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Welcome to our first catalogue of 2017, with an exceptional selection of 36 Unabridged Audio Books from top authors.

Maggie Wadey’s captivating biography The English Daughter researches her mother’s hidden Irish past, and family secrets are at the heart of several of our fiction titles too. A figure from Meg Maddison’s old life returns in An Orphan’s Secret by Maggie Hope, while in The Judge’s Wife by Ann O’Loughlin, Emma uncovers the shocking truth about the mother she never knew, and Ann Bennett’s Bamboo Heart sees Laura travelling to South East Asia to learn about her father’s experiences as a prisoner of war. Antoine’s family life is not as picture-perfect as it seems in We Only Saw Happiness by Gregoire Delacourt; Seren, Nesta and Frankie all have something to hide in Kate Glanville’s Stargazing; and Evie in Carrie Hope Fletcher’s On The Other Side must shed a lifetime of secrets before she can enter heaven.

Friendship is an issue for Esther in Rosie Fiore’s After Isabella, as she asks whether those we hold dearest always have our best interests at heart. But beleaguered GP Holly gets support from her friends in Penny Parkes’ Out of Practice, and in David M Barnett’s Calling Major Tom, an unexpected friendship will change the life of cranky Thomas. In The Eye of the Reindeer by Eva Weaver, Ritva and her only friend Martta escape a remote Finnish asylum and embark on an odyssey to a new life.

A little girl is looking for new parents in Chosen Child by Linda Huber, but is caught in the crossfire of betrayal and murder. There’s more pyschological suspense in Julia Crouch’s The Cuckoo, as Rose comes to regret inviting her best friend Polly to stay. And in Dan Smith’s Dark Horizons, beautiful Domino takes Alex under her wing after a bus crash in Indonesia – but can he trust her?

The brutal murder of her sister leaves Nora unable to return to her old life in Flynn Berry’s Under the Harrow, and in Blood Symmetry by Kate Rhodes, psychologist Alice Quentin must question a traumatised child to find his mother’s kidnappers. August Schlegel is full of questions in The Butchers of Berlin by Chris Petit. Why is he working a murder case when he works in financial crimes? And why has an SS officer been assigned as his partner?

Beneath the Ashes by Jane Isaac sees DI Will Jackman investigating a burnt-out body in a barn, while forensic expert Dr Rhona McLeod excavates a grave behind an old school on a remote Scottish island in Lin Anderson’s None But the Dead. Is it connected to the death of an old man in Glasgow, and what is the significance of the thirteen muslin flowers discovered in the schoolhouse? Scotland is also the setting for A Fine House in Trinity by Lesley Kelly, which finds Stainsie returning to Edinburgh to claim his inheritance. But is it worth dying for?

Crossing the Atlantic, we’ve a clutch of great American thrillers. The Killing Kind by Chris Holm features Michael Kendricks, a hitman who only kills other assassins:

Dear Librarianbut now his enemies are targeting him. In The Devil’s Anvil by Matt Hilton, Joe Hunter is hired to protect a grieving mother from ruthless killers out for revenge, and in Chris Culver’s Measureless Night, DS Ash Rashid realises that a spate of murders are revenge killings, linked to a ten-year-old murder trial.

In mediaeval Lincoln, a widow is suspected of witchcraft in Karen Maitland’s The Vanishing Witch. Four hundred years later, Hector Lynch finds himself wanted for piracy in the Caribbean in Tim Severin’s Privateer. Writer Maria Graham also finds herself in trouble onboard ship in Sara Sheridan’s Georgian adventure romance On Starlit Seas, while soldier Jack Lark’s homecoming is not what he had imagined in Paul Fraser Collard’s The Last Legionnaire, leading him to leave 19th Century London for the battlefields of Europe.

Another novel set in Victorian London is Revenge in a Cold River by Anne Perry, which sees Commander William Monk of the River Police investigating when the body of a forger is discovered near the Thames dockside, forcing Monk to probe his forgotten past to find the truth. Meanwhile, Sophia Tobin’s The Vanishing takes us to the Yorkshire moors, where Annaleigh is drawn into a web of intrigue when she becomes maid to the Twentymans of White Windows.

David Downing’s Jack of Spies introduces car salesman and part-time spy Jack McColl, as he tries to reconcile love and espionage on the eve of the First World War. But it is the Second World War that hangs over the protagonists of our next four historical novels. It seems a world away from Chalfont Hall in 1936, where Kit is about to see her sister Lily presented at Court in Lesley Lokko’s The Last Debutante. But a German visitor sets in motion a shocking chain of events… In Trio by Sue Gee, grief-stricken Steven Coulter falls under the spell of a group of musicians, but the approach of war threatens his newfound serenity. In Somewhere Over England, by Margaret Graham, Helen Carstairs must face the Blitz alone when her German husband is interned, and in Louise Brown’s Eden Gardens, Maisy begins a life-changing affair with a young Indian, as war hits and the Empire starts to crumble.

The Spies of Winter by Sinclair McKay explores the fascinating world of the codebreakers at GCHQ, while Robin Quinn’s The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo reveals the incredible true story of Victorian fraudster Charles Deville Wells, who cheated the casino and became Europe’s most wanted criminal.

For more details of these unmissable titles, as well as our varied and extensive backlist, please visit our website.

Julian BatsonPublisher

Julian Batson

Acclaim for Jack of Spies‘A powerhouse of a series debut… Think Raiders of the Lost Ark as told by John le Carré’ Arizona Republic

Acclaim for The Judge’s Wife‘a richly woven tale of passion, conspiracy, hypocrisy and a chilling secret beyond the grave’ – Irish Independent

Acclaim for After Isabella‘A beautiful, heartfelt novel that swept me up and held me tight until the end. I was lost in this powerful, poignant tale’ – Amanda Prowse

Acclaim for The Vanishing‘A splendid and accomplished literary page turner’ – Kate Mayfield

P A C K E D I N S T U R D Y C A S E S F O R L I B R A R Y U S E

JANUARY 2017 AUDIO BOOKS AVAILABLE ON CD & MP3 CDUK, CANADA & NEW ZEALAND • MARCH 2017 AUSTRALIA

MAGGIE HOPE

An Orphan’s SecretRead by Claire Jones

CHRIS HOLM

The Killing KindRead by John Chancer

MARGARET GRAHAM

Somewhere Over EnglandRead by Maggie Mash

Michael Hendricks is not a good man. He doesn’t deserve a good life. But he is very good at his job. He’s the killing kind. He knows he’s a bad person, but he still has a code: he doesn’t work for anyone but himself, and he never kills civilians. He only hits other hitmen. It’s not a bad way to make a living, but it’s a great way to make enemies. And now both the FBI and the mafia have Hendricks in their sights, he’s about to learn just how good he really is…

About the authorChris Holm is the author of the Collector trilogy and the Michael Hendricks thrillers. His first Hendricks novel, The Killing Kind, was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a Boston Globe Best Book of 2015, and won the 2016 Anthony Award for Best Novel. www.chrisfholm.blogspot.comAcclaim for The Killing Kind‘You won’t merely read this book, you will inhale it’ – David Baldacci

11 CDs • OCD 1161 • 978-1-78706-078-4 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1161 • 978-1-78706-114-9

Playing time: 13hrs 48mins*

8 CDs • OCD 1162 • 978-1-78706-079-1 2 MP3 CD • OMP 1162 • 978-1-78706-115-6

Playing time: 9hrs 30mins

10 CDs • OCD 1163 • 978-1-78706-081-4 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1163 • 978-1-78706-117-0


LIN ANDERSON

None But the Dead Read by Sally Armstrong

Sanday, one of Britain’s northernmost islands, remote and often inaccessible. When human remains are discovered behind an old primary school, forensic expert Dr Rhona MacLeod arrives to excavate the grave. Approaching midwinter, daylight is scarce, the weather inhospitable and the residents uncooperative. When the death of an old man in Glasgow appears to have links with the island, DS Michael McNab is dispatched to investigate. Then a series of unexplained incidents occurs, apparently linked to the discovery of thirteen magic flowers representing the souls of dead children who had attended the school. But how did they die? And why are their deaths significant?

About the authorLin Anderson has published several novels and one novella featuring forensic expert Dr Rhona MacLeod, including The Special Dead, which is also available from Oakhill. Also a screenwriter, her film River Child won a student BAFTA and the Celtic Film Festival best fiction award.

In England in the 1930s, eighteen-year-old Helen Carstairs braves the prejudice of friends and family to marry Heine, a young German photographer who has fled the growing horror of the Nazis. But the storm clouds are gathering in Europe. When fighting breaks out Heine is interned, their small son is evacuated and Helen is left to face the Blitz alone. And the agony of war threatens to divide a family already tormented by conflicting passions of loyalty, shame, betrayal – and love. This heart-wrenching wartime novel was previously published as A Fragment of Time.

About the authorMargaret Graham is a bestselling author who has been writing for thirty years. Her novels have been published in the UK, Europe and the USA. She also writes under the name Milly Adams. www.margaret-graham.com

Life is a long, tough struggle for Meg Maddison… Growing up caring for her brothers after the death of their mother, it is only her indomitable spirit that gets her through the hard times. And when she marries and starts a family of her own, it seems as if the hardships are over. But the return of a darkly menacing figure from her past threatens to destroy all she has fought for…

About the authorMaggie Hope is a former nurse and an author of many historical sagas. Among her novels available from Oakhill are A Wartime Nurse, Orphan Girl and Workhouse Child.

Acclaim for Maggie Hope:‘Watch out Catherine Cookson’ – Northern Echo

9 CDs • OCD 1160 • 978-1-78706-077-7 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1160 • 978-1-78706-113-2 • Playing time: 10hrs 59mins*

This audio book contains strong language and/or explicit scenes. *Estimated time only

F R E E L I F E T I M E R E P L A C E M E N T S O F C O M P A C T D I S C S


LESLEY LOKKO

The Last Debutante Read by Julia Barrie

SINCLAIR McKAY

The Spies of Winter: The GCHQ Codebreakers Who Fought the Cold War (NF)

Read by Charles Armstrong1936, Chalfont Hall, Dorset. Thirteen-year-old Kit is about to watch her older sister Lily being presented at Court. With her auburn hair and green eyes, Kit knows her sister’s place on the social scene is guaranteed. As the door to a life of parties and eligible young men opens for Lily, Kit must make do with tiptoeing around Chalfont, eavesdropping on the conversations of the grown-ups. But the arrival one evening of a distinctly German visitor sets in motion a chain of events that none of the family could have anticipated. Years later, the aftershock of events will be felt by a new generation…

About the authorAfter various careers from cocktail waitress to kibbutz worker, Lesley Lokko trained as an architect. Several novels later, Lesley now splits her time between Johannesburg and London. Her bestselling book Little White Lies is also available from Oakhill.

