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The Gabriel Hounds

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The Gabriel Hounds

By: Mary Stewart
Narrated by: Ellie Heydon
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About this listen

Romance, intrigue, legend and adventure meet in this Lebanon-set classic gothic romance by beloved author Mary Stewart.

Legend has it that when the Gabriel Hounds run howling over the crumbling palace of Dar Ibrahim, high in the Adonis Valley of Lebanon, death will follow on their heels. When rich, spoilt Christie Mansel arrives at the decaying palace to look after her eccentric Aunt Harriet, she arrives to the sound of howling dogs. The palace is riddled with hidden passages and the servants are unwilling to let anyone see Harriet during the day. It seems the palace hides an extraordinary secret . . . one that somebody is willing to kill to keep.

The deep blue oblong of sky above the open court was pricking already with brilliant stars. No ugly diffusion of city light spoiled the deep velvet of that sky; even hanging as it was above the glittering and crowded richness of the Damascus oasis, it spoke of the desert and the vast empty silence beyond the last palm tree.

'A comfortable chair and a Mary Stewart: total heaven. I'd rather read her than most other authors.' Harriet Evans

©1967 Mary Stewart (P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Mystery Romance Romantic Suspense Suspense Fiction

Critic Reviews

"A comfortable chair and a Mary Stewart: total heaven. I'd rather read her than most other authors." (Harriet Evans)
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Although slightly dated, Mary Stewart’s books are still a delight. They are beautifully written and the stories are wonderful old style adventures set in a world where one could still travel (mostly) safely to exciting and exotic places. The gentle romance is very sweet and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading them again.

Still wonderful

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Not my favourite Mary Stewart story, though that’s just personal preference. Her writing is always evocative and usually page-turning, but in this one the plot was a bit thin for me, and thus long-drawn out.

Unfortunately the narrator mispronounced the word ‘seraglio’, used constantly throughout the book, which was irritating. The ‘g’ is not sounded, so it was a jarring note throughout from characters who were supposed to be well-travelled and relatively sophisticated.

Surely this was something that an editor should have picked up?

The reading was otherwise quite pleasant. The London cabbie accent mentioned by another reviewer was startling, but a bit of a laugh. The Lebanese equivalent, I presume!

Could have been better

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