A Narrow Door is one of the smartest, most interesting and sympathetically voiced pieces of crime fiction I’ve read in a very long time. The only other modern book in the genre I’ve enjoyed this much was We Begin at the End, but this book had more in common with The Maidens and The Divines, both of which disappointed me last year. It was a perfectly paced, pitch perfect blend of mystery and academia that captivated me from the prologue through to the epilogue. I hung on every word. This is a story that felt so incredibly real, which such a delicious building tension, that I thought about it almost constantly when I wasn’t reading it. It found its way into my dreams, which has become a rare thing as I’ve gotten older. And the ending was something that, in hindsight, I might should have been able to see. Especially considering the opening. But I didn’t.

This is a book that I stumbled across on NetGalley and requested mere days before its U.S. release. I regret that I couldn’t read it before publication, but I’m so grateful that my request was approved anyway. I had no idea this was the third book in a series until I had already read 10% of it, but it wasn’t to the story’s detriment. It was very enjoyable on its own. I didn’t feel as though I was missing anything vital. However, I will be going back and reading more of not only this series but the rest of Harris’s backlog. Three of her books are sitting on my physical shelves: Chocolat, The Gospel of Loki, and The Testament of Loki. The fact that I’ve never read any of her work both saddens and delights me. I feel like I’ve missed so much, and yet I’ve suddenly discovered a new-to-me author with over 20 novels in their backlist. It’s like finding a doubloon that leads to an entire treasure chest.

The audio was absolutely brilliant, and is probably one of the best audiobooks I’ve experienced. Two narrators are featured: Alex Kingston of Doctor Who fame; and Steven Pacey, who narrates Abercrombie’s First Law series and is one of my favorite audiobook narrators. While Kingston delivered the majority of the story as Headmaster Rebecca Buckfast, and she did so with fantastic aplomb, Pacey’s additions as Roy Straitley were a lovely break in the narrative, giving you a chance to take a breath in the midst of Rebecca’s very compelling and tense story. Had I not recognized the narrators on NetGalley, I would never have requested this book and wouldn’t have stumbled upon a new author whose backlist I’m so incredibly excited to read.

Rebecca is the new Headmaster of what was formerly an all-boys’ private school that is opening up to girls for the first time in its history. Seeing this school and others like it through her eyes was an enlightening experience. There’s a lot of discourse here about women in academia, especially in private schools. Even when Rebecca is able to break into the “old boys’ club” atmosphere, she isn’t treated like the rest of her colleagues. One of the schools in this book doesn’t even have a lady’s restroom; the women are instead forced to use the handicap facilities, which goes a long way to showing how their male counterparts view them. Being female isn’t a disability. But so many men in so many professions seem to believe so. Harris managed to both romanticize academia, as readers tend to do, and shine a light on its underbelly.

I absolutely love an unreliable narrator when done right. There are so many thrillers that rely heavily on this trope while not doing it particularly well. But Harris used the trope so deftly, and I truly felt as though I was making Rebecca’s discoveries alongside her. And the difference in tone between the Rebecca of her memories and the one telling her story to Straitley was fascinating. There were times when I couldn’t tell if there was a supernatural element to the book, or if that was simply mind games being played on or by the narrators. That balance was kept on a razor-sharp edge that delighted me to no end. I was honestly more than a little in awe so how well Harris balanced every aspect of this story.

The setup of A Narrow Door was fantastic. I was equally invested in the framework story and the coldcase mystery housed within it. It’s also one of the best academia novels I’ve read, though it’s told from the perspective of teachers instead of students. I would comfortably shelve this alongside The Secret History and The Orchard. While not quite as philosophical, and a bit more plot-driven, the writing was absolutely superb and the school atmosphere permeated the story very well. The divisions of this book alone, based around the five rivers in the Greek Underworld, enchanted me. As did the frequent use of Latin during Roy Straitley’s perspective chapters. This was an incredibly intelligent book in so many ways, but it never felt as though Harris was prideful of that fact or using it as purposeful misdirection. This is the kind of smart book that makes you feel smarter while reading it, instead of feeling like it’s talking down to you.

There’s so much I want to say about A Narrow Door that I can’t even get my thoughts in order. I know it’s only the first week of January, but I can confidently say that this novel will appear on my list of favorites for the year. It’s a wonderful blending of a smart plot, impeccable writing, sympathetic characters, and a mystery that will keep you guessing. If you’re a fan of crime fiction, or dark academia, or novels with a strong voice that never grates on your nerves, you should give this one a go. Especially on audio. And if you love all of the aforementioned building blocks in a novel, I’m begging you to track down a copy of this book.

I would start by saying that I did not realise that this was the third book in a trilogy – I think it stands alone well, but perhaps a few gaps would have been filled in if I’d read the others!