12 CDs • OCD 1165 • 978-1-78706-082-1 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1165 • 978-1-78706-118-7


11 CDs • OCD 1166 • 978-1-78706-083-8 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1166 • 978-1-78706-119-4


7 CDs • OCD 1167 • 978-1-78706-084-5 1 MP3 CD • OMP 1167 • 978-1-78706-120-0


JANE ISAAC

Beneath the AshesRead by Tim Bruce

When a body is discovered in a burnt-out barn in the Warwickshire countryside, DI Will Jackman is called to investigate. Nancy Faraday wakes up on the kitchen floor. The house has been broken into and her boyfriend is missing. As the case unravels, DI Jackman realises that nothing is as it appears and everyone has a secret. Can he discover the truth behind the body in the fire, and track down the killer before Nancy becomes the next victim?

About the authorJane Isaac studied creative writing with The Writers Bureau and the London School of Journalism. Several of her novels, including The Truth Will Out and Before It’s Too Late, are also available from Oakhill.

Acclaim for Jane Isaac‘Tense and cop-savvy’ – Phil Rickman

7 CDs • OCD 1164 • 978-1-78706-080-7 1 MP3 CD • OMP 1164 • 978-1-78706-116-3 • Playing time: 8hrs 38mins*

ANN O’LOUGHLIN

The Judge’s WifeRead by Caroline Lennon

When Emma returns to Dublin to put her estranged father’s affairs in order, she begins to piece together the story of his life and that of Grace, the mother she never knew. She knows her father as the judge – as stern and distant at home as he was in the courtroom. But as she goes through his personal effects, Emma begins to find clues about her mother that shock her profoundly. A tale of enduring love and scandal that begins in 1950s Dublin and unravels across decades and continents, digging up long-buried family secrets along the way, The Judge’s Wife asks whether love really can last forever.

About the authorAnn O’Loughlin was Security Correspondent at the height of The Troubles, and was a senior journalist on the Irish Independent and Evening Herald. She is currently a senior journalist with the Irish Examiner. http://annoloughlin.blogspot.co.uk. Her novel The Ballroom Café is also available from Oakhill.

After the Second World War, many of the men and women who had worked at Bletchley Park moved on to GCHQ: the British government’s new facility established to fight the KGB. The Spies of Winter explores the early years of GCHQ as it navigated its way through a tumultuous era – from the defection of the Cambridge Five and the treachery of atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs to the collapse of the British Empire and the emergence of the US as a superpower. This is the story of the codebreakers themselves, and how they expanded the horizons of cryptography, helping to defend the nation and maintain the fragile peace in a world now under the shadow of nuclear holocaust.

About the authorSinclair McKay is a journalist and bestselling author whose books include The Secret Life of Bletchley Park and The Secret Listeners.

This audio book contains strong language and/or explicit scenes. *Estimated time only



This audio book contains strong language and/or explicit scenes.

SARA SHERIDAN

On Starlit SeasRead by Charlotte Strevens

TIM SEVERIN

Privateer (The Adventures of Hector Lynch Pirate)

Read by John Cormack

EVA WEAVER

The Eye of the ReindeerRead by Anna Bentinck

Celebrated writer and historian Maria Graham must make the treacherous voyage from Brazil to London to deliver her latest book to her publisher. Having come to terms with the loss of her beloved husband, Maria has renewed hope for the future and is determined to live her life as she pleases, free from the smothering constraints of Georgian society. It’s a journey fraught with danger, and as civil war rages around her, the only ship prepared to take Maria belongs to roguish smuggler Captain James Henderson. Onboard, all is well until Maria makes two shocking discoveries – the first a deadly secret, the second an irresistible attraction to the enigmatic captain...

About the authorSara Sheridan’s books include the Mirabelle Bevan murder mysteries set in 1950s Brighton and historical novels. She has also written for children – her picture book I’m Me has appeared on CBeebies three times. www.sarasheridan.com

Diving for plunder in the Caribbean, Hector Lynch and his companions are spotted by a Spanish ship. Escaping capture by burning the vessel’s sails – an act of piracy – they head for Tortuga, where Hector’s wife Maria awaits. He longs for a better life for them both, on the right side of the law. But the crew run into Laurens de Graff – a renowned mercenary captain now in command of a royal French frigate – and after fleeing his clutches, they are cast away on a tiny desert island, Salt Tortuga. Hector tries desperately to make his way back to Maria, meanwhile she has decided to undertake the hazardous journey to find him...About the authorTim Severin has won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, the Book of the Sea Award, a Christopher Prize, and the literary medal of the Academie de la Marine. His other Hector Lynch novels, Corsair, Buccaneer and Sea Robber, are also available from Oakhill.

Shortly after her sixteenth birthday, Ritva is sent away to Seili, an island to the south of Finland. A former leper colony, Seili is now home to ‘hopeless cases’ – women the doctors call mad. But Ritva knows she doesn’t belong there. She longs to be near her sister, and wonders why her father allowed her to be taken to this desolate place. Hope arrives in the form of Martta, a headstrong girl who becomes Ritva’s only friend. Martta is a Sami, from the north, and when the girls decide to make their escape, this is where they will head. So begins an odyssey over frozen sea and land towards a place where healing and forgiveness can grow...

About the authorEva Weaver is a writer, art therapist and performance artist. She moved to Britain from Germany in 1995 and now lives in Brighton. Her novel The Puppet Boy of Warsaw is also available from Oakhill.

CHRIS PETIT

The Butchers of Berlin Read by Allan Corduner

Berlin, 1943. August Schlegel lives in a world full of questions with no easy answers. Why is he being called out on a homicide case when he works in financial crimes? Why did the old Jewish soldier with an Iron Cross shoot the block warden in the eye then put a bullet through his own head? Why does Schlegel persist with the case when no one cares because the Jews are all being shipped out anyway? And why has SS officer Eiko Morgen been assigned to work with him? Corpses dressed with fake money, bodies flayed beyond recognition: are these routine murders or is someone trying to tell them something?About the authorChris Petit is a filmmaker and author who has directed over a dozen films, including cult British road movie Radio On. Among his novels are the critically-acclaimed The Psalm Killer and The Butchers of Berlin.Acclaim for The Butchers of Berlin‘Ambitious, darkly atmospheric’ – The Times

8 CDs • OCD 1169 • 978-1-78706-086-9 2 MP3 CD • OMP 1169 • 978-1-78706-122-4


11 CDs • OCD 1170 • 978-1-78706-087-6 2 MP3 CD • OMP 1170 • 978-1-78706-123-1


11 CDs • OCD 1171 • 978-1-78706-088-3 2 MP3 CD • OMP 1171 • 978-1-78706-124-8


12 CDs • OCD 1168 • 978-1-78706-085-2 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1168 • 978-1-78706-121-7 • Playing time: 14hrs 25mins

*Estimated time only

FEBRUARY 2017 AUDIO BOOKS AVAILABLE ON CD & MP3 CDUK, CANADA & NEW ZEALAND • APRIL 2017 AUSTRALIA



FLYNN BERRY

Under the HarrowRead by Emma Powell

GREGOIRE DELACOURT

We Only Saw Happiness Read by Charles Armstrong

& Victoria Fox

CHRIS CULVER

Measureless Night Read by John Chancer

When Nora takes the train from London to visit her sister in the countryside, she is horrified to discover that Rachel has been brutally murdered. Stunned and adrift, Nora finds she can’t return to her former life. An unsolved assault in the past has shaken her faith in the police, and she can’t trust them to find her sister’s killer. Haunted by the murder and the secrets that surround it, Nora is under the harrow: distressed and in danger. As Nora’s fear turns to obsession, she becomes as unrecognizable as the sister her investigation uncovers.

About the authorFlynn Berry graduated from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and studied writing at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas. Under the Harrow is her first novel. www.flynnberry.comAcclaim for Under the Harrow‘like Broadchurch written by Elena Ferrante’ – Claire Messud

A photograph. The father smiling beside his new car, the mother pregnant and radiant, the little girl placing toys in the cot for her new baby brother. All we see is happiness. But behind every picture there is a story... Antoine has found the woman of his dreams, Nathalie, and has two children. But when his life implodes, he does something unspeakable. Antoine’s journey to come to terms with what he has done will take him across continents, deep into his own heart and the hearts of others.

About the authorBorn in Valenciennes in 1960, Grégoire Delacourt works in advertising. L’Ecrivain de la famille, his first novel, won several awards, including the Prix Rive Gauche. www.gregoiredelacourt.com. His novel The First Thing You See is also available from Oakhill.

Detective Sergeant Ash Rashid has a steady job and a healthy family. Three hundred days sober, he can see his happy ending forming on the horizon. Then patrol officers find the body. The victim has chemical burns on her arms, two broken legs and a deep gash on her throat. Then three more bodies are found. Each victim testified in a murder trial ten years ago, one that launched Ash’s career. Each of them helped put a dangerous man in prison, and now each has paid the price. Now someone plans to make Ash pay, and she’s willing to kill everyone who stands in her way...

About the authorChris Culver’s first novel The Abbey spent nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Several of his books including The Abbey, The Outsider and By Any Means are also available from Oakhill.

Acclaim for Measureless Night‘A riveting page-turner whose author is a worthy heir to the late Robert B. Parker’ – Kirkus Reviews

ANN BENNETT

Bamboo HeartRead by Janice McKenzie

Thailand, 1943: Thomas Ellis is a prisoner-of-war on the Death Railway. In stifling heat he endures endless days of clearing jungle, breaking stone and lugging wood. Struck down by disease and tortured by Japanese guards, he must stay strong – for Tom has made himself a promise: to return home. Not to London, where he once lived, but to Penang, where he found paradise and love. London, 1986: Laura Ellis, a successful lawyer, turns her back on her yuppie existence and travels to South East Asia to retrace her father’s past. In the place where her father once suffered and survived, she will finally find out how he got his Bamboo Heart...

About the authorAnn Bennett is the author of the ‘Bamboo’ trilogy set in Southeast Asia during World War II. The first in the series, Bamboo Heart, was inspired by her father’s wartime experiences as a prisoner working on the Thai-Burma railway. www.bambooheart.co.uk

5 CDs • OCD 1173 • 978-1-78706-090-6 1 MP3 CD • OMP 1173 • 978-1-78706-126-2


9 CDs • OCD 1174 • 978-1-78706-091-3 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1174 • 978-1-78706-127-9


5 CDs • OCD 1175 • 978-1-78706-092-0 1 MP3 CD • OMP 1175 • 978-1-78706-128-6







KATE GLANVILLE

StargazingRead by Penny McDonald

KAREN MAITLAND

The Vanishing WitchRead by Jonathan Keeble

LINDA HUBER

Chosen ChildRead by Meriel Scholfield

Three women, connected by one man: Daniel is father to Seren, husband to Nesta and lover to Frankie. When he leaves Nesta and their beautiful home in the middle of the party to celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary Seren’s world begins to crumble. Only the continuation of the family ideal can make things right. But Nesta isn’t so sure. And for Frankie, Daniel offers hope of a safe and secure future. But all three women are carrying secrets that they’ve kept hidden even from those closest to them. Secrets that might even threaten a life...

