The Music of the Deep

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Hall

Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith

Fleeing an abusive marriage and tormented by her past, Alexandra Turner finds solace in a small coastal town on Puget Sound and a job with a local marine biologist studying orcas.

After befriending a group of locals, Alex learns that she has moved to a place that has a reputation of being the "most haunted town in Washington." Such superstitions would be easy to dismiss...if Alex wasn’t already on edge.

Haunted by shreds of memories of her days with her husband, Alex can’t keep from looking over her shoulder. As unexplained sounds and scents accumulate and unnerving forces seem to take hold, Alex is beginning to believe that she’s not escaping her ghosts, after all. In fact, she might finally be inviting them in.

©2018 Elizabeth Hall (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Grabs your attention, suspenseful, endearing story

Riveting story that has many twists. I highly recommend this read!! Suspenseful and endearing. Loved this read!

Great story, interesting characters, & settings

the story kept me interested from start to finish. all the characters were interesting and having lived on Puget. Sound many years ago I enjoyed the visit back and seeing the Orca's in my mind's eye.

An Escape from domestic abuse not a HORROR story!

I'm not sure which is better, the story this book tells or the stellar performance Emily Sutton-Smith gives with her narration.
This is a gripping tale of domestic abuse. A husband (Daniel) used to be the perfect guy. He wooed Alexandra and within a year they were married. A few arm squeezes and threatening looks later Alex becomes pregnant. Daniel is responsible for her miscarriage and insures there's enough damage that she will never be able to have a child. She knows it's past time to leave. But Daniel isn't done with Alex, he visits her at her mother's house and shows Alex that he owns a gun AND knows the trails her mother likes to walk on to go bird watching.
The statistics quoted in this book about women who are murdered or their family or friends by the abusive spouse is incredibly disturbing.
When she finally runs 1200 miles from Daniel she still cannot relax and believe she's safe. But she's surrounded by a community that cares for her and a family of orcas the teach her even more.
The publisher's summary mentions this being the most haunted town, but the paranormal is really a background prop bringing in tourists. This could have been left out all together and it would not change the story.
This is such a wonderfully well written book. It is captivating, horrifying and believable. It is told in both present time with flash backs that come together toward the end. The book has a good ending if not an explosive ending.
If you have kindle unlimited this book is FREE!!!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
If you found this review helpful please indicate so.
Thank You.

The Music of the Deep

Great reader, but in some instances, too much dialogue that doesn't seem to be important. Time lapses a bit confusing.

Loved it!

I had selected this book to listen to sometime ago and completely forgot about it. When I decided to listen to a book, this one was the one and I’m glad! I didn’t remember what it was about and just decided to listen. I’m so glad I did. I didn’t have expectations and it had a deeper impact on me while listening because of that. Definitely worth the listen.

In a word, brilliant

Short version, survival and coping mechanisms on many levels. Abuse, both human and animal, and it's consequences. The family you choose, rather than whatever family you have, and the lengths they will go to defend one of their own. Empathy, and it's lack. I'm not going to give a synopsis here, just my reaction. F. Scott Fitzgerald would have read this and approved.

Excellent book

I really enjoyed this book far more than I expected to. The story was very well told and although I did not “fall in love” with the characters or I should say main character. I connected with every one of them. They were individually strong, complex and deep if they makes sense. I believe I didn’t just love one but all of them is probably the better way to explain it. The story was original, rather dark and spun in a way that left me wanting to find out what happened next. It was believable but I must say the only reason I gave it a 4 is because of the paranormal component. It’s not that it wasn’t believable but that it was put out there yet never explained or concluded. As an afterthought who can explain the paranormal I guess? That’s why I gave it a 4. Would love to hear what others thought of this book!! I recommend it!!

Easy to listen straight through

Loved it...recommend for a lazy Saturday listen. Believable characters, an easy story everyone can understand.

Trope Not Trite

I've seen a good many of this sort of novel in the last few years: A stranger arrives in a remote town (,often tiny) with an adorable name and is transformed by good food, nature and community. I think of it as the Northern Exposure Effect. Alex Turner arrives with a face full of bruises and a jumpy attitude to assist septogenarian marine biologist in archiving her life's work. The town has the reputed of being haunted, especially the Captain's house, where Maggie houses Alex. The old house features cold spots and noises enough to make Alex wonder if she's being haunted by ghosts or the memories she is running away from. Along the way Alex meets The Spinsters, a group of spinners and knitted who meet on Sunday night's to play their craft. Then there are the orcas, called black fish by the locals, who are in danger of starving.

The Music of the Deep is filled with well drawn characters, local colour that 's charming without being twee and overly cute. It is as soothing as a good yoga class and as refreshing as a cold glass of water.

The Music of the Deep

What a beautiful story read by one of my favorite narrators. As I have come to expect, Emily Sutton-Smith delivered an outstanding narration.

Heartbreaking but still so beautifully told. I really would not have classified this as a mystery/thriller. For me this was more a story of abuse and strength and friendship and concern and the dangers of losing precious dwellers who share this endangered planet. I learned so much about the Blackfishes and their dwindling numbers and the importance of human efforts that must be made to save as much of the other lives on this earth. I was dismayed by the cruelty of young people and bullying and the horrible effects of these actions on the recipients. The pain of domestic abuse and the power of the abuser. But the most impact was that of connection and caring and the ability of humans to come together in support of one another. The special gifts that some are given to see and feel the pain of all living things - gifts that, with a bit of effort, live in all of us if we will just quiet ourselves enough to listen and feel.

Just a beautiful story that brings hope.

Thank you, Elizabeth Hall, for sharing with us.