The Last Handmaid: the chilling Gothic historical suspense, perfect for dark Halloween nights
Clare Whitfield
Nov 2026 · Bloomsbury GB Audio · Narrated by Gemma Lawrence
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Audiobook
10 hr 29 min
Unabridged
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Eligible
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infoThis book will become available on November 5, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this audiobook
Bloomsbury presents The Last Handmaid by Clare Whitfield, read by Gemma Lawrence.
There's more than one way to feed her hunger.
'An evocative and unsettling tale ... Chilling and thought-provoking' ANNA MAZZOLA, author of The Clockwork Girl
'Richly-drawn and atmospheric.... Whitfield is a masterful storyteller who shines a light on the darkest of themes' NIKKI MARMERY, author of Lilith
THE HANDMAID
Hungary, 1604. Orphaned and alone, Catalina arrives at Csejte Castle with no protection and no power. It is a place of shifting loyalties, and girls who displease the household simply vanish. Survival here depends on obedience – and silence.
THE COUNTESS
Catalina is summoned to serve Countess Erzsébet Báthory, a woman as volatile as she is feared. Only she seems able to soothe her moods, drawing Catalina into the Countess' private chambers and her interest in strange ‘medicines’.
THE COMPULSION
As more girls disappear, Catalina knows there is a cost to staying alive. She must decide whether to try and escape her mistress’ hunger, be consumed by it – or learn to feed it herself...
Inspired by the alleged most prolific female serial killer of all time, told through the eyes of their most trusted companion, this gothic historical suspense is perfect for fans of Carmilla and Weyward.
‘A blood-tinged treasure of a novel... Clever and atmospheric.’ SONIA VELTON author of The Nightingales Castle
'Capturing a sense of Gothic splendour tempered with humour and suspense. An epic in every sense' TOM MEAD, author of The House at Devil's Neck
Praise for Clare Whitfield
'Fast-paced and dark' ELODIE HARPER
'Brave and bold' ARAMINTA HALL
'A compulsive read' CAITLIN DAVIES
'An addictive, thrilling five-star read' ELENI KYRIACOU
'An exuberant and atmospheric read' THE TIMES
There's more than one way to feed her hunger.
'An evocative and unsettling tale ... Chilling and thought-provoking' ANNA MAZZOLA, author of The Clockwork Girl
'Richly-drawn and atmospheric.... Whitfield is a masterful storyteller who shines a light on the darkest of themes' NIKKI MARMERY, author of Lilith
THE HANDMAID
Hungary, 1604. Orphaned and alone, Catalina arrives at Csejte Castle with no protection and no power. It is a place of shifting loyalties, and girls who displease the household simply vanish. Survival here depends on obedience – and silence.
THE COUNTESS
Catalina is summoned to serve Countess Erzsébet Báthory, a woman as volatile as she is feared. Only she seems able to soothe her moods, drawing Catalina into the Countess' private chambers and her interest in strange ‘medicines’.
THE COMPULSION
As more girls disappear, Catalina knows there is a cost to staying alive. She must decide whether to try and escape her mistress’ hunger, be consumed by it – or learn to feed it herself...
Inspired by the alleged most prolific female serial killer of all time, told through the eyes of their most trusted companion, this gothic historical suspense is perfect for fans of Carmilla and Weyward.
‘A blood-tinged treasure of a novel... Clever and atmospheric.’ SONIA VELTON author of The Nightingales Castle
'Capturing a sense of Gothic splendour tempered with humour and suspense. An epic in every sense' TOM MEAD, author of The House at Devil's Neck
Praise for Clare Whitfield
'Fast-paced and dark' ELODIE HARPER
'Brave and bold' ARAMINTA HALL
'A compulsive read' CAITLIN DAVIES
'An addictive, thrilling five-star read' ELENI KYRIACOU
'An exuberant and atmospheric read' THE TIMES
Bloomsbury presents The Last Handmaid by Clare Whitfield, read by Gemma Lawrence.
There's more than one way to feed her hunger.
'An evocative and unsettling tale ... Chilling and thought-provoking' ANNA MAZZOLA, author of The Clockwork Girl
'Richly-drawn and atmospheric.... Whitfield is a mast...
Discover more
About the author
Clare Whitfield is a UK based writer. While studying for an MA in Creative & Critical Writing at the University of Winchester, her fiction appeared on Spelk, Commuter-Lit, Literary Orphans and in Matt Shaw’s Masters of Horror anthology. Clare has published three crime fiction novels, People of Abandoned Character, which won the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award in 2021; The Gone and The Forgotten; and Poor Girls, which was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger award.
Clare Whitfield is a UK based writer. While studying for an MA in Creative & Critical Writing at the University of Winchester, her fiction appeared on Spelk, Commuter-Lit, Literary Orphans and in Matt Shaw’s Masters of Horror anthology. Clare has published three crime fiction novels, People of Ab...
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