About the authorKate Glanville is a ceramics artist who supplies tiles and tableware to leading shops and galleries worldwide. She has been writing stories since the age of eight, and has published three novels including Stargazing. www.kateglanville.comAcclaim for Stargazing‘Poignant, warm, and unpredictable. I enjoyed it hugely’ – Julie Cohen

Lincoln, 1380. A raven-haired widow is newly arrived in John of Gaunt’s city, with her two unnaturally beautiful children in tow. The widow Catlin seems kind, helping wool merchant Robert of Bassingham care for his ill wife. Surely it makes sense for Catlin and her family to move into Robert’s home? But when first Robert’s wife – and then others – start dying unnatural deaths, the whispers turn to witchcraft. The reign of Richard II brings bloody revolution, but does it also give shelter to the black arts? And which is more deadly for the innocents of Lincoln?

About the authorKaren Maitland’s historical novels include Company of Liars, The Owl Killers, The Gallows Curse, The Falcons of Fire and Ice and The Raven’s Head, all of which are available from Oakhill.

Acclaim for The Vanishing Witch‘A wonderfully Gothic atmosphere... Maitland has produced another gripping tale’ – Independent

A disappearance. A sudden death. A betrayal of the worst kind... Ella longs for a child, but a gruesome find during an adoption process deepens the cracks in her marriage. A family visit sets off a horrifying chain of events, and Ella can only hope she won’t lose the person she loves most of all. Amanda is expecting her second child when her husband vanishes. She is tortured by thoughts of violence and loss, but nothing prepares her for the shocking conclusion to the police investigation. And in the middle of it all, a little girl is looking for a home and a ‘forever’ family…

About the authorLinda Huber was raised in Glasgow and trained in physiotherapy. She has had over 50 short stories and articles published. Her books The Cold Cold Sea and The Paradise Tree are also available from Oakhill.

Acclaim for Chosen Child‘Gripping, fast paced, wonderful storytelling’ – Jane Isaac

PAUL FRASER COLLARD

The Last LegionnaireRead by Dudley Hinton

London, 1859. After years fighting for Queen and country, Jack Lark walks back into his mother’s East End gin palace a changed man. Haunted by the horrors of battle, he longs for a life of his own. But the city has altered almost beyond recognition, and Jack cannot see a place for himself there. A desperate moment leaves him indebted to the Devil – intelligence officer Major John Ballard, who once again leads Jack to the battlefield with a task he can’t refuse. Europe is about to go to war. Jack Lark will march with them.

About the authorAt school Paul Fraser Collard was determined to become an officer in the British army and won an Army Scholarship. However, Paul gave up his boyhood ambition and instead went into the finance industry. Among his novels available from Oakhill are The Devil’s Assassin and The Lone Warrior.

Acclaim for Paul Fraser Collard‘Brilliant’ – Bernard Cornwell

10 CDs • OCD 1177 • 978-1-78706-094-4 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1177 • 978-1-78706-130-9


7 CDs • OCD 1178 • 978-1-78706-095-1 1 MP3 CD • OMP 1178 978-1-78706-131-6


14 CDs • OCD 1179 • 978-1-78706-096-8 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1179 • 978-1-78706-132-3







MAGGIE WADEY

The English Daughter (NF)Read by Maureen O’Brien

DAN SMITH

Dark HorizonsRead by Max Dowler

Clare Riordan and her son Mikey are abducted from Clapham Common early one morning. Hours later, the boy is found wandering disorientated. Soon after, a pack of Clare’s blood is left on a doorstep in the heart of the City of London. Alice Quentin is brought in to help the traumatised child uncover his memories – which might lead them to his mother’s captors. But she swiftly realises Clare is not the first victim... nor will she be the last. The killers are driven by a desire for revenge... and in the end, it will all come down to blood.About the authorKate Rhodes is an award-winning poet and author of the acclaimed Alice Quentin series featuring a London-based forensic scientist which includes Crossbones Yard, A Killing of Angels, The Winter Foundlings, River of Souls and Blood Symmetry, all of which are available from Oakhill.Acclaim for Blood Symmetry‘Fast paced and harrowing, this gripping novel will leave you guessing until the end’ – Bella

As a child, writer Maggie Wadey was aware her mother was different from her father and his family, and that the difference was do with her Irishness, but she knew nothing of her Tipperary background. Then, before she died, Agnes Kavanagh began to talk about the past. Gradually, Maggie began to piece together her mother’s early life. But it was only after Agnes’s death that she discovered another story - a life and a secret hidden in layers of silence.

About the authorMaggie Wadey is a playwright, novelist and screenwriter. After a brief time as a model, she read Philosophy at University College London. Among her screenplays for television are adaptations of Mansfield Park, The Buccaneers, Adam Bede and the children’s novel, Stig of the Dump.

Acclaim for The English Daughter‘A historical memoir that unfolds like a mystery - personal, universal and beautifully told’ – Sadie Jones

After caring for his mother in her last days, Alex decides to go travelling and see the world. But following a horrifying bus crash on a mountain road in Indonesia, everything seems lost. Then beautiful Domino takes Alex under her wing. At first it’s an intoxicating adventure, but Alex soon realises that danger follows her around. As they approach the magnificent Lake Toba, and the remote community Domino calls home, it seems there’s trouble in paradise. The ideals of the camp are honourable – a simple life, shared by friends in a beautiful place – but Domino has no answers to the terrible questions that are forming in Alex’s mind...

About the authorDan Smith has been writing short stories for as long as he can remember and has been published in the anthology Matter 4. His novels Red Winter and The Child Thief are also available from Oakhill.

PENNY PARKES

Out of PracticeRead by Anna Bentinck

Meet married mum of two and successful GP Holly Graham as she relocates her family to join The Practice at Larkford, hoping to find a peaceful life despite her two-year-old twins and a troubled marriage. Her colleagues have their own issues to contend with. Gorgeous Dr Dan Carter is struggling to focus on work, and having his ambitious ex-girlfriend Dr Julia Channing working alongside him isn’t helping. Thankfully, the delectable Dr Taffy Jones is on hand to distract Holly from the escalating situation at home. Feisty octogenarian and resident celebrity, Elsie Townsend, is Holly’s favourite patient. Elsie’s inspirational Life Lessons come at the perfect moment, as The Practice comes under threat of imminent closure…

About the authorPenny Parkes studied International Management in Bath and Germany and worked for the BBC before setting up an independent film location agency. Out of Practice is her first novel.

Acclaim for Out of Practice‘A wonderful setting, characters you care about… laugh-out-loud funny. I loved it’ – Katie Fforde

KATE RHODES

Blood SymmetryRead by Charlotte Strevens

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MARCH 2017 AUDIO BOOKS AVAILABLE ON CD & MP3 CDUK, CANADA & NEW ZEALAND • MAY 2017 AUSTRALIA


DAVID DOWNING

Jack of SpiesRead by Clive Mantle

JULIA CROUCH

Cuckoo Read by Karen Cass

Eden Gardens, Calcutta, the 1940s. In a ramshackle house, streets away from the grand colonial mansions of the British, live Maisy, her Mam and their ayah, Pushpa. Whiskey-fuelled and poverty-stricken, Mam entertains officers in the night – a disgrace to British India. All hopes are on beautiful Maisy to restore their good fortune. But Maisy’s more at home in the city’s forbidden alleyways than dancing in glittering ballrooms with potential husbands. Then one day Maisy’s tutor falls ill. His son stands in. Poetic, handsome and ambitious for an independent India, Sunil Banerjee promises Maisy the world. So begins a love affair that will determine her future, as the Second World War strikes and the empire begins to crumble…About the authorLouise Brown has lived in Nepal and travelled extensively in India. She is the author of several critically acclaimed non-fiction books including The Dancing Girls of Lahore, a personal account of life in a Pakistani brothel quarter. Her novel Eden Gardens was shortlisted for the 2016 HWA Goldsboro Debut Crown.

Rose has it all – the gorgeous children, the husband, the beautiful home. But then her best friend Polly comes to stay. Very soon, Rose’s cosy world starts to fall apart at the seams. Her baby falls dangerously ill, her husband is distracted – is Polly behind it all? It appears that once you invite Polly into your home, it’s very difficult to get her out again… Cuckoo is a dark, juicy, deliciously unsettling, read-it-in-one-sitting psychological drama.About the authorJulia Crouch started out as a theatre director and playwright before retraining as a graphic designer. Following an Open University course in Creative Writing, she wrote her first highly-acclaimed novel, Cuckoo. She has since written four more: Every Vow You Break, Tarnished, The Long Fall and Her Husband’s Lover. www.juliacrouch.co.ukAcclaim for Cuckoo‘A brilliant debut novel… a riveting and spooky story that keeps your eyes locked on the page and leaves you feeling shaken’ – Heat

DAVID M. BARNETT

Calling Major TomRead by David Thorpe

We all know someone like Thomas. The grumpy next-door-neighbour who complains to the Residents’ Committee about the state of your front lawn. The man who tuts when you don’t have the correct change at the checkout. The colleague who sends an all-company email when you accidentally use the last drop of milk. Thomas is happy to be on his own, away from other people and their problems. But beneath his cranky exterior lies a sadness that is familiar to us all. And he’s about to encounter a family who will change his view of the world…

About the authorDavid M. Barnett is a writer and award-winning journalist. He is the author of the critically-acclaimed Gideon Smith series of steampunk/alternate-history/fantasy novels and teaches journalism part-time at Leeds Trinity University. www.davidbarnett.wordpress.com

LOUISE BROWN

Eden GardensRead by Jo Woodcock & Bharti Patel

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Jack McColl is a globe-trotting salesman for a luxury car firm. He is also a part-time spy for the fledgling Secret Service on the eve of the First World War. As 1913 ends he is in China, checking out the German naval base at Tsingtao between automobile demonstrations in Peking and Shanghai. Caitlin Hanley is a young Irish-American journalist with the sort of views that most British men would find dangerously advanced. McColl is no exception, but once captivated he finds himself unwilling to give her up – even when Caitlin’s radical politics and family connections threaten to compromise his secret career. Then the pair become involved in a plot that threatens the Empire in its hour of greatest need...

About the authorDavid Downing started his career writing for rock magazines before becoming a novelist. He has written six books in the John Russell espionage series, set in WWII Berlin. Jack of Spies is the first in a WWI spy series featuring Jack McColl.





CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER

On the Other SideRead by the author

MATT HILTON

The Devil’s AnvilRead by Peter Noble

SUE GEE

TrioRead by Joan Walker

Evie Snow is eighty-two when she passes away in her sleep, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. But when Evie reaches her own private heaven, she finds that she’s become her twenty-seven-year-old self and the door won’t open. Her soul is too heavy to pass through, so she must unburden herself of the three secrets that have weighed her down for over fifty years and find a way to reveal them before it’s too late. As Evie begins the journey of a lifetime, she learns more about life and love than she thought possible, and somehow, she may also find her way back to the only man she ever truly loved...

