The Witch Elm cover art

The Witch Elm

A Novel

Preview
Try for $0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Witch Elm

Written by: Tana French
Narrated by: Paul Nugent
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $34.96

Buy Now for $34.96

About this listen

Named a New York Times notable book of 2018 and a best book of 2018 by NPR, The New York Times Book Review, Amazon, The Boston Globe, LitHub, Vulture, Slate, Elle, Vox, and Electric Literature.

“Tana French’s best and most intricately nuanced novel yet.” (The New York Times)

An “extraordinary” (Stephen King) and “mesmerizing” (LA Times) new stand-alone novel from the master of crime and suspense and author of the forthcoming novel The Searcher.

From the writer who "inspires cultic devotion in readers" (The New Yorker) and has been called "incandescent" by Stephen King, "absolutely mesmerizing" by Gillian Flynn, and "unputdownable" (People), comes a gripping new novel that turns a crime story inside out.

Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who's dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life - he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family's ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden - and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.

A spellbinding standalone from one of the best suspense writers working today, The Witch Elm asks what we become, and what we're capable of, when we no longer know who we are.

©2018 Tana French (P)2018 Penguin Audio
Crime Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Crime Exciting Heartfelt Mystery Witchcraft Magic Users Psychological Suspense
All stars
Most relevant  
My husband and I listened to this on a recent road trip and we both loved it. We’ve read all of Tana French’s books and this one didn’t disappoint. She’s very descriptive, which I think is the reason some have commented that it could have been shorter, but I love that about her books. It makes the characters and the story seem so real - we didn’t want it to end.

Great Listen

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

I couldn't finish it, it was soooooooo slow. You could easily take out half the chapters to get to the point, which after listening for 4 days I never did get to.

Slow, slow, slow

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

Shows the dark side of average people. not uplifting, so you need to find happiness elsewhere

a good mystery read

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

Such a beautiful, twisted, unpredictable story. The narration was exquisite. Pure poetry. I want more.

Expect the unexpected.

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

I can understand the criticism of some for this book. In many ways it is very different from the DMS series of before. However I still couldn't stop listening. The characters are as enthralling as ever. The build up is certainly slow but very well brought together. I'd listened to books 1/3 of the length of this and been bored long before the end.

I found it thoroughly enjoyable and a great listen

Kudos to Paul Nugent too.Whoever choose the narrators for Tana's books does an amazing job

Slow build but another excellent French book

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

This was a wonderful story! It was definitely long but I wasn't bored, even for a single minute. The narrator was fantastic and I loved all of his different Irish accents. it's actually much more than a murder mystery story, there are multiple intricate storylines going on throughout the whole book. This was the first book I have enjoyed by this author and I will definitely be reading or listening to more of her work.

Fantastic story!

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

absolutely awesome book I couldn't put it down it was great all around.there is no stopping point where I felt that it was dragging on I absolutely loved this book

fantastic

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

Toby is a frustrating protagonist, but this story has depth and beauty to it. Nugent's narration is a pleasure.

French is a beautiful writer.

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

I loved this book so much! I can't begin to describe how excellent French's writing is. It makes you feel like you are actually there in the story. The narrator does a wonderful performance and portrays each character very well. 10/10 recommend!

Amazing!

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

The core of the story was good. But it was way longer than needed to be. There was so much descriptive text that the story got lost. The main character is exceedingly self absorbed and unlikable and it makes you get excited for the end.

Good story but waaaay too long

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

See more reviews