The Marsh Queen

By: Virginia Hartman

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

For fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, this “marvelous debut” (Alice McDermott, National Book Award–winning author of The Ninth Hour) follows a Washington, DC, artist as she faces her past and the secrets held in the waters of Florida’s lush swamps and wetlands.

Loni Murrow is an accomplished bird artist at the Smithsonian who loves her job. But when she receives a call from her younger brother summoning her back home to help their obstinate mother recover after an accident, Loni’s neat, contained life in Washington, DC, is thrown into chaos, and she finds herself exactly where she does not want to be.

Going through her mother’s things, Loni uncovers scraps and snippets of a time in her life she would prefer to forget—a childhood marked by her father Boyd’s death by drowning. When Loni comes across a single, cryptic note from a stranger—“There are some things I have to tell you about Boyd’s death”—she begins a dangerous quest to discover the truth, all the while struggling to reconnect with her mother and reconcile with her brother and his wife. To make matters worse, she meets a man whose attractive simple charm threatens to pull her back towards everything she’s worked to escape.

Torn between worlds—her professional accomplishments in Washington, and the small town of her childhood—Loni must decide whether to delve beneath the surface into murky half-truths and avenge the past or bury it, once and for all. “Fans of Delia Owens and Lauren Groff will find this a wonderful and absorbing read” (Suzanne Feldman, author of Sisters of the Great War).

Critic reviews

"This audiobook is bound to appeal to fans of mysteries and family dramas alike."

Wonderful Story

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The main character being a bird artist was incredibly interesting. The writer painted a great story and the narrator was spot on. Loved this so much!!

Loved it

This book was perfect! I love the mystery and how the author puts just enough love and caring of a family that has been torn for a long time. It was just a beautiful story. I truly enjoyed it.

Ok story for family drama lovers

Story has good nature descriptions, a lot of birds and slightly slow pacing. Main mystery would’ve much better if main character wasn’t so conveniently stupid, shy and hot-headed to not think straight.

Engaging, creative, and so descriptive!

I loved the story! The author creates a beautiful and detailed description of each scene—I felt as though I was with the heroine in the swamp! And the narrator did an excellent performance on the audio version. Each character had a slightly different voice so you could easily follow along. Can’t wait to read more from Virginia Hartman!

Favorite

Favorite book so far. I thought it was really unique the main character was a bird artist.