About the authorCarrie Hope Fletcher is an actress, singer, vlogger and author whose non-fiction book, All I Know Now, was a Number One Sunday Times bestseller and spent seven weeks in the Top Ten. On the Other Side is her first novel. www.carriehopefletcher.com

Accepting the task of protecting Billie Womack is a no-brainer for ex-counterterrorist soldier Joe Hunter, but it comes with complications. Billie’s husband, Richard, stole thirty million dollars from some violent people. He apparently died in a car crash with Billie’s daughter, Nicola – but his enemies think he escaped and has decided to come back for the money. If he’s alive, they believe he’ll contact Billie. Soon the bad guys arrive at her remote farmhouse, and she and Joe become fugitives. Richard’s fate means nothing to Hunter, but he promises to do all he can to protect Billie. Even if it means taking a bullet for her. It’s a pledge he will regret, as he learns that killers are forged on the Devil’s anvil...About the authorMatt Hilton left his job as a police officer to pursue his love of writing American-style thrillers. He is the author of the Joe Hunter thriller series and the Tess Grey and Po Villere books, and has also published novels in the supernatural/horror genre. www.matthiltonbooks.com.

Northumberland, winter 1937. In a remote moorland cottage, Steven Coulter, a young history teacher, is filled with grief at the death of his wife. Through a charismatic colleague, Frank Embleton, and Frank’s sister, Diana, he is drawn into the beguiling world of a group of musicians, and falls under their spell. But as war approaches a decision is made which calls all their lives shockingly into question. Moving between the isolated beauty of the moors, a hill-town school and a graceful old country house, Trio explores conscience and idealism, love and desire, and the power of music to disturb, uplift and affirm.

About the authorSue Gee’s novels include The Hours of the Night, which won the Romantic Novel of the Year award in 1997, and Reading in Bed, which was a Daily Mail Book Club Selection in 2007. She has also written an acclaimed short story collection, Last Fling.

ROSIE FIORE

After IsabellaRead by Meriel Scholfield

When Esther’s childhood best friend Isabella dies of cancer, she is devastated. Years later, she is brought together with Isabella’s sister Sally, who cared for Isabella in her last days, and who subsequently nursed their mother through years of dementia. English professor Esther sees shy, innocent Sally emerge from a life of isolation and loneliness. But as Esther herself suffers blow after blow, and sees her carefully ordered life collapse around her, she is forced to contemplate the notion of friendship and trust. Do the ones we hold dearest always have our best interests at heart?

About the authorRosie Fiore studied drama at the University of the Witwatersrand and has worked as a writer for theatre, television, magazines, advertising, comedy and the corporate market. Her first novel, This Year’s Black, was longlisted for the South African Sunday Times Literary Award. After Isabella is her fifth novel. www.rosiefiore.com

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8 CDs • OCD 1191 • 978-1-78706-107-1 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1191 • 978-1-78706-143-9

Playing time: 10hrs*

10 CDs • OCD 1188 • 978-1-78706-104-0 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1188 • 978-1-78706-140-8 Playing time: 11hrs 55mins*


*Estimated time only This audio book contains strong language and/or explicit scenes.



ANNE PERRY

Revenge in a Cold RiverRead by Jonathan Oliver

SOPHIA TOBIN

The VanishingRead by Helen Longworth

ROBIN QUINN

The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo (NF)

Read by Jonathan KeebleLondon, 1869: The body of a middle-aged man is found tangled in a mass of rope and wooden wreckage near the dockside of the River Thames. Commander William Monk of the River Police is called when initial investigations reveal the man was shot in the back. When he learns that the man was a master forger who had just escaped prison, Monk’s interest is piqued. But as his investigations lead him deeper into the murky world of smuggling and forgery, Monk is forced to confront his own forgotten past. It soon becomes clear that a bitter enemy is back for revenge. With his life and career in danger, can Monk discover the truth before it is too late?

About the authorAnne Perry is a New York Times bestselling author. Her two series, one featuring Thomas Pitt and one featuring William Monk, have been published in multiple languages. Her previous William Monk novels Blind Justice and Blood on the Water are also available from Oakhill.

In an isolated spot on the Yorkshire Moors lies White Windows, a house of shadows and secrets. Here lives Marcus Twentyman, a hard-drinking but sensitive man, and his sister, the brisk widow, Hester. When Annaleigh, a foundling who has fled her home in London, finds herself in service to the Twentymans, she discovers all is not as it seems behind closed doors. Isolated and lonely, Annaleigh is increasingly drawn to her master. As their relationship intensifies, she soon realises that she is being controlled and her life is no longer her own. Drawn into a web of intrigue and darkness, she must face her fears if she is to save herself.

About the authorSophia Tobin worked for a Bond Street antique dealer for six years, specialising in silver and jewellery. She is the author of two previous novels: The Silversmith’s Wife, shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize, and The Widow’s Confession. Both are also available from Oakhill.

Charles Deville Wells has two loves in life: Jeannette, his beautiful French mistress, and his sumptuous yacht, the Palais Royal. At the risk of losing both, Wells stakes everything he owns at the roulette tables in Monte Carlo’s world-famous casino – and in the space of a few days he breaks the bank, not once but ten times, winning the equivalent of millions in today’s money. Is he phenomenally lucky? Has he really invented an ‘infallible’ gambling system, as he claims? Or is he just an exceptionally clever fraudster? Based on painstaking research on both sides of the Channel, this biography reveals the incredible true story of the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo and went on to become Europe’s most wanted criminal.About the authorRobin Quinn is an author and radio producer based in South-East England. He has written two acclaimed works of non-fiction: Hitler’s Last Army, about German POWs in Britain, and The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo. www.robin-quinn.co.uk

LESLEY KELLY

A Fine House in TrinityRead by Angus King

Joseph Staines left town with a stolen tallybook, but two suspicious deaths and a surprise inheritance have lured him back home to Edinburgh. No one is pleased to see him. The debtors want him gone. The police have some questions for him. And a mysterious stranger has been asking about him in the pub. To survive, Staines has to sober up, solve the murders, and stay one step ahead of the man who wants him dead.

About the authorLesley Kelly has worked in the public and voluntary sectors for the past twenty years, dabbling in poetry and stand-up comedy along the way. She won the Scotsman’s Short Story award in 2008, and her debut novel A Fine House in Trinity was longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize 2016.

Acclaim for A Fine House in Trinity‘Tartan Noir has found a new and exciting voice’ – Edinburgh Evening News

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RECENTLY PUBLISHED AUDIO BOOKSAVAILABLE ON CD


NON-FICTION

CAPTAIN ERIC BROWNWings on my Sleeve (NF)Read by Cameron StewartIn 1939 Eric Brown was on a University exchange course in Germany, and the first he knew of the war was when the Gestapo came to arrest him. They released him, not realising he was a pilot in the RAF volunteer reserve. Eric Brown joined the Fleet Air Arm and went on to be the greatest test pilot in history, flying more different aircraft types (487) than anyone else. Here here tells his own remarkable story.


HUNTER DAVIESThe Co-Op’s Got Bananas! A Memoir of Growing Up in the Post-War North (NF)Read by Cameron StewartDespite the struggle to make ends meet during the tough years of warfare in the 1940s and rationing persisting until the early 1950s, life could still be sweet. Especially if you were a young boy, playing football with your pals, saving up to go to the movies at the weekend, and being captivated by the latest escapade of Dick Barton on the radio. Chocolate might be scarce, and bananas would be a pipe dream, but you could still have fun. Hunter Davies captures this period beautifully. His memoir of growing up in post-war North of England from 1945 onwards, should be one that will resonate with thousands of readers across Britain.


LAURA DAWESFighting Fit: The Wartime Battle for Brtain’s Health (NF)Read by Karen CassAt the beginning of the Second World War, medical experts predicted epidemics of physical and mental illness on the home front. Rationing would decimate the nation’s health, they warned; drugs, blood and medical resources would be in short supply; air raid shelters and evacuation would spread diseases; and the psychological effects of bombing raids would leave mental hospitals overflowing. Yet, astonishingly, Britain ended the war in better health than ever before. Based on original archival research and written with wit and verve, Fighting Fit reveals an extraordinary, forgotten story of medical triumph against the odds.


STEVEN JAMIESONBilbo: The Lifeguard Dog (NF)Read by Mike RogersWhen Steven Jamieson met Bilbo, a chocolate Newfoundland puppy, little did he know that the small bundle of fluff would grow to take up a huge space in his heart and change his life forever. The pair were inseparable, with Bilbo accompanying Steven to his job as head lifeguard of Sennen beach in Cornwall every day. Bilbo was an excellent swimmer and he was soon promoted to honorary lifeguard. He was even credited with saving the lives of three people. But Bilbo and Steve couldn’t have foreseen the obstacles that life would throw at them. Together, they would have to gather every bit of their strength to fight for their livelihood.

6 CDs • OCD 1143 • 978-1-78433-971-5 1 MP3 CD • OMP 1143 • 978-1-78706-007-4 • Playing time: 6hrs 48mins

NATALIE LIVINGSTONEThe Mistresses of Cliveden: Three Centuries of Scandal, Power and Intrigue in an English Stately Home (NF)Read by Carole BoydFrom its dawn in the 1660s to its twilight in the 1960s, Cliveden was an emblem of elite misbehaviour and intrigue. Conceived by the Duke of Buckingham as a retreat for his scandalous affair with Anna-Maria, Countess of Shrewsbury, the house later served as the backdrop for the Profumo Affair, which would bring down a government and change the course of British history. In the 300 years between, the house was occupied by a dynasty of remarkable women each of whom left their mark on this great house.


SONIA PURNELLFirst Lady: The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill (NF)Read by Charlotte StrevensWithout Churchill’s inspiring leadership Britain could not have survived its darkest hour and repelled the Nazi menace. Without his wife Clementine, however, he might never have become Prime Minister. By his own admission, the Second World War would have been ‘impossible without her’. Clementine was Winston’s emotional rock and his most trusted confidante and she exerted an influence over her husband and the Government that would appear scandalous to modern eyes. Yet her ability to charm Britain’s allies and her humanitarian efforts on the Home Front earned her deep respect. Now Sonia Purnell explores the peculiar dynamics of this fascinating union.


STEWART PURVIS & JEFF HULBERTGuy Burgess: The Spy Who Knew Everyone (NF)Read by Andrew CullumCambridge spy Guy Burgess was a supreme networker. He also set a gold standard for conflicts of interest, working variously for the BBC, MI5, MI6, the War Office, the Ministry of Information and the KGB. Yet Burgess was never challenged by Britain’s spy-catchers: his superiors were convinced he was too much of a liability to have been recruited by Moscow. Now, with a major new release of hundreds of files into the National Archives, Purvis and Hulbert reveal just how this charming establishment insider was able to fool everyone for so long, without suspicion, all the while working for the KGB.


ROBERT SERVICEThe End of the Cold War: 1985-1991 (NF)Read by Andrew CullumThe dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the spread of Perestroika throughout the former Soviet bloc was a sea change in world history. Here acclaimed Russian historian Robert Service examines precisely how that change came about. Drawing on a vast and largely untapped range of sources, he builds a picture of the two men who spearheaded the breakthrough: Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, and Mikhail Gorbachev, last General Secretary of the Soviet Union. Authoritative, compelling and meticulously researched, this is political history at its best.


