Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Darkest Hour

By: Barbara Erskine
Narrated by: Sandra Duncan
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes an epic tale of love, passion and heartbreak.

In the summer of 1940, eyes are focussed on the skies above the South of England: the Battle for Britain has just begun. But Evie Lucas has eyes for no-one but a dashing young pilot called Tony. Evie has a glittering career as an artist ahead of her but seems only to be fascinated in sketching portraits of him…

Seventy years later, recently widowed art historian Lucy is putting the pieces of her life back together, and to do that she needs to uncover the mystery surrounding a painting in her home. As Lucy ties up the loose ends of one lifetime, she stirs up a hornet’s nest of history in another. Suddenly, Lucy finds herself in danger from people past and present who have no intention of letting an untold truth ever surface.

Some stories are buried in the darkness forever. Some are just waiting to be told…

©2014 Barbara Erskine (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
activate_samplebutton_t1

Listeners also enjoyed...

Whispers in the Sand cover art
River of Destiny cover art
Hiding from the Light cover art
The Ghost Tree cover art
Sleeper's Castle cover art
Kingdom of Shadows cover art
The Dream Weavers cover art
Echoes of the Runes cover art
The One I Was cover art
Like No Other cover art
The Silent Touch of Shadows cover art
The Witch's Tree cover art
Night Music cover art
The Four Last Things cover art
Dreaming of the Bones cover art
The Memory cover art

Critic reviews

Praise for Barbara Erskine:

‘Her forte is mood, atmosphere and the toe-curling frisson’ Elizabeth Buchan, Sunday Times

‘Barbara Erskine’s storytelling talent is undeniable’ The Times‘

‘Marvellous escapist stuff’ Woman and Home

What listeners say about The Darkest Hour

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    318
  • 4 Stars
    91
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    283
  • 4 Stars
    85
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    283
  • 4 Stars
    78
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great ghost story, but v prim narration

I do love a ghost story and this is a great one. Well researched about the Battle of Britain. But the narration is forced and irritating.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The sad story of a great Artist.

The story jumps between the present and the past. An author is studying the belonging of a good artist. The artist seems to have been quite unhappy with her life, she would love to do her own artistic work but is being presurised to paint certain things. Where are her painting now is the question.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

enjoyed the book

enjoyed this book very much . Had you thinking about the story from near the start

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So poignant.

A book full of regrets about the past and things that happened, or didn't.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

Would have rated this as 5 stars for story but I did find it rather slow going at the start. The story quickly gathers momentum and as with all Barbara Erskine's titles I found I couldn't stop listening....
Excellent!!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved this

I loved this. Sandra Duncan's performance was flawless. The story was easy to follow and understand, even though it moved constantly between WW2 and the present day, which was important as I hadn't read the book first. Highly recommended.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

True Erskine style

This book is beautifully written and fantastic as ever. Barbara has never failed to grab my imagination and take my on a mystery trip.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The darkest hour

Barbara Erskine never fails to thrill and delight readers.
Her knowledge of the supernatural in tandem with history is what I love about the unique and superb books she writes.
Thank you Barbara.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Sometimes cheesy

I like most of the author’s work for enjoyable escapism, although I often feel a little more urgency in progressing the tale would be welcome. In this novel she could not resist introducing quite improbable spitfire appearances and physical abuses by a spirit.
The character Lucy’s often irrational responses and behaviours left me rather irritated.
Nevertheless the cast is an interesting one.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful read

I loved this book. The combination of the wartime love story and the modern-day mystery was a great one and I couldn't wait to go back to it.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!