Reviews

A fun mysterious tale of interesting characters going through a series intriguing events while isolated in a strange, isolated island. It gives off a nostalgic, classic mystery vibes and is very comforting to listen to. Some parts are genuinely spooky, some action-packed and thrilling, it's a lovely audiobook to enjoy during the cold weather.

Larson’s first fiction; a quick and interesting read. Not his best but still a big fan.

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Erik Larson is a master of narrative nonfiction so it is no wonder that his first fictional tale is just delightful. Having read his all of his prior works it was a great deal of fun to pick out the factual “Easter eggs” & see the influences of all his previous research play out with a supernatural mystery. The references to actual historical events & figures, supported by well researched & explained passages in his established nonfiction books, created a depth of understanding about the time & events for the reader well beyond the typical novel as well as added layers to the characters making them far more nuanced than could typically be accomplished in such a short time. I am sure some people will be annoyed that it is only an audiobook, but as an avid audiobook listener I adored it. Besides, when my black lab was a puppy he decided to gnaw on the cover of my copy of ‘Dead Wake’ leaving a few punctures and that problem has been entirely avoided in this format. I’d love to see more fictionalization among history from Mr Larson, I’m sure he has plenty of research to build from!

I really enjoyed this story as an audiobook and how Larson incorporated history into the setting and the story itself. This was much more philosophical than some of the other ghost stories I've read recently and I liked that take! I did feel the end wrapped up too quickly and overall the pacing was a bit off. The narrator did an excellent job!