SARAH SHAWPortland Place: Secret Diary of a BBC Secretary (NF)Read by Anna BentinckPortland Place is the diary of Sarah Shaw for the year of 1971. Working as a secretary for the BBC at the time, Sarah’s diary describes the life of a suburban girl who certainly wasn’t ‘swinging’ but who was, ironically, not only working on a cutting edge BBC survey on sex education but was also about to embark on an extraordinary first love affair. Sarah talks humorously and frankly about what it was like to be a young, working woman at the time as well as life at the BBC during the 1970s.


GARETH WILLIAMSA Monstrous Commotion: The Mysteries of Loch Ness (NF)Read by Andrew CullumThe Loch Ness Monster: a creature that should have died out with the dinosaurs, or a legend built on hoaxes and wishful thinking? Sir Peter Scott was convinced that the Monster existed. So were senior scientists at London’s Natural History Museum and Chicago University; they lost their jobs because they refused to renounce their belief in the creature. For decades, the scientific establishment was determined to quash attempts to investigate Loch Ness – until the journal Nature published an article by Peter Scott featuring underwater photographs of the Monster. Drawing extensively on new material, Gareth Williams takes a wholly original look at what really happened in Loch Ness.




FICTION

KATIE AGNEWThe InheritanceRead by Penelope RawlinsFrom her hospital bed, Tilly Beaumont sends her granddaughter Sophia letters about her life: dispatches about wartime England, about family secrets and, finally, about the most beautiful thing she ever owned – a necklace of the most incredible pearls. If Sophia’s prepared to listen, she’ll unlock the secret story of generations of incredible women, from the pearl divers of Japan, to high society in pre-war England, and find that the necklace has changed the lives of all who have worn it. The only problem? No one knows where it is. Sophia must find out if she’s ready to take on the search for something so perfect it can change a life.


CLIVE ASLETThe BirdcageRead by Jonathan KeebleWelcome to Salonika in1916, one of the jewels in the Ottoman crown. It is now suddenly Greek. A city nominally neutral, but teeming with French, British and Serbian armies, to hold it against the Austro-German forces to the north, with their Bulgarian allies. In this sparkling tale we find a world of perilous ascents from military kite balloons; of madcap journeys by mule, by Wolseley motor car and by foot over the grim northern mountains; of U-boats lurking off the city; of sinister and dangerous Gazmend Effendi, who may be Turkish – or is it Bulgarian? Or even Venezuelan? The breathless ride is just beginning.


MARTINE BAILEYThe Penny HeartRead by Charlotte StrevensSentenced to death for a simple confidence trick, Mary Jebb escapes the gallows ... but her reprieve is harsh: seven years in the penal colony of Botany Bay. Yet Mary is determined not to be forgotten, sending two pennies, engraved with a promise, to the men who sealed her fate. Artist Grace Moore jumps at the opportunity to marry handsome Michael Croxon – if only to get away from her drunken father. But when Grace takes on a new cook, the two penny heart love tokens reveal she is tied to a world of deceit, double-crossing, revenge and murder.


ROBERT BARNARDThe Case of the Missing BrontëRead by Jonathan KeebleScotland Yard Superintendent Perry Trethowan is enjoying a vacation evening at a cosy Yorkshire pub when an old woman shows him an original, unpublished Bronte manuscript. Trethowan agrees to engage in a little literary detective work, but he doesn’t realise that for a criminal the manuscript is motive for theft, torture – and murder.


M. H. BAYLISBlack Day at the Bosphorus Café Read by David ThorpeWhen Mina, a Kurdish student activist, plunges in flames from the top floor of Wood Green Shopping City, it’s widely assumed to be a political protest. But local reporter Rex Tracey, who knew the dead girl, doesn’t buy it. His suspicions mount when a council whistleblower meets a similarly ugly end. As he investigates, the sleuthing journalist with the chequered past and the penchant for Polish lager is sucked into a world of honour killings, corrupt officials, and clashing traditions.


JANE BIDDERThe VictimRead by Meriel ScholfieldA kindly voice from the ‘Lost or Stolen’ option at the other end of the phone confirmed that no one had taken money from her cards in the short time they’d gone missing. Thank heavens. She decided there was no need to cancel them … When Georgie Hamilton’s car goes missing and then reappears outside her house hours later, her family is convinced she must have left it there – after all, her handbag is still on the back seat. But as her bank accounts start being emptied, and her husband’s and clients’ funds are raided too, it’s clear someone has stolen her identity and is playing fast and loose with it ...


HARRY BINGHAMThe Dead HouseRead by Siriol JenkinsWhen the body of a young woman is found in an old ‘dead house’ – the annexe where the dead were stored before burial in medieval times – of a tiny church, it seems that past and present have come together in a bizarre and horrifying way. For DC Fiona Griffiths, the girl represents an intriguing puzzle, given Fiona’s unusual empathy for the dead. And when her investigations lead her to an obscure and secretive monastery in a remote valley, she finds that the murder victim is far from the only victim of a dark and disturbing melding of modern crime and medieval religious practices.


STEWART BINNSThe Darkness and the Thunder: 1915 (The Great War series, Book 2)Read by Richard BurnipThe Western Front is a wasteland of barbed wire, shell craters and mud-filled trenches. Winston Churchill, searching for a solution to the stalemate, commits the Allies to a disastrous Gallipoli campaign. As men on both sides die in droves, miners and mill-workers work tirelessly for the war effort while families confront the broken bodies of returning soldiers. Nurses, soldiers, politicians, factory-workers and children – all are torn apart by war, and for husbands and sons, mothers and wives, the old way of life is vanishing.


STEWART BINNSThe Shadow of War: 1914 (The Great War series, Book 1)Read by Richard BurnipJune 1914. The beginning of another long, prosperous summer for Britain. But beneath the clear skies, the chill wind of social discontent swirls around this sceptred isle. Shots ring out in a distant European land – the assassination of a foreign aristocrat. From that moment the entire world is propelled into a conflict unlike any seen before. This is the story of five British communities, their circumstances very different, but who will all share in the tragedy that is to come.


BERNARDINE BISHOPThe StreetRead by Anna BentinckIn the course of this delightful, quirky and perceptive novel an elderly soldier with incipient Alzheimer’s saves the life of a remarkable child, a resting actor finds real purpose, a woman starved of love discovers it in an unexpected place and a beloved cat achieves immortality. The Street reveals Bernardine Bishop’s trademark wry, refreshingly frank but always compassionate understanding of human behaviour.


BRITTA BOLTLives Lost: Pieter Posthumus 2Read by Andrew CullumPieter Posthumus is enjoying a quiet drink when the screaming starts. Marloes, the owner of the guesthouse next door rushes in: one of her tenants has been murdered. Posthumus cannot believe it when she is arrested – for both her tenant Zig’s murder and another death years before. Why do people think Marloes is guilty? And why did Zig paint one picture every year – a copy of a Dutch master, but with one peculiar twist? As his investigation progresses he finds that asking questions leads to a truth that’s hard to bear.


BRITTA BOLTLonely Graves (Pieter Postumus Book 1)Read by Andrew CullumA suicide. A drowned man. A sudden death. In Amsterdam, there’s a council department known affectionately as the Lonely Funerals team which arranges burials for the abandoned or unknown dead. Pieter Posthumus hasn’t been doing the job long, but he’s determined to do it well. He finds he cares deeply about the people whose files land on his desk. So when something doesn’t seem quite right about a Moroccan immigrant’s ‘accidental’ drowning, Posthumus starts digging. His quest for justice will lead him down some dangerous paths …





NICK BROWNThe Black Stone: Agent of Rome 4Read by Nigel PeeverObsessed by the solar religions of the east, the emperor Aurelian sets out to obtain every sacred object within his realm. But one – a mysterious rock said to channel the power of the sun god – lies beyond his reach. Warrior-priest Ilaha has captured the legendary stone and is using it to raise an army against Rome. For Imperial agent Cassius Corbulo and ex-gladiator bodyguard Indavara, stopping him constitutes their greatest challenge yet. And when they finally reach Ilaha’s mountain fortress, they face thousands of warriors who will give their lives to protect him ... and the black stone.


MICHEL BUSSIBlack Water LiliesRead by Joan WalkerGiverny. The home of the artist Claude Monet and the gardens where he painted his waterlilies. But there is a darker side to the peaceful French village. Jérôme Morval, a man whose passion for art was matched only by his passion for women, has been found dead in the stream that runs through the gardens. In his pocket is a postcard of Monet’s Waterlilies with the words: 11 years old. Happy Birthday. Entangled in the mystery are three women, all of whom share a secret. But what do they know about the discovery of Jérôme Morval’s corpse? And what is the connection to the mysterious, rumoured painting of Black Water Lilies?


ANDREA CAMILLERIBlade of LightRead by Daniel PhilpottWhen a gentleman arrives at Montalbano’s station to report an armed robbery on his wife that ended with a kiss, the inspector’s suspicions are aroused. But Montalbano finds that none of the witnesses’ stories add up, and he can’t help feeling they’re not meant to. Meanwhile there’s a case that keeps finding its way back to Montalbano’s office. A locked door has appeared on a farmer’s disused shed, and then, just as quickly, disappears. The anti-terrorist police intervene, but why are they so keen to keep this away from him? And why does he sense that this case is connected to him somehow?


ANDREA CAMILLERIGame of MirrorsRead by Daniel PhilpottWhen Montalbano comes to the aid of his new neighbour, Liliana Lombardo, after her car is interfered with, the inspector can little imagine where this will lead. It soon transpires that the young woman is being targeted by someone. But is Liliana’s growing interest in Montalbano simply a product of the detective’s innate charm? Or is she trying to lead him into trouble? Meanwhile a bomb explodes outside an empty warehouse in Vigàta. But who was it intended for? As Montalbano and his colleagues investigate they begin to receive a barrage of false clues. The inspector realises that he is being led into a hall of mirrors, where there is danger at every turn and nothing is quite clear ...


DARCIE CHANThe Mill River RedemptionRead by Liza RossHaving unexpectedly lost her husband and lacking the means to support herself, Josie DiSanti and her two daughters take refuge in the small town of Mill River. The sisters, Rose and Emily, are inseparable growing up – until a shocking tragedy tears them apart. Years later, they return to Mill River for the reading of their mother’s will, where they learn that Josie would do anything to force their reconciliation: the sisters must move into neighbouring houses and work together to locate the key to Josie’s safe deposit box, which contains their inheritance. And so, left with no choice, Rose and Emily reluctantly begin their search ...


ROSIE CLARKEEmma’s DutyRead by Helena CoatesEmma Reece is slowly adjusting to her husband’s return from the war, even though his appalling injuries mean their marriage is in name only. But then tragedy strikes, and Emma finds she cannot turn to Jack Harvey, her long-standing friend and one-time lover – for while he still loves her, he is now a married man … The final instalment in Rosie Clarke’s ‘Emma’ trilogy.


JOSEPH CLYDEThe OligarchRead by Andrew CullumMeet Arshile Grekov. A reclusive Russian oligarch, he lives in Holland Park in exceptional opulence after successfully extricating his gigantic fortune from Russia. He is deeply worried. His doctors are confounded by his slowly failing health and his beloved son, a loud, druggy, dissolute Etonian, is secretly involved with a white-Russian princess. As a former spy, he knows he will always remain of intense interest to the paranoid Russian government. When Grekov’s private security force is infiltrated, he turns to former MI5 agent Tony Underwood to prevent further mischief.


