The Start of Everything

A Novel

By: Emily Winslow

Narrated by: Sheila Burminham, Stephen Hoye

In this stunning psychological thriller for readers of Tana French, Kate Atkinson, and Donna Tartt, Emily Winslow has crafted a literary prism told through the eyes of her many intricately drawn characters. Masterly and mesmerizing, The Start of Everything will captivate until the very last minute.

"If you don’t want to see me again, say so. But it’s not right to say nothing. It’s not right to go silent. You know what to do."

Cambridge, England: Outside the city, the badly decomposed body of a teenage girl has washed up in the flooded fens. Detective Inspector Chloe Frohmann and her partner, Morris Keene, must work quickly to identify the victim before the press takes off with the salacious story. Across the hallowed paths and storied squares of Cambridge University, the detectives follow scant clues toward the identity of the dead girl. Eventually, their search leads them to Deeping House, an imposing country manor where, over the course of one Christmas holiday, three families, two nannies, and one young writer were snowed in together. Chloe Frohmann begins to unravel a tangled web of passions and secrets, of long-buried crimes and freshly committed horrors. But in order to reveal the truth - about misaddressed letters, a devastating affair, and a murdered teenager - she may have to betray her partner.

©2021 Emily Winslow (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Emily Winslow effortlessly weaves together separate lives with intertwined lies, creating a powerful web of small deceits and horrifying misdeeds. The Start of Everything is a must [listen]!" (New York Times best-selling author Lisa Gardner)

Very much like Tana French and Kate Atkinson

I did something I have never done before with an audible book, I went back to the beginning, when I came to Part 2. Now whether it was because my listening attention was not as focused, due to activities. like walking two disobedient dogs, or, because I underestimated this book, I am not sure. I actually went back to check one thing, and just went oh well, I may as well just listen to it from the start. It was a decision I did not for one moment regret.

This is a wonderfully complicated, intricate, exploration of individuals, motherhood, families, and nannies, all set in the academic world of Cambridge.
I loved all the twists and turns. There is more than a murder to unravel in this book. The different narrators all give testimony sometimes, credible, other times, unreliable or inaccurate. I found Matild, the girl who suffers from Asperger or some other related disorder, compelling as she blindly blunders right into danger. There was also, drama and pathos in her quest to reunite the letter and make some connection of her own. Ultimmately Chloe is the most informed and clear sighted. It all comes together, in jigsaw pieces to it's final and surprising revelations.

I can not recommend this book highly enough to mystery and contemporary fiction readers alike. It is superbly written, fraught with tension and a finely wrought portrait of fully realized characters.

I look forward to seeing more from this writer!

tricky and clever

This story is not as straight-forward as most mysteries. it's well-written and engaging. Great narrators.

all female voices sound the same

so frustrating to have to rewind and listen again to try to figure out which voice it is now... all the females sound the same. ugh. its a good story but so maddening

horrible narration

the lisp of the reader was so distracting that it was impossible to enjoy. very unpleasant

Not my cup of tea

From some of the rave reviews. I was looking forward to listening to this book, but I didn't even finish it.

I enjoy quirky characters to a degree but the main character's severe aversion to other people touching her or her belongings or invading her personal space over and over was wearing... it didn't allow the relationships between the characters to fully develop.

Too many loose ends; her father dies and then what? She tapes his door closed and starts living in a hovel, bathing in a restroom?

I really tried to prise the hidden gems some other readers were able to elicit from the book, to no avail.

The ending

The ending was just nothing I was looking for more but it just poof the end

I’m glad I read a review first

I read the review who commented that it was a complex story so they went back to the beginning and to check something and re listened from the beginning. I ended up doin almost the same thing and found it helpful. The story intertwined several people’s lives so it was essential to know who they all are. It kept me guessing and continued to surprise until the end.

difficult to follow. lots of rewinding.

poor character development. story hard to follow. seems to skip around. wish I hadn't chosen.

it was okay

I'm not sure why, but this book was hard to follow for me. it was okay

interesting - lots of intertwined lives

At first it seemed like it was going to be slow, but it picked up once I better understood the characters and began piecing together things as the mystery unraveled. Good book!