It is the beginning of a new term and there are lots of changes at St Oswald’s School – for a start, it is no longer St Oswalds Grammar School for Boys but the co-educational “St Oswalds Academy” with girls being allowed into its hallowed halls. For the first time in its history, St Oswald’s also now has a head mistress, Rebecca Buckfast. Rebecca is ambitious, determined and not easily flustered.
Roy Straitley is the Classics master, and a stalwart of St Oswalds having been there for 105 terms (35 years!) - naturally he is struggling a bit with the changes forced upon him. A confirmed bachelor, he doesn’t really know how to deal with girls, and he can’t seem to come to terms with having a woman in the headmaster’s office – rather endearingly he insists on calling her “headmaster”. He’s been there for so long, that he believes that he knows all the secrets of St Oswalds, but when he is approached by a group of his students who think they might have found a body under some rubble in the building works happening on the grounds, everything Mr Straitley knows is turned upside down …
Upon hearing the news, he rushes to tell “headmaster” and initially he is sure that Rebecca will deal with it, however her lack of urgency, unflustered manner and strange comments about the impact that the discovery of a body could have on the school, set Straitley on edge. Why does she not want to tell the police? Why is she determined to tell her life story to Straitley?
As Rebecca starts to tell Roy her story, she drags him into a dark tale, forcing him to confront some issues from his own past too.

Throughout the story we have many questions:
What exactly happened in 1989 when Rebecca’s brother, Conrad Price, disappeared? How is the disappearance of a schoolboy from rival school King Henry’s linked to St Oswalds? Is there a body under the foundations of the new sports centre, and if so, who is it?
Like a spider weaving a web to trap the fly, the stories start out loose & unconnected, but become more & more entwined, drawing Roy & Rebecca closer to the centre – will the spider successfully trap the fly?

Underlying the whole story is a layer that many readers may miss – the book uses the mythological Greek rivers of the underworld to help it flow. From Archeron, Misery, where Becky’s childhood trauma dominates the story, starting to set out the determined and independent woman she will become, to Lethe, Forgetfulness where we fight with the idea of how much of memory is real vs imagination. The book comes to its conclusion during Phlegethan, Fire, and Styx, Hatred, as the suspicion increases, the suspect pool narrows and the reasons for certain things are revealed.

The title, The Narrow Door, refers to the difficulty women have in breaking into a world dominated by men, the way that they often lower their standards, demeaning themselves and behaving in ways which are uncomfortable just to be accepted/fit in to a world where the rules are made by men. Rebecca is a complex character who ultimately manipulates men to suit her needs and to help her get where she wants to be … in a position of power to crush those who held her back and hurt her in the past.
Perhaps my main frustration with the book were the numerous “feminist rants” and the way we jump from Rebecca being 5 to 24 to 40 with little explanation of what happened in the middle – how did she “squeeze through the narrow doorway”?

Overall, A Narrow Door is a well plotted story of ambition, loyalty and of course murder. The main & subsidiary characters are well developed and believable, if not entirely likeable! (I do feel that Straitley was portrayed as very weak when I felt he should have been a much stronger character but perhaps I would feel differently if I’d read the previous books?) The writing is good with vivid descriptions, evoking sounds & smells in a way that many books don’t. The tension and sense of unease builds well, being downright creepy at times, with the twists & turns coming at the right time, yet it did feel a bit too long & dragged in the middle. The ending was not entirely satisfying, and felt a bit anticlimactic.

I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators were good, suiting the characters well. Unfortunately, I don’t think that the format of the book (alternating chapters told from the perspectives of Rebecca Buckfast/Price & Roy Straitley) quite worked for me in the audiobook format They may have worked better in the printed format but the tense constantly changed so one minute Rebecca was talking to Roy now, and the next sentence she was 5 or 24 years old again …

It was definitely a book that required concentration, the back and forth between timelines and characters wasn’t an issue as these are clearly defined, but the plot and backstory are complex and there are many characters who appear in multiple timelines.

What an incredible book! I haven't read Joanne Harris in a long time and this was truly unputdownable. As more of the characters' secrets are revealed you think you know how everything's going to play out but you're always just a step or two behind. And of course, a great cliffhanger at the end. I really enjoyed this. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to it.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to review this audio book. Unfortunately I can't make a high recommendation.

Who killed Connor Price? That's what I thought the main focal point would be with the audio. His sister Rebecca comes to teach at the school as headmaster where a body was found. Is it Connors? She relays her story back from 1989 to Roy Straightlee another teacher who relays his story to her from 2006 of when one of his students finds a body on the grounds of the school. Is it Connor?

