Catriona

David Balfour survived the kidnapping, the shipwreck, and the flight through the heather, and now, in this sequel to Kidnapped, he faces something more dangerous than any of it: the law. An innocent man is about to hang for the Appin murder, and David is the one witness who could save him. But the government wants its conviction, powerful men want David silenced or charmed out of the way, and testifying could cost him his neck.

Into this walks Catriona Drummond, the grey-eyed daughter of a magnificently untrustworthy Highland rogue, and David (brave against muskets, hopeless against women) is lost at once. Stevenson threads political conspiracy, a daring rescue, and one of his tenderest love stories through the Scotland and Holland of 1751. Fans of Kidnapped will find the same swift storytelling, now with higher stakes and a warmer heart.

At roughly 94,700 words, Catriona runs about 10½ hours at 1x narration speed. That figure is an estimate based on a typical narration pace. The exact length depends on the voice and the playback speed you choose.

Catriona is in the public domain, so the complete text is free on Project Gutenberg and LoudReader has the entire Project Gutenberg catalog built in. To listen:

1. Download LoudReader for Mac or iPhone (free, no account).
2. Search for “Catriona” in the built-in catalog and add it to your library.
3. Press play. A natural offline voice reads the book while each word highlights on screen, and your place is saved between sessions.

LoudReader reads with natural offline voices, so the whole book works on a plane or underground. It is fully on-device and private, your library never leaves your device. Listening is unlimited on the free tier.