PAUL FRASER COLLARDThe Devil’s AssassinRead by Dudley HintonBombay, 1857. Jack Lark is living precariously as an officer when his heroic but fraudulent past is discovered by the Devil – Major Ballard, the army’s intelligence officer. Ballard is gathering a web of information to defend the British Empire, and he needs a man like Jack on his side. Not far away, in Persia, the Shah is moving against British territory and seeks to conquer the crucial city of Herat. As the British march to war, Jack learns that secrets crucial to the campaign’s success are leaking into their enemies’ hands. Ballard has brought him to the battlefield to end a spy’s deceit. But who is the traitor?


PAUL FRASER COLLARDThe Lone Warrior (Jack Lark 4)Read by Dudley HintonBombay, 1857. India is simmering with discontent, and Jack Lark, honourably discharged from the British Army, aims to take the first ship back to England. But before he leaves, he cannot resist the adventure of helping a young woman escape imprisonment in a gaming house. He promises to escort Aamira home, but they arrive in Delhi just as the Indian Mutiny explodes. As both sides commit horrific slaughter and the siege of Delhi begins, Jack realises that despite the danger he cannot stand by and watch. At heart, he is still a soldier ...


NADIA DALBUONOThe FewRead by Tim BruceDetective Leone Scamarcio, the son of a former leading Mafioso, has turned his back on the family business, and has joined the Rome police force. But when Scamarcio is handed a file of extremely compromising photographs of a high-profile Italian politician, and told to ‘deal with it’, he knows he’s in for trouble. And when a young man is found stabbed to death in Rome, and a little girl disappears on a beach in Elba, Scamarcio’s job gets a whole lot more complicated. Worst of all, every lead seems to implicate the prime minister – a multimedia baron, and the most powerful man in Italy.


TORKIL DAMHAUGMedusa Read by Peter NobleA woman vanishes from a forest near Oslo. Days later her body is found, seemingly mauled and maimed by a bear. When another woman is reported missing and then found dead with the same scratches and bites, police find the link between them is local doctor, Axel Glenne. Forensics reveal the women were murdered and a net of suspicion tightens around Axel, who is convinced his twin brother Brede is responsible. But no one has seen him for years and if Axel is to prove his innocence, he needs to find Brede. And fast. But there isn’t a single photograph of the brothers together and neither Axel’s wife nor his children has ever met a man called Brede ...


MICHELLE DAVIESGone Astray Read by Clare CorbettWhen Lesley and her husband Mack are the sudden winners of a £15 million EuroMillions jackpot, they move with their 15-year-old daughter Rosie to an exclusive gated estate in Buckinghamshire, leaving behind their ordinary lives – and friends. But it soon turns into their darkest nightmare when Lesley returns to their house to find it empty: their daughter Rosie is gone. DC Maggie Neville is assigned to be Family Liaison Officer to Lesley and Mack, but she has a crisis threatening her own life – a secret from the past that could shatter everything she’s worked for.





MURRAY DAVIESWelcome to MeantimeRead by Peter WickhamDCI Patsy Chalke. Beautiful, rich, Oxford-educated. Owns a riverside penthouse, drives a red Mercedes convertible. DS Bobby Leyden. The bruiser from the notorious Ferrier estate. Lives on take-away Chinese and cans of 1664. Drives a Ford. They are Chalke and Cheese, but when a gruesome string of murders rocks the royal borough of Greenwich, the pair must work together to find out who is killing South London’s villains. And why. Only one thing’s certain. In Meantime nothing is what it seems to be.


TAMARA DIETRICHThe Hummingbird’s CageRead by Laurence BouvardJoanna has spent 10 years married to a monster. Everyone thinks she has the perfect life, but behind closed doors she lives in constant fear of her husband. Escape seems impossible – and then a stranger offers her a chance to flee. On the run with her young daughter, Joanna finds herself in the mysterious town of Morro. With no memory of how she got there. And no idea of what the town truly is. Joanna faces a rare and terrible choice – stay safe, or return to face the fight of her life, to save herself and her little girl.


PAUL DOHERTYDark SerpentRead by Richard BurnipAfter his recent unveiling of a devious assassin, Sir Hugh Corbett has returned to service as the Keeper of the Secret Seal. Summoned to meet the King, Corbett and Ranulf learn of the death of Corbett’s friend, Ralph Grandison. Ralph, a leper, has been found dead in a rowing boat, a dagger in his chest. But this murder is not the first of its kind. Other patients of the hospital, all former knights of the Royal household, are being targeted. The discovery that Ralph was killed by a poison dagger that once belonged with the Crown Jewels leads Corbett down a complex path, where the risk of disease plays out against the backdrop of finding an assassin who will use any means necessary to kill.


JAMIE DOWARDHostageRead by Peter NobleA bomb takes out a CIA station chief in Geneva. A serial killer strikes apparently at random across the UK. In Algeria a terrorist network that controls the illicit trade in guns, drugs, oil and cigarettes is preparing to murder a hundred US and British energy workers. The British and the American intelligence services are competing to find the kidnappers for very different reasons. One person can see how everything is linked, and that both MI5 and the CIA are being manipulated as part of a grotesque marketing campaign. But Kate Pendragon threatens vested interests who don’t want the truth to surface.


JAMIE DOWARDToxicRead by Peter NobleThe mutilated body of a senior banker is found on a Kent beach. Could the man’s death be linked to the scandal engulfing his employer, a global bank created by the CIA to help track terrorism financing? Kate Pendragon, a financial analyst seconded to MI5, discovers that the bank is close to collapse. Elsewhere, intelligence is gathered on an Islamic terrorist cell intent on triggering a nuclear catastrophe to rig the world’s financial markets – rigged, it would appear, by the Americans. Pendragon believes the intelligence community on both sides of the Atlantic could be falling for a sophisticated hoax. Only, no one is listening to her.


RUTH DUGDALLHumber Boy BRead by Penny McDonaldA child is killed after falling from the Humber Bridge. Two young brothers are found guilty and sent to prison. Upon their release they are granted anonymity. Probation officer Cate Austin is responsible for Humber Boy B’s reintegration into society. But the general public’s anger is steadily growing, and those around her wonder if he deserves to keep the secret of his identity. Cate’s loyalty is challenged when she begins to discover the truth of the crime. Is a child is capable of premeditated murder? Or is there a greater evil at play?


RUTH DUGDALLNowhere Girl Read by Penny McDonaldProbation officer, Cate Austin, has moved for a fresh start, along with her daughter Amelia, to live with her police detective boyfriend, Olivier Massard. But when she realises just how casually he is taking the disappearance of a young girl, Ellie, Cate decides to investigate matters for herself. She discovers Luxembourg has a dark heart. As Cate comes closer to discovering Ellie’s whereabouts she uncovers a hidden world, placing herself in danger, not just from traffickers, but from a source much closer to home.


STEVEN DUNNEDeath Do Us Part Read by Jonathan KeebleDI Damen Brook is on a rare period of leave to re-connect with his daughter Terri. But with her heavy drinking proving a challenge, Brook agrees to visit a local murder scene when his help is requested. An elderly couple have each been executed with a single shot to the heart with the method echoing that of a murdered middle-aged gay couple. With the same killer suspected, Brook knows that he has little choice but to cut short his leave when forced by his superiors to take the lead on the case.


STEVEN DUNNEA Killing Moon Read by Jonathan KeebleFor the young woman kidnapped on her way home from the pub, the nightmare is about to begin. Weeks after Caitlin Kinnear goes missing, the police are unable to break her case. Worse, they are not even certain harm has come to her. But determined to pursue all leads, DI Damen Brook and his team begin to trawl through the murky world of cheap migrant labour. Convinced that the answers lie hidden within its depths, Brook soon begins to realise Caitlin is in terrible danger.


MAGGIE FORDA Soldier’s GirlRead by Kate LeeAfter a childhood in poverty and leaving school to work at the age of 13, life is beginning to look up for Brenda Wilson. Freshly married to her handsome soldier husband, she finds her true vocation in hairdressing. However, Brenda is forced to give up her dreams of owning her own salon as Harry is called into service, leaving her to bring up their daughter all by herself ...


ESSIE FOXThe Last Days of Leda GreyRead by Peter Noble & Rachel AtkinsDuring the heat wave of 1976 journalist Ed Peters finds an Edwardian photograph of a dark-haired actress whose name was Leda Grey. He discovers Leda Grey is living still, in a decaying cliff-top house once shared with Charles Beauvois, a director of early silent film. As Beauvois’s lover and muse, Leda often starred in scenes where stage magic and trick photography were used to astonishing effect. But, while playing a cursed Egyptian queen, the fantasies captured on celluloid were echoed in reality. A horrific accident left Leda abandoned for more than half a century – until Ed Peters finds her and hears her secrets.


ILANA FOXThe Glittering Art of Falling ApartRead by Anna Bentinck1980s Soho is electric. For Eliza, the heady pull of its nightclubs and free-spirited people leads her into the life she has craved – all glamour, late nights and excitement. But it comes at a heavy cost. Cassie is fascinated by her family’s history and the abandoned Beaufont Hall. Why won’t her mother talk about it? Offered the chance to restore Beaufont to its former glory, Cassie jumps at the opportunity to learn more about her past. Separated by a generation, but linked by a forgotten diary, these two women have more in common than they know ...





JUNE FRANCISA Sister’s DutyRead by Sue Jenkins Rosie Kilshaw is only 15 when her mother Violet is killed in a tragic accident, but as the oldest of her siblings, she vows to keep her family together, no matter what the sacrifice. But as distant family members begin to resurface into their lives, Rosie quickly realises that there is a lot more to parenting than she first thought. And when her estranged aunt Amelia decides to take them in, she will have a difficult choice to make…


JUNE FRANCISLily’s WarRead by Sue JenkinsBusy bringing up her motherless brothers and sisters, romance is the last thing on Lily Thorpe’s mind. But when the handsome preacher Matt Gibson asks Lily to return with him to Australia as his wife, she finds it very hard to say no. But with rumours of war on the horizon, will she have to choose between her head and her heart? A story of love and loyalty set against a backdrop of wartime Liverpool.


CIARA GERAGHTYThis is NowRead by Caroline Lennon An ordinary bank, in an ordinary town. There was no way of knowing what was about to happen. Afterwards, the first thing Martha thinks about is a drink. She reads her reasons why she shouldn’t. Tobias was a boy when the bombs dropped in Dresden. Now alone, the memories he’s been running from are insistent visitors. Roman, a 14-year-old Polish immigrant, is on the run. From the police. From Jimmy and his gang. Mama said everything would be better in Ireland. She was wrong. Cillian, a detective, finds himself back in Dublin, investigating a robbery. His girlfriend plans their future as she awaits his return. Each is running. To a place where the past cannot be undone and the future cannot be known. A place called now.


