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  • The Sanatorium

  • By: Sarah Pearse
  • Narrated by: Gemma Whelan
  • Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (321 ratings)

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The Sanatorium

By: Sarah Pearse
Narrated by: Gemma Whelan
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin. 

An instant Sunday Times best seller

An instant New York Times best seller

A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick

At first glance they're magnificent, yet the more she looks, the more she realises how sinister the mountains appear: raw, jagged spikes. It's not hard to imagine, she thinks, looking out; this place somehow consuming someone, swallowing them whole.

An imposing, isolated hotel, high up in the Swiss Alps, is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But she's taken time off from her job as a detective, so when she receives an invitation out of the blue to celebrate her estranged brother's recent engagement she has no choice but to accept. 

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. Though it's beautiful, something about the hotel, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, makes her nervous—as does her brother, Isaac. 

And when they wake the following morning to discover his fiancée, Laure, has vanished without a trace, Elin's unease grows. With the storm cutting off access to and from the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic. 

But no one has realised yet that another woman has gone missing. And she's the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they're all in....

Check out The Retreat (July 2022), the addictive new thriller from the global best-selling author of The Sanatorium. 

©2021 Sarah Pearse (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"Pearse's The Sanatorium will keep you checking over your shoulder. This spine-tingling, atmospheric thriller has it all: an eerie Alpine setting, sharp prose and twists you'll never see coming. A must-read." (Richard Osman, internationally best-selling author of The Thursday Murder Club)

What listeners say about The Sanatorium

Average Customer Ratings
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something different

really enjoyed listenning to this. lots of twists and turns and something different from usual family dramas

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

LOVED IT

Cannot wait for Sarah's next book! I was into this book the whole way through...no boring bits. I could not wait to get in the car after work and listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

I really enjoyed this creepy whodoneit. I'm reminded of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, with the isolated location and mysterious cast of characters. Highly recommend for a dark & stormy night.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Doesn't fulfill its potential

A good story and the narrator has a nice voice but doesn't create distinct characters so it all gets a bit bland.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Predictable, with a meh ending

Great writing, but story is mostly predictable and albeit a little confusing. The narrator did a fantastic job with the characters and accents though. And the ending was pretty meh.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

great story

a nail bitting performance fr the author a real edge of your seat thriller a must read or listen

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

One to concentrate on

It was good but you really had to concentrate and it got rather repetitive at times

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Hard to Follow

Will have to give this one another listen and I found it hard to follow first time around. The story moves a little too slowly and gets bogged down in some unnecessary details, and then important things are muddied. Overall interesting enough but the ending felt a little crazy. Some interacting themes that don't quite get explored sufficiently.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A snowball chance in hell

Long and convoluted story. I’m not sure who killed who nor do I care. Shame.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent thriller

This was a Fantastic read, with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing

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