About this book
Avalanche by Gertrude Atherton plunges listeners into post‑earthquake San Francisco, where a city rebuilt from ashes hides secrets that threaten a marriage. In this atmospheric mystery, Price Ruyler returns from New York to restore his family’s fortunes after the 1906 disaster, becoming one of the city’s most eligible bachelors before a sudden, passionate wedding to the beguiling Hélène. As the veneer of domestic bliss holds, subtle changes in Hélène’s temperament and a taciturn mother‑in‑law stir Price’s suspicions, suggesting that the past—and perhaps a scandal—was buried along with the city’s ruins.
Atherton weaves social intrigue, psychological suspense, and sharp observations of class and gender into a compact tale of identity, loyalty, and unease. The novel’s historical backdrop of reconstruction and whispered reputations gives every rumor and gesture the weight of an uncovered relic, while the slow accumulation of doubt powers a mystery that is as much about character as it is about secret history.
Ideal for fans of classic mystery and historical domestic suspense, Avalanche offers a tense, character‑driven listening experience for anyone who enjoys atmospheric early‑20th‑century drama and stories about how the past refuses to stay buried.
