
The Door That Faced West
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Charles Hinckley
-
By:
-
Alan M. Clark
About this listen
The story in The Door That Faced West is a little known history that takes place in the American South as the 18th century ends and the 19th century begins. At the time the western frontier still occupied territory east of the Mississippi. It is a serial killer story that it is based on actual events. Although a character-driven fiction novel, it is also something like a true-crime book. Being from the POV of a young female character, it provides some education about the limitations on women's rights of the time. The story is an early Western, distinguished from traditional Westerns by the technology of the period. At the time firearms were single-shot weapons, and hand-to-hand combat was much more common.
In the beginning of the 19th century, the two murderous Harpe brothers (pronounced Harp), loyal to one another but violently at odds, go on a yearlong killing spree in the American frontier, dragging with them the three wives they share between them - women who form a triangle of dependency, loyalty, jealousy, hatred, betrayal, and love.
The Harpes are often considered America's first serial killers. They were land pirates who prowled the wilderness of Tennessee and Kentucky looking for victims. The story unfolds from the point of view of the brothers' third wife, Sadie Rice, a 16-year-old daughter of a minister. As she endures life on the trail in their company, she benefits from the Harpes' ability to defend their own with extreme violence. The deeper into the savage wilderness they travel, the more dependent upon the brothers she becomes. Too late she realizes that their capacity for violence is, in truth, a ravenous hunger.
©2014 Alan M. Clark (P)2015 Alan M. ClarkListeners also enjoyed...
-
Into the Wilderness
- A Novel
- By: Sara Donati
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 30 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weaving a vibrant tapestry of fact and fiction, Into the Wilderness sweeps us into another time and place...and into the heart of a forbidden, incandescent affair between a spinster Englishwoman and an American frontiersman. Here is an epic of romance and history that will captivate readers from the start.
-
-
So much for "if you like Gabaldon"
- By randomactsofpunctuation on 11-24-15
By: Sara Donati
-
Crockett of Tennessee
- A Novel Based on the Life and Times of David Crockett
- By: Cameron Judd
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From humble beginnings in rural Tennessee to his heroic death defending the Alamo, frontiersman, adventurer, and politician David Davy Crockett embodies the spirit and ideals of the national character. Even during his lifetime, tales of the sharpshooting, skilled woodsman were - to his delight - told, retold, and elaborated on. As a US congressman, the former Creek War militiaman steadfastly opposed President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act.
-
-
I highly recommend
- By That Man They Call Shad on 05-05-21
By: Cameron Judd
-
The Hunger
- By: Alma Katsu
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They cannot escape the feeling that someone—or something—is stalking them. Whether it was a curse from the beautiful Tamsen, the choice to follow an experimental route West, or just bad luck - the 90 men, women, and children of the Donner Party are at the brink of one of the deadliest adventures in history.
-
-
Soap opera posing as horror
- By Karen Weaver on 03-23-18
By: Alma Katsu
-
Yonder
- A Novel
- By: Jabari Asim
- Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Lamarr Gulley, JD Jackson, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They call themselves the Stolen. Their owners call them captives. They are taught their captors’ tongues and their beliefs, but they have a language and rituals all their own. In a world that would be allegorical if it weren’t saturated in harsh truths, Cato and William meet at Placid Hall, a plantation in an unspecified part of the American South. But their relationships begin to fray when a visiting minister with a mysterious past starts to fill their heads with ideas about independence.
-
-
Rushed ending
- By Tiana Gregg on 02-18-22
By: Jabari Asim
-
Shaman's Crossing, Book One of the Soldier Son Trilogy
- By: Robin Hobb
- Narrated by: John Keating
- Length: 24 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hugo and Nebula Award finalist Robin Hobb crafts intricate fantasy tales featuring larger-than-life characters and exotic landscapes. Nevare Burvelle survives the King’s Cavalla Academy—where nepotism and corruption reign—to become a soldier in the Gernian king’s army. As he and his fellow soldiers are thrust onto the front lines of the king’s brutal territorial expansion campaign, they struggle against the Plainspeople—forest-dwellers who possess a powerful magic long dismissed by the Gernians.
