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William Lindsay Gresham: Nightmare Alley (unabridged)

Read by Adam Sims

No digital booklet included

Contents

William Lindsay Gresham: Nightmare Alley (Unabridged)

Work length10:22:31
$118.00
$153.40
  • Recording Venue: Motivation Sound Studios, London

Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante…

Track length5:15
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The geek had picked up a black snake…

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Against the summer night the ferris wheel lights winked…

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Card 2 The Magician

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'Now then, for my next number…'

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Dad taught Molly all kinds of wonderful things…

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Dad was wonderful. He looked over his shoulder…

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Molly's grandfather, 'Judge' Kincaid…

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Stanton Carlisle: The great Stanton stood up…

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The woman was tall, dressed in flowing white…

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Zeena looked up, folding her arms with decision.

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Card 3 The High Priestess

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'Nope,' Zeena went on, 'Pete was a real brunette…'

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Zeena returned. In the watery gold light of morning…

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'It's getting late'. 'Sure is.'

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Across the tent the talker, Clem Hoately…

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Her face softened and she laid her palm…

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'You know, kid – ' Pete drew himself up…

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They had left the tent and the darkened midway stretched out…

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Card 4 The World

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The sight of the sailor rushed Stan back to normal.

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It was uncanny how Zeena could fish out things…

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'Before you take that step,' she went on…

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'You're the card worker,' Martin said aggressively.

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Balancing against the rock of the train, he pushed…

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It was Zeena's turn to keep quiet.

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The figures, then, were a record…

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The speech fascinated him.

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Now the very country shimmered with violence…

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Joe Plasky said evenly, 'Sailor, you been leaving a trail…'

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Stan came up behind the steps behind Joe Plasky's platform…

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Stan noticed that the stubble on the deputy marshal's chin was white.

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'As I said, it's absolutely none of my business.'

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I'm very glad to have met you, Marshall…

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Card 5 The Empress

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They took their seats and a gangling youth with spiky hair brought in two…

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Card 6 Resurrection Of The Dead

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Outside the snow was falling lightly…

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It was like other days of early summer…

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The boy lay face down. The sounds of the house filtered up…

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Sudden anger rose up in him…

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Mother's tone was brittle.

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Someone switched on the living room lamp.

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Card 7 The Emperor

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Molly closed her eyes.

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He turned back to the reclining girl. 'Miss Cahill…'

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She sat up, passing the back of her hand…

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Stan took both her hands in his and shook them.

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Card 8 The Sun

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In the old grey stone house near Riverside Drive…

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She played the 'Amen' chords softly…

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Miss Cahill stirred in her chair and her head drew back.

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She hurried over, feeling the warmth in her face…

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Upstairs he entered Mrs. Peabody's room and shut the door.

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Card 9 The Hierophant

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Now the house wasn't like home any longer…

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Addie Peabody got up late and called the Rev. Carlisle…

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Addie had risen from her chair.

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Sun beat on the striped awnings…

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Card 10 The Moon

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It was a cool June evening and Stan wore a blue coat…

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The words had a hard time coming out…

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If only they could all have stayed together…

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The old man said 'Amen' and then grinned weakly at his wife.

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Card 11 The Lovers

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Loneliness came over him, like an avalanche of snow.

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Monday afternoon, lecture on the Esoteric Significance of the Tarot…

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With the wheels clicking past under him, Stan felt a little better.

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Stan was looking at her spindly legs.

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The nameplate said, 'Dr. Lilith Ritter…'

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Card 12 The Star

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'Let's get back to Humphries. Before he ran away…'

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In the spring darkness the Obelisk stood…

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The rush, the rocketing plunge of the years to death…

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Three doors down was a little cocktail bar with a glass sign…

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He finished the brandy and signalled the waiter…

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Bracing his hand against the curved instep…

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Card 13 The Chariot

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The morgue office of Morningside Hospital…

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Good Christ, was this guy never going to shut up…

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Conversation flattened out to an eager rustle…

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The tears had mounted to the clergyman's eyes…

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'But God damn it – pardon me Reverend – but I know all this.'

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Inside the concrete shack a man in a gray military shirt…

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The Rev. Carlisle smiled spiritually.

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Then Stan felt something touch his lips.

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The others had left the directors' room…

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The ghostly billiard game went on…

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Card 14 The Tower

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The Rev. Carlisle's hand tightened on the older man's arm.

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Suddenly she stood up, throwing her hair back.

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When Grindle got to the church he found the Rev. Carlisle…

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It was late when Stan pressed the buzzer…

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In a tiny bedroom, lit only by a skylight…

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Inside the cabinet the Rev. Carlisle was busy packing…

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He limped back into the hall.

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Card 15 Justice

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Mustn't use the car. Cab drivers remember people.

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He stood, swaying…

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She was standing up now and leaning over the desk…

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Card 16 The Devil

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Card 17 The Hermit

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The fat hobo stood up, swishing the coffee in his can.

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The world began to spin and he opened his eyes…

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Card 18 Time

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Card 19 The Wheel Of Fortune

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'My dear friend, how often in your life, when things looked bad…'

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Stan was trying to listen.

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Justice. Something in it could mean folding money.

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Card 20 Death

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They had left the crowd and cut down a side street.

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Card 21 Strength

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The half – man acrobat pushed aside the piles of letters…

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'What's calluses on the ends of the fingers…'

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Card 22 The Hanged Man

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You could hardly see the platform for the smoke and the waiter.

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