Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)

By: Clare Leslie Hall

Narrated by: Hattie Morahan

A 2026 Audie Award Finalist for Fiction

Over 1 Million Copies Sold

A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK | A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives…but it’s also a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Seriously, that ending?! I did not see it coming.” —Reese Witherspoon

“Stirring and mysterious…fires directly at the human heart and hits the mark.” —Delia Owens, New York Times bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing

A love triangle unearths dangerous, deadly secrets from the past in this thrilling tale perfect for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing.

“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”

Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.

Critic reviews

"Morahan does an incredible job voicing Beth as a heartbroken schoolgirl and as an older woman reflecting on recent events with focused detachment. Morahan skillfully balances the crisp voices of posh English students and the soft tones of suspicious country farmers."

“Stirring, poetic and mysterious, Clare Leslie Hall’s novel, BROKEN COUNTRY, reveals how tender and innocent love between a boy and a girl can alter the lives of families for generations. Even on a quaint and quiet sheep farm of rural England, misguided passion brings murder and criminal charges against the most innocent of players because human nature is far from tame. Yet, even as love destroys, it can return to heal on the same sacred meadow where it was first conceived. This evocative, sensitive and compelling novel fires directly at the human heart and hits the mark.” –DELIA OWENS, New York Times bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing
“BROKEN COUNTRY is a beautifully observed and brilliantly constructed page-turner of novel. It has everything – love, loss, fury, forgiveness – and I was absolutely immersed from page one.”—MARY BETH KEANE, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes and The Half Moon

Great Listen - recommend!

Really beautiful story about love, loss, forgiveness, and sacrifice. I appreciated the character development and how the author wove all the story lines together without leaving any open at the end. Plot twists throughout the book that continued to take me by surprise - couldn't wait to continue to listen. I also enjoyed listening to the narrator – she did a lovely job. I did have to restart the book early on as it is not in chronological order, so readers/listeners must pay attention to the title of each chapter. Totally recommend!

Captivating

I just love this book, I will be sharing it with everyone I know. Wonderfully written and beautifully narrated on Audible.

So dang good!

I loved the twists and turns! So many layers. I couldn’t stop listening to it. Highly recommend

Story, full circle writing

Amazing story!!! 100% recommend, great character development and love story with great twist and ending

Don’t hesitate!

A perfectly crafted story and phenomenal narration. Beautiful and heart-wrenchingly human. I loved every minute!