-
-
Sometimes Magic Isn't A Good Thing
- By Therese M. Woolley on 10-18-13
By: Robin Hobb
-
Raging Rivers
- The Kincaids, Book 1
- By: Donna Ball, Shannon Harper
- Narrated by: Joe Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On foot, on horseback, in covered wagons and mule carts they came, traversing treacherous rivers and wild plains in search of the Promised Land, drawn ever westward by the promise of the new American frontier. Katherine Carlyle, a desperate woman with a violent past, leaves behind the graves of her family and the only home she has ever known in search of a new life. An unwanted passenger on a westward bound flatboat, she is forced into the role of hero when catastrophe strikes...
-
-
Seriously slow
- By Episteme on 12-19-16
By: Donna Ball, and others
-
Into the Wilderness
- A Novel
- By: Sara Donati
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 30 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weaving a vibrant tapestry of fact and fiction, Into the Wilderness sweeps us into another time and place...and into the heart of a forbidden, incandescent affair between a spinster Englishwoman and an American frontiersman. Here is an epic of romance and history that will captivate readers from the start.
-
-
So much for "if you like Gabaldon"
- By randomactsofpunctuation on 11-24-15
By: Sara Donati
-
Crockett of Tennessee
- A Novel Based on the Life and Times of David Crockett
- By: Cameron Judd
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From humble beginnings in rural Tennessee to his heroic death defending the Alamo, frontiersman, adventurer, and politician David Davy Crockett embodies the spirit and ideals of the national character. Even during his lifetime, tales of the sharpshooting, skilled woodsman were - to his delight - told, retold, and elaborated on. As a US congressman, the former Creek War militiaman steadfastly opposed President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act.
-
-
I highly recommend
- By That Man They Call Shad on 05-05-21
By: Cameron Judd
-
The Hunger
- By: Alma Katsu
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They cannot escape the feeling that someone—or something—is stalking them. Whether it was a curse from the beautiful Tamsen, the choice to follow an experimental route West, or just bad luck - the 90 men, women, and children of the Donner Party are at the brink of one of the deadliest adventures in history.
-
-
Soap opera posing as horror
- By Karen Weaver on 03-23-18
By: Alma Katsu
-
Yonder
- A Novel
- By: Jabari Asim
- Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Lamarr Gulley, JD Jackson, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They call themselves the Stolen. Their owners call them captives. They are taught their captors’ tongues and their beliefs, but they have a language and rituals all their own. In a world that would be allegorical if it weren’t saturated in harsh truths, Cato and William meet at Placid Hall, a plantation in an unspecified part of the American South. But their relationships begin to fray when a visiting minister with a mysterious past starts to fill their heads with ideas about independence.
-
-
Rushed ending
- By Tiana Gregg on 02-18-22
By: Jabari Asim
-
Shaman's Crossing, Book One of the Soldier Son Trilogy
- By: Robin Hobb
- Narrated by: John Keating
- Length: 24 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hugo and Nebula Award finalist Robin Hobb crafts intricate fantasy tales featuring larger-than-life characters and exotic landscapes. Nevare Burvelle survives the King’s Cavalla Academy—where nepotism and corruption reign—to become a soldier in the Gernian king’s army. As he and his fellow soldiers are thrust onto the front lines of the king’s brutal territorial expansion campaign, they struggle against the Plainspeople—forest-dwellers who possess a powerful magic long dismissed by the Gernians.
-
-
Sometimes Magic Isn't A Good Thing
- By Therese M. Woolley on 10-18-13
By: Robin Hobb
-
Raging Rivers
- The Kincaids, Book 1
- By: Donna Ball, Shannon Harper
- Narrated by: Joe Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On foot, on horseback, in covered wagons and mule carts they came, traversing treacherous rivers and wild plains in search of the Promised Land, drawn ever westward by the promise of the new American frontier. Katherine Carlyle, a desperate woman with a violent past, leaves behind the graves of her family and the only home she has ever known in search of a new life. An unwanted passenger on a westward bound flatboat, she is forced into the role of hero when catastrophe strikes...