VANESSA GREENEThe Little Pieces of You and MeRead by Victoria FoxBest friends Isla and Sophie made each other a promise a long time ago: to never let life pass them by. Years later, Isla is in love, living abroad and fulfilling her dreams. But for Sophie, things haven’t turned out the way she was expecting and she hasn’t achieved any of the things she and Isla talked about. And then, in one sudden moment, life irrevocably changes for both women. Isla and Sophie have hard decisions to make but above all else they must face up to the uncertainty that lies ahead.


BEAR GRYLLSBurning AngelsRead by Rupert DegasA prehistoric corpse entombed within an Arctic glacier, crying tears of blood. A jungle island overrun by rabid primates – escapees from a research laboratory’s Hot Zone. A massive seaplane hidden beneath a mountain, packed with a Nazi cargo of mind-blowing evil. A penniless orphan kidnapped from an African slum, holding the key to the world’s survival. Four terrifying journeys. One impossible path. Only one man to attempt it. Will Jaeger. The Hunter.


MARK HARDIEBurned and BrokenRead by Rupert Holliday-EvansA policeman is found burned to death in his car on the Southend seafront. A vulnerable young woman is trying to discover the truth behind the sudden death of her best friend. As DS Frank Pearson and DC Catherine Russell from the Essex Police Major Investigation Team are brought in to solve the mystery that surrounds their colleague’s death, they’re under intense pressure to crack the case without damaging the force’s reputation. When a dramatic turn of events casts a whole new light on both cases, the way forward is far from clear. Were the victims connected in some way?


OLIVER HARRISThe House of Fame Read by Toby LongworthAmber Knight is London’s hottest ticket – pop star, film star, front-page, gossip. Nick Belsey is less celebrated. He can’t shake his habit of getting into serious trouble. His career at Hampstead CID is coming to a dishonourable end. He is currently of no fixed address. But a knock on the door is about to lead Belsey straight into the hollow heart of Amber’s glittering life – a world populated by the glamorous and the lonely, the desperate and the obsessed. The final book in the hugely admired Belsey series, it sees one of the most cunning and audacious characters in contemporary crime throw himself headlong into his most inextricable mystery yet, and come face to face with a ghost from his own notorious past.


PAMELA HARTSHORNEHouse of ShadowsRead by Christine MackieWhen Kate Vavasour wakes in hospital, she can remember nothing about the family gathered around her bed, or of her life before the accident. The doctors diagnose post-traumatic amnesia and say the memories should start returning. Which they do ... but these memories are not her own. They belong to Isabel Vavasour, who lived and died at Askerby Hall over 400 years earlier ... Returning to Askerby Hall to recuperate, Kate finds herself in a house full of shadows and suspicions, where she struggles to piece together the events that led to her terrible fall.


FELICITY HAYES-MCCOYThe Library at the Edge of the WorldRead by Marcella RiordanAs Hanna Casey drives her mobile library van between farms and villages she tries not to think of the sophisticated London lifestyle she abandoned after finding her barrister husband in bed with another woman. Or that she’s living in the back bedroom of her mother’s retirement bungalow in the small town she walked away from in her teens. Now with her daughter Jazz travelling the world, and her relationship with her mother growing increasingly fraught, Hanna is determined to reclaim her independence. But when the threatened closure of the library puts her plans in jeopardy, she finds herself leading a battle to restore the heart and soul of Finfarran’s fragmented community.


VERONICA HENRYHow to Find Love in a BookshopRead by Julia BarrieNightingale Books, nestled in the idyllic Cotswold town of Peasebrook, is a dream come true for booklovers. But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open. The temptation to sell up is proving enormous – but what about the loyalty she owes to her customers. Sarah Basildon, owner of stately pile Peasebrook Manor, has used the bookshop as an escape from all her problems over the years. Since messing up his marriage, Jackson asks Emilia for advice on books to read to the son he misses so much. And there’s Thomasina, painfully shy, who runs a pop-up restaurant and has a huge crush on a man she met and then lost in the cookery section!


ELIN HILDERBRANDThe RumourRead by Laurel LefkowNantucket writer Madeline King has a new novel coming out and it’s got bestseller potential. But Madeline is terrified, because in her desperation to revive her career, she’s done something reckless: reveal the truth behind an actual affair involving her best friend, Grace. And that’s not the only strain on Madeline and Grace’s friendship: one fateful night, the two women argue, voicing jealousies and resentments that have built for 20 years. Bereft of each other, they get caught in the snares of a mysterious and destructive stranger.





ELIN HILDERBRANDWinter StreetRead by Laurel LefkowKelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket’s Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four – Patrick, Kevin, Ava and Bart, all of them grown and living in varying states of disarray. As Christmas approaches, Kelley is looking forward to getting the family together for some quality time at the inn. But when he walks in on his wife Mitzi kissing Santa Claus – or the guy who’s playing Santa at the inn’s annual party – utter chaos descends. With the three older children each reeling in their own dramas and Bart (a Marine) unreachable in Afghanistan, it might be up to Kelley’s ex-wife to save Christmas at the Winter Street Inn.

5 CDs • OCD 1128 • 978-1-78433-970-8 1 MP3 CD • OMP 1128 • 978-1-78706-006-7 • Playing time: 6hrs

DEBBY HOLTThe SoulmateRead by Jilly BondA novel about love, loss and starting again. Widower Henry Drummond is marking time, drifting towards retirement, until he accidentally saves a life. His daughter Maddie is at a wedding with the love of her life. But he is the groom and she is not the bride. They both decide they need to change their lives, preferably with a soulmate by their sides. But as Henry’s mother tells him, ‘Love is a complicated business and it is not for the easily discouraged.’ Strange encounters, humiliations and excitements come along and romance keeps eluding them. Soon family crises get in the way. But their quest has taken on a life of its own, with surprising consequences for all concerned.


MAGGIE HOPEEliza’s ChildRead by Claire JonesAfter the birth of their son, Eliza naively hopes her husband Jack will put his gambling habit behind him and become more responsible. But then he loses their home and abandons her, leaving Eliza with no choice but to return to her parents’ house. She inadvertently attracts the attention of the ruthless mine owner Jonathan Moore. But can she sacrifice her reputation to protect her son?


MAGGIE HOPEOrphan GirlRead by Claire JonesLorinda is only a child when tragedy deprives her of her true family and, sent to live with her aunt in her boarding house, she grows up desperately craving affection. And although she finds friendship – and even love – in the boarding house, she finally sees a chance to escape her drab surroundings and unkind family. But is a marriage of convenience better than a love that’s true?


MAGGIE HOPEThe Miner’s GirlRead by Claire Jones Orphaned from birth, Mary Trent has always dreamed of the day she can escape from poverty, and when she meets the dashing young doctor Tom Gallagher, it seems her prayers have been answered. But an untimely pregnancy spells disaster and the threat of returning to a life of destitution. Is a marriage of convenience the only thing that can save her?

8 CDs • OCD 1153 • 978-1-78433-981-4 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1153 • 978-1-78706-017-3 • Playing time: 10hrs

MAGGIE HOPEWorkhouse ChildRead by Claire JonesLottie is just three years old when her Mammy dies and she is sent to the workhouse. A childhood spent in poverty, skivvying for other people, leaves her with no prospects, no family … Yet Lottie is bright and has ambitions for a better life. And when an opportunity arises at the local Chapel, Lottie seizes her chance. But will she ever be anything more than a workhouse child? The heartwarming sequel to Eliza’s Child.


CHRISTOBEL KENTThe Loving HusbandRead by Clare CorbettFran Hall and her husband Nathan live in a farmhouse on the edge of the Fens. One night, when Fran is woken by her baby, she finds the bed empty beside her and Nathan gone. Searching the house for him she makes a devastating discovery. As Fran finds herself under police scrutiny, she and her two small children become more isolated as she starts to doubt whether she really knew Nathan. As police suspicion grows the questions for Fran begin to mount. Is there something that she is hiding from them – something she has kept hidden from everyone, including her husband?


ALI KNIGHTThe Silent Ones Read by Karen CassDarren Evans was only 11 when his beloved sister Carly and four other teenage girls disappeared, sparking a huge police investigation. Eventually, a woman confessed to their murders. But although she admitted her guilt, Olivia Duvall refused to say what had happened to the missing girls. Or where their bodies lie. Ten years later, Darren’s family are still no closer to the truth. Desperate to alleviate his parents’ heartbreak, Darren gets a job as a cleaner in the psychiatric hospital where Olivia was committed, hoping he can make her tell him his sister’s fate once and for all. But playing a killer is a very dangerous game ...


RAYMOND KHOURYThe End GameRead by Jeff HardingEminent scientist Dr Ralph Padley is dying – and he knows it’s time to finally tell the truth. Padley has a dark secret, which, if it got out, would have deadly consequences. FBI Special Agent Reilly has an agenda of his own. For months he has sought the man who kidnapped and brainwashed his five-year-old son. But that man is a highly protected CIA official with no name. Watched, manipulated, and framed for crimes he didn’t commit, Reilly becomes a fugitive. He’s left with no choice but to risk everything to unearth secrets that would shake the country to its core – if he’s ever allowed to get that far.


RAYMOND KHOURYRasputin’s ShadowRead by Jeff HardingSiberia, 1916. A mine turns into a bloodbath when its miners attack each other, savagely and ferociously. Minutes later, two men – a horrified scientist and infamous Russian mystic Rasputin – hit a detonator, blowing up the mine to conceal all evidence of the carnage. New York, present day. FBI agent Sean Reilly is tasked with a new, disturbing case. A Russian embassy attaché seems to have committed suicide by jumping out of a fourth-floor window, while a faceless killer roams New York City. Reilly’s investigation uncovers a deadly search for a mysterious device whose origins reach back to the darkest days of the Cold War and to Imperial Russia ...

11 CDs • OCD 1144 • 978-1-78433-972-2 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1144 • 978-1- 78706-008-1 • Playing time: 13hrs 37mins

VANESSA LAFAYESummertimeRead by Adjoa AndohIn the small town of Heron Key everyone is preparing for the 4th of July barbecue, unaware that their world is about to change for ever. Missy, maid to the Kincaid family, feels she has wasted her life pining for Henry, who went to fight on the battlefields of France. Now he has returned with a group of other desperate, destitute veterans. When a white woman is found beaten nearly to death, suspicion falls on Henry. As the tensions rise, the barometer starts to plummet. But nothing can prepare them for what is coming. For far out over the Atlantic, the greatest storm ever to strike North America is heading their way …




LUCY LAWRIEThe Last Day I Saw HerRead by Jenny DunbarWhen lonely single mum Janey stumbles into an art workshop, she can’t believe her eyes when her left hand mysteriously scribbles a picture of two little girls and a message from someone called ‘Hattie’: Janey’s childhood best friend who she lost touch with after Hattie’s family suddenly moved away in mysterious circumstances. Janey’s instincts tell her that she must finally find out what happened to Hattie, but when writing appears on the walls of her flat and her son Pip starts playing with an invisible friend, Janey fears she’s losing her mind. Is it really a good idea to go digging up the past? As dark secrets come to light, she can’t be sure what’s real any more – or who to trust.


