and awaiting trial for murder.

When Dorothea's charitable work brings her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted by the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets one of the prisoners, the teenaged seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another strange idea: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread - because Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches.

The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations - of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses - will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality, and the power of redemption. Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer? For fans of Shirley Jackson, The Poison Thread is a spine-tingling, sinister listen about the evil that lurks behind the facade of innocence.

©2019 Laura Purcell (P)2019 Penguin Audio
Ghosts Gothic Historical Fiction Horror Fiction Scary Haunted

Critic reviews

"Suspenseful.... This smart and sophisticated historical thriller will appeal to fans of Sarah Waters’s Fingersmith and Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace." (Publishers Weekly)

"A potent, powerful novel: seductive, spellbinding, and - in every sense of the word - haunting. As atmospheric as Sarah Waters, as psychologically astute as Tana French." (A.J. Finn, number one New York Times best-selling author)

“[The Poison Thread is] a compelling slice of early Victorian gothic.... Vivid and well researched, this book is an evocative portrait of a society that punishes women who dare to contravene social norms...a splendid mystery with suitably melodramatic flourishes.” (The Guardian)

What listeners say about The Poison Thread

Highly rated for:

Gripping Storyline Unpredictable Twists Compelling Narration Atmospheric Gothic Tale Excellent Voice Acting
Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    504
  • 4 Stars
    162
  • 3 Stars
    54
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    521
  • 4 Stars
    102
  • 3 Stars
    25
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    441
  • 4 Stars
    141
  • 3 Stars
    51
  • 2 Stars
    16
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

absolutely fantastic introduction to Ms Purcell

I grabbed this book by chance and I am beyond glad that I did! not only is the story enthralling, the characters interesting and well-developed, but the performance is fantastic. 10/10 would recommend for any fan of slow burning horror.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling read!

Very compelling read with twists and turns. Good performances, excellent story. Well executed overall. Recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dark Story, but I really liked it

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the different voices of the two characters. Really well done!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One for my best of the year list

Oh, I loved this dark, atmospheric tale ! Tragic, yes, heartbreaking definetely, but it pulled me into the despair and squaller of the lives of the poor in 19th century England. There are some pretty horrific sequences in the narrative, so this may not be a story for sensitive souls. Jayne Entwistle was perfection as Ruth; Elizabeth Knowlton was a bit too whispery as Dorothea.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So good!

Engaging, creative story that is well narrated. If you like gothic novels, you’ll love this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A raw and engaging book with great perspective.

A raw and engaging book with great perspective. I listened to it too fast!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The ending was odd - possible spoiler

Possible Spoiler in my revirw-

If the ending had been a bit better, I'd have given this story 5 stars.

As a whole I really enjoyed the book and the storyline. I learned a piece of history I hadn't known before about arsenic being in certain dyes. I wonder how many innocent people had been sentenced to death over arsenic being in clothing in history that were innocent?

There is a lot of back and forth between Dorothea and Ruth and did get confused from time to time, but I love how the author had Dorothea feel an apathy towards Ruth. How she was able to put herself in Ruth's shies to develop an understanding for her life and just how hard it was. The natrators did a great job of making you believe they were the characters they were protraying.

Thus book was described as a "chilling mystery" but it wasn't very chilling to me. It was definitely on the lighter side.

As a whole I'd not hesitate to recommend this book to others.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Horrific and Addictive

I thought this story so very sad for the characters. The time period sets it that way. I will mention that when Ruth's mother was in the process of delivering her baby I cringed and groaned. The performances were very well done and I could see the characters in my mind. It could be horrible and depressing!
I listened at work and on tbe way home, i just had to know how it would all play out.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great characters and storyline

I listen to this book in just a few days, not putting it down any longer than I had to. The characters and narrators kept me captivated with a very creative storyline. The ending was it. It’s surprising and I’m not sure what to make of it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Just WOW!

Wow! Excellent story, excellent narrators. I could not put this one down. Great book club or beach listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful