Cover: A Darkness of the Heart by Gail Bowen, read by Athena Karkanis.

A Darkness of the Heart

Bowen, Gail

$31.99
  • The 18th installment of the bestselling Joanne Kilbourn series from the “queen of Canadian crime fiction” (Winnipeg Free Press).

    When, at the age of sixty, Joanne learns that Douglas Ellard, the reserved general practitioner whom she had grown up believing to be her father was, in fact, the best friend of her biological father, the brilliant visual artist Desmond Love, she begins to question not just who she is but what factors play a role in shaping all of us and in making us who we really are. Joanne is offered the chance to revisit her family history, when writer Roy Brodnitz, author of The Happiest Girl, a Broadway mega-hit inspired by a Desmond Love painting, approaches her with the idea of making a mini-series about the close relationship between the Ellard and Love families. Brodnitz is in town working on the film adaptation of his Broadway hit, and he and his film company soon become a significant presence in the life of Joanne’s family, with results that are both life-changing and menacing. When Joanne and Zack’s eighteen-year-old daughter, Taylor Shreve, develops a close friendship with the seventeen-year-old actress starring in the movie, the Shreve family is exposed to the dark side of the film industry and they uncover disturbing truths about the handsome and talented people they have invited into their lives. A Darkness of the Heart explores the ways in which clear vision, generosity of spirit, and a willingness to love can combat the forces in our world that seek to encroach upon innocence. Once again, Gail Bowen’s powerful storytelling, engaging characters, and page-turning plot reaffirm her place as one of the finest mystery writers around.

    Bespeak Audio Editions brings Canadian voices to the world with audiobook editions of some of the country’s greatest works of literature, performed by Canadian actors.

  • Gail Bowen is an author, playwright, and teacher. Among her numerous writing awards are a lifetime achievement award from the Crime Writers of Canada and the Distinguished Canadian Award from the University of Regina. Reader’s Digest has called her Canada’s best mystery novelist. In 2018, she was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and the Grand Master Award of Crime Writers of Canada. She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, with her husband, Ted.

  • Published: May 2022

    ISBN: 9781773058948

    Duration: 9:43

Reviews

“A great little family mystery with engaging characters and a solid plot. Definitely worth a weekend.” — Globe and Mail

“Regina has no more ardent literary promoter than Gail Bowen … A Darkness of the Heart is really about family — families — and their flexible and evolving, chosen and unchosen relationships.” — London Free Press