I was unsure of what I was suppose to focus on. Too much other stuff and questions were thrown in. I found one of the narrators hard to connect to. Loved Alex Kingston from Dr Who who was another narrator but ending took too long to build up to then just fell flat.

"Women must be more discreet. All we need is a narrow door, and when we have crept in unseen, like a spider through a keyhole, we spin ourselves an empire of silk and fill you with astonishment." - Book

{Synopsis} An explosive psychological thriller about one woman who, having carved out her own path to power, is now intent on tearing apart the elite world that tried to hold her back . . . piece by piece.

This is part of a Trilogy (you can buy the other two books here and here), but was great as a standalone. The audiobook version of A Narrow Door is just splendid! The narrators, Alex Kingston and Steven Pacey are extremely pleasant to listen to. They are clear, concise, and pace themselves well, all while drawing you into the story itself with their natural ability to create suspense and emotion. The story jumps between narrators and time lines. We have a sense throughout the novel that there's a blurring between reality and falsehoods, and you begin to question what's really going on. There's also a strong feminist agenda for the main character. Overall, this was an enjoyable listen.

A Narrow Door is out and available for purchase now! Thank you to Orange Sky Audio and NetGalley for the ARC of this Audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

A Narrow Door is about... well honestly I don't know what it was about. This book was extremely difficult to follow on audio, and I think that this book is better suited to reading in print. There is rapid changing of point of view throughout the book and it is difficult to follow what is going on with all of the characters and how their stories overlap or interconnect. I liked the narrators of this audiobook, but I think in general this became extremely convoluted on audio and I would want to give this a try in print before I feel comfortable giving a review on the plot or storyline of this novel.

Format: audiobook
Author: Joanne Harris ~ Title: A Narrow Door ~ Narrators: Alex Kingston, Steven Pacey
Content: 4 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

A Narrow Door is a third book in the Malbry series, but you can easily read it as a standalone. It is a medium-paced psychological mystery that has some slower parts. If you’re looking for an action-packed, fast-paced, and gripping thriller, you might not like it.

Rebecca Buckfast is a new headmistress, the first woman headmaster of St. Oswald’s school. Until now, this was a school for boys only. But not anymore. Now for the first year, girls attend it too. Although Buckfast wasn’t a student here, a history ties her to this place. She tells her story to a teacher Roy Straitley.

Two POVs: headmistress Buckfast and teacher Straitley. Both characters were presented very well, and they felt very real. There were two narrators for two POVs. I liked both, and their voices suited the characters. Steven Pacey’s voice reminded me of Anthony Hopkins. :)

The writing is very good, which I don’t expect from every mystery/thriller. This novel also touches quite a few sensitive themes along the way, like inequality, feminism, racism, and mental health.

Thanks to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review, and all opinions are my own.

I didn’t realize until later that this was book #3 in a series. A psychological thriller about a woman trying to solve her brother’s disappearance. When three boys come to Straitley, the headmaster at St Oswolds, telling him they found a deceased body, he brings the mystery to Rebecca Buckfast. Rebecca’s brother disappeared years ago when she was five and he was 14. Rebecca, the first female headteacher of the school, becomes a trailblazing woman through her feminist ways. The writing was good. It was slow to start but soon the pages just kept turning. The story itself was intriguing and I enjoyed the complexity of the Rebecca character. Overall though, it was just an OK read.

A truly chilling and suspenseful story from back in Malbry.

MV Rating: 7/10
•Years ago, Conrad Price disappeared, and now a body’s been discovered at St. Oswald’s school. When the head is notified, she has an interesting response, and an even more interesting story to go with it.
•I unknowingly read this book thinking it was a standalone novel, but it’s actually part of a series. The story seems to be unattached to previous books, but I’d have to read the back catalog to be totally for sure. That being said - you don’t necessarily have to read the previous installments to enjoy this chilling story.
• I listened to the audiobook of this one, and the narrators were fantastic. Truly, some of the scary or spooky scenes were made more so by the inflection of the reader, and it was pitch perfect.
•you won’t see the twists in the story coming, and it’s piece mealed out until the very last minute.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC access!

A Narrow Door is an intriguing psychological thriller with a hint of something that may or may not be other worldly. The characters are well-developed, although largely unlikeable. The plot is engrossing and intriguing. However, no event or character is straightforward; nothing is really as it seems. There are many unforeseen twists that keep the reader in a state of astonishment throughout the novel. The narration, performed by two well cast voice actors, is excellent. Highly recommended. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I honestly couldn’t finish this book. The narrator made me not want to finish. I couldn’t handle it! The synopsis made this books sound amazing! I want to try reading it instead of listening.

A great mystery following Becks and her journey to solve the mystery of her brothers disappearance. Two use of two narrators helps keep the two main points of view easy to follow and keeps the story flowing nicely. As my first book by this author I am looking forward to reading the other stories in the series and then re-reading this for an even deeper enjoyment of the book. As someone who has not read the other books leading to this I still found it easy to follow and enjoyed the characters and their journeys.

