The Lives of Diamond Bessie cover art

The Lives of Diamond Bessie

A Novel

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The Lives of Diamond Bessie

By: Jody Hadlock
Narrated by: Anthea Greco
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About this listen

The Lovely Bones meets the wild, Wild West in this haunting tale inspired by a true story.

Pregnant out of wedlock, 16-year-old Annie Moore is sent to live at a convent for fallen women. When the nuns take her baby, Annie escapes, determined to find a way to be reunited with her daughter. But few rights or opportunities are available to a woman in the 1860s, and after failing to find a respectable job, she resorts to prostitution in order to survive.

As a highly sought-after demi-mondaine, Annie—now Bessie—garners many expensive gifts from her admirers and eventually meets and marries the son of a wealthy jeweler, a traveling salesman with a gambling problem. With her marriage, she believes her dream of returning to proper society has finally come true. She’s proven wrong when she suffers the ultimate betrayal at the hands of the man she thought would be her salvation. But Bessie doesn’t let her story end there.

Set against the backdrop of the burgeoning women’s rights movement, The Lives of Diamond Bessie is a captivating tale of betrayal and redemption that explores whether seeking revenge is worth the price you might pay.

©2022 Jody Hadlock (P)2022 Jody Hadlock
Genre Fiction Ghosts Historical Scary Haunted Fiction Mystery

Critic Reviews

“This affecting tale of a 19th-century American woman struggling to prove her worth other than as a marriage prospect leaves a lasting impression.” (Publishers Weekly)

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Voice like BUTTER. Couldn’t stop listening.

Anthea Greco’s voice is so silky smooth through this entire book. She is phenomenal at conveying the story and emotions of the characters, with smooth transitions between a range of accents. I couldn’t stop listening!
The story was also a fascinating fictionalised tale of a true story and woman - tragic, but beautiful.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.