Echoes of the Macabre is a selection of some of Daphne du Maurier’s most beloved short stories. This Audible Exclusive is narrated by the famous voice and radio actor, Valentine Dyall.

About the book

Echoes of the Macabre features five of Daphne du Maurier’s most thrilling short stories:

'Don’t Look Now': a couple who are grieving their child’s death end up encountering two old women who supposedly have second-sight while on a break in Venice. What ensues is a heart-wrenching series of strange events that eventually turn violent. 

'Not After Midnight': a schoolteacher becomes obsessed with a wild man he encounters on the island of Crete. 

'The Birds': a disabled farmer tries to protect his family from the onslaught of birds that try to invade his home. He learns from the radio and what he has seen himself that the birds will stop at nothing and will attack without mercy. 

'Kiss Me Again, Stranger': a young man is smitten with an usherette and decides to sit with her on a late-night bus - only she has a dark secret. 

'The Old Man': a man watches the daily life of his neighbour that he has nicknamed, ‘The Old Man’, but then ‘The Old Man’ commits a despicable crime.

About the author

Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was a British writer whose work is still greatly appreciated to this day. Her novel Rebecca is probably her most famous piece of literature, but she also had substantial success with her short stories. Her popularity and prowess are evident by the fact that Alfred Hitchcock chose to adapt both Rebecca as well as her short story ‘The Birds’ into feature films.

About the narrator

Valentine Dyall is one of the most well-known voice actors of the 40s and 50s. He was a regular narrator of stories on the radio and his success meant that in 1949 he was given his own radio series, The Man in Black.