After about two hours I had given up. I was confused and it sounded too feminist. I was not going to review it. Instead I kept listening and what a book ! I was very wrong. It got SO much better ! Intrigue, mystery and horror this book had it all.
Rebecca Price writes in two decades. 1989 and 2006. She tells a co worker, who has been a teacher for many many years, her life story. It had many ups and downs. There was murders and mysterious happenings.
As a teacher and later a headmistress she had many goals for the very posh, old guard private school that employs her. The disappears of her brother takes place in 1971, when she is 5.
I enjoyed the humor and the mystery. A great story is one that keeps you up to read or listen to and that is carried everywhere until it’s done. Then there is period of mourning it’s end.
Thank you NetGalley and OrangeAudio

Very engaging! I listened to this whole way through within stopping. The jumps in time blended well with the multiple story lines weaving together. First thriller in a long time where I hadn’t guessed the correct killer. Very exciting tale.

A haunting psychological thriller and a great end of the tirilogy do St. Oswald’s school. And a really great audiobook.

Joanne Harris returns to St. Oswald's School with another psychological thriller that can be read independently from her earlier novels in which we are introduced to some of the same characters in Gentlemen and Players (Malbry, #1) and Different Class (Malbry #2). A familiar character, aging Classics teacher Roy Straightly is one of the narrators. The other, Rebecca Buckworth is the new headmaster at St. Oswald's who proceeds to bend tradition and shape the school that has recently begun to admit women. Rebecca's teenaged brother Conrad who went "missing" when she was five continues to haunt her into adulthood. Memories of Conrad affect Rebecca's relationship with her parents, husband and even former school mates and teachers. When what may be human remains are found by Roy's students at the excavation site for a new building at St. Oswald's, Rebecca assures him that she will "take care of it". However, when Roy becomes confined because of an apparent heart attack Rebecca appears nightly like Scheherazade administering herbal tea and revealing bits and pieces of a fantastic story related to events at the school. The book's title alludes to the green door that was part of Rebecca's twisted memory of her brother's disappearance. It also reflects the challenge women in academia need to confront at they pass into that last bastion, the boys "public "school. The audio narration provides a wonderful contrast between the older academic and the younger Rebecca and her more mature, contemporary self especially as more disquieting details are disclosed. This is genuinely one of those stories that will keep you up late at night or well into the morning. Highly recommended

I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for giving me access.

While being part of a series, you can get away with reading this as a standalone. Now that a I know it is a series, I do want to go back and read about how this all became to be.

We go back and forth between past and present which the story intertwines with each other. Secrets are told and unveiled. You can't rely on either narrator and are left wondering whodunnit in the end. Definitely recommend this to those that love a good mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for this audio-ARC. I offer my review freely.

I did not know this was the third book in a series, but I can honestly say it completely felt like a standalone the whole time. I never felt like I was missing anything.

This story is told in dual POV, also jumping from the eighties to the aughts. Rebecca is a young woman who's life was was forever changed when her brother disappeared. Roy is a professor extremely set in his way who teaches at the school where the boy vanished.

I almost gave up in the first half of the book. This slow burn was simply just too slow. I felt like the story wasn't going anywhere. The only reason I stuck it out is because I really enjoyed the work of the narrators.

I'm glad I kept going though, because so much happened in the second half! Twist, turns, questions, answers, more questions, more answers... As slow as the first part had been, the second unfolded at super-speed.

Definitely worth the read if you manage to push through the beginning, but I'm afraid a lot of readers won't stick around.

Rating it 3.5 stars rounded up to four.

A Narrow Door is book 3 and a trilogy from Joanne Harris however it can be read as a standalone. While I found a narrow door to be well written I personally found it to be rather underwhelming and the ending to far-fetched. From the description of the book I thought it would be more of a rise to the top tape book rather than an hour and then mystery. Although it wasn’t my cup of tea, I have many friends who have truly enjoyed this one.

What a great way to start the new year. This is the third in a series, but I didn't know that before I was kindly given the #alc from #netgalley (a thousand thanks - it was brilliant!) and honestly it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all.

The narrators of this audiobook are sublime, they brought the characters to life - a bumbling yet loveable old professor stuck in his ways, and a feisty, fiercely intelligent trailblazer of an antiheroine that you will love despite yourself.

This is a mystery spanning two timelines about the disappearance of a boy back in 1971 and the discovery of a body in 2006 at a prodigious private school. It was riveting, haunting (sometimes down right spooky) beguiling and beautifully written. Highly recommend. I'm going to find the first two in the series now and savour them like a fine wine.