The Listeners

The Avallon Hotel offers unrivalled luxury in the wild Appalachian Mountains, its curative sweetwater washing away the troubles of high society. June 'Hoss' Hudson, a local girl turned general manager, has known its power since she first stepped through the century-old doors - and into the fold of the Gilfoyle family, the hotel's aristocratic owners.

But in 1942, the real world intrudes. War comes to the Avallon dressed in fine furs and government suits. Under the State Department's watchful eye, the Gilfoyle heir welcomes three hundred enemy diplomats and Nazi sympathisers. And June must play host.

As dark alliances and unexpected desires crack the Avallon's polished veneer, not every guest is who they seem. Not least Agent Tucker Minnick, listening for secrets through the hotel walls, whose coal tattoo threatens to betray his past and undo June. And more troubling is the secret she has guarded for years - that the mountain waters can harm as much as heal...

The extraordinary, genre-defying debut adult novel by the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author.

Review

Cinematic and so very satisfying. This is a rich, multilayered ride of a novel not unlike the hotel at its heart - grand, patient, leaving no particulars unnoticed. A phenomenally immersive read -- Claire Lombardo, bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had

Mesmeric, original, and stunning. Maggie Stiefvater is an exceptional talent, and The Listeners is by turns a beautiful love story, a fascinating glimpse into the horrors of history, and a haunting tale of loyalty and courage. A marvel of storytelling. I really couldn't have loved it more -- Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of All the Colours of the Dark

A marvel: strange, witty, moving, exuberant... the whole book somehow succeeds in being at once gloriously extravagant and perfectly poised -- Robert Macfarlane

An expansive, imaginative and wholly immersive novel. I was swept away by The Listeners and experienced ALL the emotions. Loved it. -- Jennie Godfrey, bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things

Suspenseful and fascinating, written with Stiefvater's characteristic witty dialogue and lush description ― Historical Novels Review

About the Author

Maggie Stiefvater is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling writer who has sold nearly six million books worldwide. She makes art in several media, plays a number of musical instruments and lives in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia with her family. The Listeners is her first novel for adults.