-
-
Seriously slow
- By Episteme on 12-19-16
By: Donna Ball, and others
-
Wilderness Trail of Love
- American Wilderness Series, Volume 1
- By: Dorothy Wiley
- Narrated by: Alan Philip Ormond
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weaving a tapestry of history, romance, and adventure, this epic novel sweeps us into an awe-inspiring, heart-stopping story of love and survival in an emerging America. It is spring 1797. Dreaming of building a better life, Stephen and Jane Wyllie set out across the American frontier in search of a place to call home in a land of savage beauty. With undaunted courage and boundless daring, Stephen, along with his five brothers, bravely plunges toward a wilderness full of terror.
-
-
Esceptional historical book.
- By Nikki D on 12-15-16
By: Dorothy Wiley
-
The Devil Between Us
- By: S.C. Wilson
- Narrated by: Jennifer Nicole Stang
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jessica Pratt is only 10 when her world is destroyed. After witnessing unspeakable acts of violence, she flees for her life, becoming lost in the untamed California wilderness. Terrified and alone, she fights for survival as each step takes her further away from everything she has ever known. For nearly a decade Jessica calls the mountain home until tragedy strikes once again. Forced to reenter a world that is controlled by men, Jessica transforms into Jesse for her own protection.
-
-
Heart Wrenching Novel
- By Jerilyn on 06-02-19
By: S.C. Wilson
-
Many Sparrows
- By: Lori Benton
- Narrated by: Kate Forbes
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When settler Clare Inglesby is widowed on a mountain crossing and her young son, Jacob, captured by Shawnees, she'll do everything in her power to get him back, including cross the Ohio River and march straight into the presence of her enemies deep in Indian country. Frontiersman and adopted Shawnee Jeremiah Ring promises to guide Clare through the wilderness and help her recover Jacob.
-
-
Excellent
- By Caron on 05-22-20
By: Lori Benton
-
Crow Hollow
- By: Michael Wallace
- Narrated by: Rosemary Benson
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prudence Cotton has recently lost her husband and is desperate to find her daughter, captured by the Nipmuk tribe during King Philip's war. She's convinced her daughter is alive but cannot track her into the wilderness alone. Help arrives in the form of James Bailey, an agent of the crown sent to Boston to investigate the murder of Prudence's husband and to covertly cause a disturbance that would give the king just cause to install royal governors.
-
-
Nearly Adequate and Forgettable
- By MxH on 07-15-15
By: Michael Wallace
-
Teton Season of Promise
- Teton Romance, Book 4
- By: Peggy L Henderson
- Narrated by: Steve Marvel
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Olivia Barkley knows how to take care of herself. Growing up in an orphanage, she’s learned that good things don’t come easily and certainly don’t last forever. While escaping the unwanted advances of her employer, her path crosses with a man who made a promise he didn't keep. Caleb Walker has lived a life of freedom among the spectacular Tetons, surrounded by the love of his family and friends. When he joins an expedition into the wilderness, he is shocked to come face-to-face with a woman from his long-forgotten past.
-
-
Caleb’s Story
- By Alp on 02-19-23
-
Flametouched
- By: Brian K. Fuller
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Davon wants a quiet life, but the Queen orders her new clerk to delve into the affairs of the lovely Lady Hightower to uncover the truth about the mysterious plot. He discovers that powerful and prestigious conspirators don't like meddlesome clerks, and Davon must dodge bullets and increasing scrutiny, fearing the exposure of his past life. As the clues fall into place, Davon finds that the fate of Bittermarch and the Eternal Flame itself are in his flame-branded hands.
-
-
Ten out of ten
- By daniel frederick on 08-05-17
By: Brian K. Fuller
-
Teton Romance Trilogy Bundle
- Includes Yellowstone Proposal (Short Story)
- By: Peggy L. Henderson
- Narrated by: Steve Marvel
- Length: 27 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Evelyn Lewis's secret dream of marrying her brother's best friend is shattered when he leaves their home town to seek his fortune elsewhere. For six long years, she's waited and wondered if he would return. After the shocking murder of her parents, her brother is the only family she has left. Refusing to accept a betrothal to a man she doesn't love, she decides to take control of her destiny and confront her parents' killer.
