The Lies of Alma Blackwell

Written by Amanda Glaze

Narrated by Sophie Amoss

A sweepingly romantic gothic mystery about a girl poised to inherit a famously haunted California mansion and a stranger who arrives with a dark warning …

For over a century, the Blackwells have protected the town of Hollow Cliff from vengeful spirits.

Seventeen-year-old Nev is ready to take over for her ailing grandmother as the town’s witch protector—unlike her mother, who left when Nev was a child and never looked back.

When a stranger arrives at Blackwell House of Spirits to fill a tour guide opening, Nev reluctantly offers him the job. Nev doesn’t trust Cal. He knows more than he’s letting on about Blackwell House—and about Nev herself.

But Nev soon learns that she has been lied to her whole life. By following the trail of clues left behind in Blackwell House by her most powerful witch ancestor, Nev uncovers an unspeakable legacy of murder and lies … and realizes that a stranger may be the one person she can trust.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 21, 2025
• ISBN: 9798894869636

Reviews for The Lies of Alma Blackwell

[biblioqueen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hollow Cliff, California, is a small seaside community that tourists flock to for more than the usual reasons for visiting a sleepy coastal town. Hollow Cliff is home to the Blackwell House of Spirits, a haunted house that belongs to a haunted family. The Blackwells have lived there for over 100 years and are the town’s witch protectors. They are there to fight the evil that has taken dozens of lives and is still claiming more to this day.

Nev is the latest Blackwell to have to take the Vow. But she’s beginning to learn more and more about her ancestor, Alma Blackwell, and how she saved the town by making a deal with the evil spirit. Nev’s mother left without taking the Vow and now her grandmother is dying, preventing Nev from going to design school, so it’s her turn. As she tries to care for her grandmother and keep the house open for tours, Nev hires a mysterious young man to help her, and he seems to know a lot about the mansion and the Blackwell family. Cal is an enigma. Is he someone Nev can trust? And why does she? As they discover more and more about Nev’s mother and Alma Blackwell, the truth begins to seep out, putting them in the path of evil, especially Nev. This story concerns familial responsibility, fear, greed, evil, and most importantly love’s power.