Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Beast in View  By  cover art

Beast in View

By: Margaret Millar
Narrated by: Jennifer Wydra
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

At 30, Helen Clarvoe is alone: Her only visitors are the staff at the hotel where she lives, and her only phone calls come from a stranger. Until that stranger, with a quiet, compelling voice, lures the aloof and financially secure Miss Clarvoe into a world of extortion, pornography, vengeance, madness, and murder. But who is the hunter and who is the victim?

A gothic chiller which still feels incredibly modern, Beast in View is a true classic of the crime fiction genre.

©1955 Margaret Millar; copyright © 1983 Margaret Millar Charitable Remainder Unitrust (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

More from the same

What listeners say about Beast in View

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    26
  • 4 Stars
    23
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    21
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Irritating performance

I wish I had read this book instead of listening to it. The performance drove me nuts, especially the voice of the matriarch in the story, which overemphasized the melodrama. As for the book, the characterization of Blackshear is utterly inconsistent and unbelievable. I will try another Millar book before I give up on her, but I think I'll switch to reading these.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb psychological study

If you could sum up Beast in View in three words, what would they be?

This is a superb psychological study disguised as a novel of suspense and terror. Millar is a master of the unexpected twist and this clearly is one of her best books. In Millar, like Highsmith, crime is more interesting than detection and the ultimate focus is on a diseased society and the way it breeds fear.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Suspenseful story

I enjoyed this book by an imaginative and talented writer. The character development and pacing made for good read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Definitely a product of the time

_TW/ CW: The book is definitely written at a time when casual racism and homophobia were far more prevalent.

Overall, this was a fast-paced read, but definitely a product of the times, not just in the casual slurs department. Without giving anything away, the story starts with a setup like “Sorry Wrong Number,” but it’s a specific crank call from a mysterious person, not a mistake.

I figured out the twist by the end of the first page, but because I’m generally horrible at doing this accurately, I figure was being set up as a reader to expect Ending X when I’d really be getting Ending Y—a twist in a direction I wasn’t expecting.

Nope. Happened like I predicted.

A big subplot concerns a character who is revealed to be gay. The characters react like you’d expect, and the fate of this character is also as you’d expect. :-( Just be aware.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary mystery!

It is a pity that Margaret Millar us not better known. This is one of the best mysteries I have ever come across— and the narrator is superb!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Satisfying classic mystery

Aside from the 1950s era homophobia and some pretty inaccurate psychology, a very satisfying thriller/mystery. The ending definitely surprised me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!