-
-
A Wonderful Trilogy Plus!
- By Arlene Judy Esposito on 02-19-15
-
The Wood's Edge
- By: Lori Benton
- Narrated by: Liz Pearce
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 1757 New York frontier is home to the Oneida tribe and to British colonists, yet their feet rarely walk the same paths. On the day Fort William Henry falls, Major Reginald Aubrey is beside himself with grief. His son, born that day, has died in the arms of his sleeping wife.
-
-
Awesome
- By WeRLoved on 04-25-18
By: Lori Benton
-
Cora's Pride
- Wilderness Brides, Book 1
- By: Peggy L Henderson
- Narrated by: Cody Roberts
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cora Miller is fiercely independent and stubborn to a fault. Betrayed more than once by men she thought she could trust, she's learned to rely only on herself. As the oldest of four siblings, she feels responsible for leading her family safely on the Oregon Trail for a new start. Nathaniel Wilder is no stranger to the hardships and dangers of the wilderness. Raised with his brothers by a trapper in the remote mountains, he left behind the mistakes he's made in the past.
-
-
It's A Winner!
- By Lady M on 05-23-16
-
Burning Sky
- A Novel of the American Frontier
- By: Lori Benton
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Abducted by Mohawk Indians at 14 and renamed Burning Sky, Willa Obenchain is driven to return to her family's New York frontier homestead after many years building a life with the People. At the boundary of her father's property, Willa discovers a wounded Scotsman lying in her path.
-
-
My thoughts about 'Burning Sky' by Lori Benton
- By Tammi Dearing on 01-04-18
By: Lori Benton
-
A Tale of Light and Shadow: The Tale of Light and Shadow, Book 1
- By: Jacob Gowans
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A medieval adventure for young adults, A Tale of Light and Shadow is the story of a boy struggling to become a courageous and honorable man and a girl who is desperately in love with him despite her father's disapproval. The audiobook chronicles the extraordinary tasks their adventure asks of their band of five friends and how those demands can overwhelm and break the bonds of friendship.
-
-
Excellent storytelling and writing!
- By allison keys on 06-01-22
By: Jacob Gowans
-
The Last Survivors
- A Dystopian Society in a Post Apocalyptic World
- By: Bobby Adair, T.W. Piperbrook
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Survival in Man’s Second Dark Age...Three hundred years after the fall of society, the last fragments of civilization are clinging to life, living in the ruins of the ancient cities in nearly-medieval conditions. Technology has been reduced to legend, monsters roam the forests, and fear reigns supreme. But that is just the beginning...The wind-borne spores are spreading, disfiguring men and twisting their minds, turning them into creatures that threaten to destroy the townships.
-
-
Unique – enteraining – easy listening
- By As happy as a monkey with two bananas in his hands on 11-28-14
By: Bobby Adair, and others
What listeners say about The Door That Faced West
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JDC
- 03-22-16
Rough, but engrossing
Would you consider the audio edition of The Door That Faced West to be better than the print version?
I have not read the print version.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Door That Faced West?
The attack on Sadie Rice by her father was brutal in act and description.
Which scene was your favorite?
The jailed Harp brothers and the hearing. Sadie's messing with her split nail was excruciating.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The interactions between Sadie and her grandson.
Any additional comments?
Colorful and very researched, I found myself exhausted at points by Sadie's life.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eric Witchey
- 11-28-15
In Print or in Audio, this book is really good.
I read this book in print before I listened to it. I have to say that it was two different experiences, and both were wonderful. Occassionaly, I get excited about a piece of historical fiction. However, it is rare. Historical fiction needs to have a couple of very important pieces in place to hold my attention. First, it has to be about the people in that moment in history instead of about the history around the people. Second, it has to be written well enough that I believe in my experience in the skin of the characters. The Door that Faced West came up a solid 5 stars on both counts.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful