Henry Goodman reads Peter Benchley's classic 1974 novel, which went on to become one of the greatest movies of all time.

It's high summer on Cape Cod's Amity Island, and the tourists are arriving in their hundreds.

But something is lurking just off the coast and one young holiday-maker is about to go skinny dipping...

Will it ever be safe to go back into the water?

The novel shot straight on to the bestseller lists, and has since sold some 20 million copies. It was adapted into the iconic film by Steven Spielberg a year later. The film won three Academy Awards.

Abridged in ten parts by Richard Hamilton

Producer: Justine Willett

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2018. Show less