JOHN LAWTONRiptideRead by Lewis HancockSpring 1941: After 10 years spying for the Americans, Wolfgang Stahl disappears during a Berlin air raid. The Germans think he’s dead. The British know he’s not. But where is he?MI6 convince US Intelligence that Stahl will head for London, and so Captain Cal Cormack, a shy American ‘aristocrat’, is teamed with Chief Inspector Stilton of Stepney, fat, 50, and convivial, and between them they scour London, a city awash with spivs and refugees. But then things start to go terribly wrong and, ditched by MI6 and disowned by his embassy, Cal is introduced to his one last hope – Sergeant Troy of Scotland Yard.


JOHN LAWTONThe Unfortunate Englishman Read by Lewis HancockHaving shot someone in the chaos of 1963 Berlin, Joe Wilderness finds himself locked up with little chance of escape. But an official pardon through his father-in-law Burne-Jones, a senior agent at MI6, means he is free to go. His newest operation will take him back to Berlin, now the dividing line between the West and the Soviets. When the Russians started building the Berlin Wall in 1961, two ‘Unfortunate Englishmen’ were trapped on opposite sides. In 1965 there is a plan to exchange the prisoners on Berlin’s bridge of spies. But, as ever, Joe has something on the side, just to make it profitable. A thrilling tale of Khrushchev, Kennedy, a spy exchange … and 10,000 bottles of fine Bordeaux.


JANICE Y. K. LEEThe ExpatriatesRead by Laurel LefkowSet in present-day Hong Kong, The Expatriates follows the lives of three women. An unspeakable tragedy leaves twenty-something Mercy with a crippling personal inertia, and Margaret, a mother of three, numb and unable to heal. In the same small expatriate community, Hilary tries to distract herself from a marriage gone stale by providing piano lessons for a local orphan, only to find her actions openly criticised on an anonymous online forum. The individual, sometimes overlapping perspectives of Mercy, Margaret and Hilary are woven together, exposing the insularity and complex privilege of the expatriate world, whilst also revealing the fragility of a woman’s position in the world.


JEM LESTERShtum Read by David ThorpeBen Jewell has hit breaking point. His 10-year-old son, Jonah, has never spoken. So when Ben and Jonah are forced to move in with Ben’s elderly father, three generations of men – one who can’t talk; two who won’t – are thrown together. As Ben battles single fatherhood, a string of well-meaning social workers and his own demons, he learns some difficult home truths. Jonah, blissful in his innocence, becomes the prism through which all the complicated strands of personal identity, family history and misunderstanding are finally untangled.


LESLEY LOKKOLittle White LiesRead by Julia BarrieIn a beachfront mansion in Martha’s Vineyard, Annick and Rebecca relax, knowing that their children are in the care of life-long friend Tash. But by the end of the afternoon, one of the children will have vanished … Annick, daughter of an actress and an assassinated president, has spent her life running from the truth of her family’s wealth. Rebecca has always done the right thing. Perfect daughter. Perfect wife. Perfect mother. She’s beginning to wonder if she’ll ever get chance to live for herself. And Tash, free from the poverty of her heritage, has the world at her feet. So why is she struggling to keep a grip on her life? This is the sweeping story of three very different women – their pasts, their secrets, and their friendship.


JAMES LONGFerneyRead by Tim BruceWhen Mike and Gally Martin move to a cottage in Somerset, it’s to make a new start. But the relationship comes under strain when Gally forms an increasingly close attachment to an old countryman, Ferney, who seems to know everything about her. What is it that draws them together? Reluctantly at first, then with more urgency as he feels time slipping away, Ferney compels Gally to understand their connection – and to face an inexplicable truth about their shared past. A passionate love story that spans the centuries, fall under the spell of Ferney.


VIRGINIA MACGREGORThe Astonishing Return of Norah WellsRead by Clare CorbettOne ordinary morning, Norah walked out of her house on Willoughby Street and never looked back. Six years later, she returns to the home she walked away from only to find another woman in her place. Fay held Norah’s family together after she disappeared. Now that Norah has returned, everyone has questions. Why did she leave? And why is she back? As each member of the family tries to find the answers they each need, they must also face up to the most pressing question of all – what happens to the mother who stayed when the mother who left comes back?


GILLY MACMILLANThe Perfect GirlRead by Penelope Rawlins & Dugald Bruce-LockhartSeveral years ago, Zoe Maisey – child genius, musical sensation – caused the death of three teenagers. She served her time. And now she’s free. Her story begins with her giving the performance of her life. By midnight, her mother is dead. The Perfect Girl is an intricate exploration into the mind of a teenager burdened by brilliance. It’s a story about the wrongs in our past not letting go and how hard we must fight for second chances.


BROOKE MAGNANTIThe Turning TideRead by Joan WalkerErykah Macdonald has a nice life, but on her 20th wedding anniversary, she’s about to cross a line. Several hundred miles away in the shallow waters of a Hebridean island, a body is found. This is no accidental death. Erykah’s lived with secrets most of her life. The trouble is, there are far worse secrets than her own about to emerge. And a net is tightening. Those that find themselves caught are willing to kill to get out with reputations intact. Erykah must work out what she’s capable of if she’s going to keep her head above water …

10 CDs • OCD 1047 • 978-1-78433-681-3

2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1047 • 978-1-78433-717-9 • Playing time: 11hrs 46mins

KAREN MAITLANDThe Raven’s HeadRead by David ThorpeVincent is an apprentice librarian who stumbles upon a secret powerful enough to destroy his master. With the foolish arrogance of youth, he attempts blackmail but the attempt fails and Vincent finds himself on the run and in possession of an intricately carved silver raven’s head. Any attempt to sell the head fails ... until Vincent tries to palm it off on the intimidating Lord Sylvain – unbeknown to Vincent, a powerful Alchemist with an all-consuming quest. Once more Vincent’s life is in danger because Sylvain and his neighbours, the menacing White Canons, consider him a predestined sacrifice in their shocking experiment.

13 CDs • OCD 1048 • 978-1-78433-682-0 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1048 • 978-1-78433-718-6 • Playing time:15hrs 36mins





A. P. McCOYNarrowing the FieldRead by Daniel WeymanEverything seems to be going right for brilliant young jockey Duncan Claymore. A career on the up, a beautiful wife, and all the trappings of wealth. But Duncan is haunted by the death of one of his arch-rivals. As Duncan struggles to keep his focus on the job, Michelle O’Brien – a friend and talented fellow jockey – is killed. Duncan knows this was no tragic accident and will stop at nothing to avenge Michelle’s death. With Duncan’s seemingly perfect world starting to fall apart, can he balance his desire for victory on the field with his desire to see justice served?


CLAIRE McGOWANThe Silent Dead Read by Gráinne GillisVictim: Male. Mid-thirties. 5’7”. Cause of death: Hanging. Initial impression – murder. ID: Mickey Doyle. The officers at the crime scene know exactly who the victim is. Doyle was one of five suspected bombers who caused the deaths of 16 people. The remaining four are also missing and when a second body is found, decapitated, it’s clear they are being killed by the same methods their victims suffered. Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire is assigned the case but she is up against the clock – will Paula be able to find those responsible? After all, even killers deserve justice, don’t they?


FERGUS McNEILLCut OutRead by Mike RogersNigel never meant for it to happen. At first, he just wanted to be Matt’s friend. But when he discovers he can hear what is going on in the flat below him, his fascination with his new neighbour drifts into obsession. Rearranging his furniture to recreate the layout of the rooms downstairs. Buying the same clothes, going through Matt’s post, his things. Becoming Matt without him ever knowing. And it would have been all right, if Matt hadn’t brought the girl home. When things spiral out of control, Detective Inspector Harland has to unravel the disturbing truth ...


BRAD MELTZERThe President’s ShadowRead by Jeff HardingBeecher White, a humble archivist at the U.S. National Archives by day, has a secret: he belongs to the Culper Ring, a network of spies founded by George Washington during the American Revolution. While working for the Culper Ring, White has discovered countless secrets and saved more lives than he knows – including the President’s. And then, one day, White makes an alarming discovery on the White House grounds: a severed arm buried in the Rose Garden. As he investigates, he realises it’s a message ... one that may have dire repercussions for the President.


SIMON MORDENDown StationRead by Thomas JuddA group of commuters and tube workers witness a fiery apocalypse overtaking London. They make their escape through a service tunnel. Reaching a door they step through … and find themselves on a shore backed by cliffs and rolling grassland. The way back is blocked. Heading inland they meet a man wearing a wolf’s cloak with wolves by his side. He has heard of a place called London – other people have arrived down the ages – all escaping from a London that is burning. None of them have returned. Except one – who travels between the two worlds at will. The group begin a quest to find this one survivor; the one who holds the key to their return and to the safety of London.


SIMON MORDENThe White CityRead by Thomas JuddSince escaping London’s inferno, Mary and Dalip have fought monsters and won – though in the magical world of Down, the most frightening monsters come from within. Now they hold the greatest of treasures: maps that reveal the way to the White City, where they can learn the secrets of Down. But to get there they must rely on Crows, who has already betrayed them at every turn. As they battle their way towards the one place in all of Down without magic, they must ask themselves how far they will go to find their way home?


DAVID MORRELLInspector of the DeadRead by Richard BurnipThe year is 1855. The British government has fallen. Into this crisis comes Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious personalities of Victorian England. Along with his daughter Emily and their Scotland Yard companions, Ryan and Becker, he finds himself confronted by a murderer who is targeting members of the elite, leaving with each corpse the name of someone who had attempted to kill Queen Victoria. De Quincey and his friends must race to protect their monarch, uncovering old conspiracies and the heartbreaking past of a man whose lust for revenge has destroyed his soul.


STEVE MOSBYBlack Flowers Read by David ThorpeThis is not a story about a girl who disappears. This is the story of a little girl who comes back. She appears one day on a seaside promenade, with a black flower and a horrifying story. But telling that story will start a chain reaction of dangerous lies and deadly illusions that will claim many more victims in the years to come. When Neil Dawson’s father commits suicide, Neil is desperate. But through his grief he knows something isn’t right. Among his father’s possessions, he finds a copy of an old novel, The Black Flower. Opening it will take Neil into an investigation full of danger, pain and subterfuge.


STEVE MOSBYCry for HelpRead by David ThorpeDave Lewis is a man with a history. Haunted by his brother’s murder when they were children, and scarred by his parents’ grief, he’s built a bitter life denying everything they ever stood for. Sam Currie is a man with a past. His failure to prevent his son’s death has ended his marriage and cast a shadow over his life. He’s directed his hatred towards the man he sees as responsible. But now a killer is stalking the city, abducting girls and sending texts and emails to their families before killing them. When Dave Lewis appears to connect both investigations, it’s an opportunity Currie can’t resist ...


WALTER MOSLEYCharcoal Joe Read by Lucian MsamatiEasy Rawlins is living off the proceeds of his last case, trying to keep out of trouble. Of course it’s not going to last. Because Easy’s old friend Mouse knocks on his door. Mouse is one of the deadliest men in America. And Mouse wants a small favour. He wants Easy to help a man he says is wrongly imprisoned, a friend of Charcoal Joe. Charcoal Joe is a mythical figure in the LA underworld – he pulls the strings but keeps out of sight. Reluctantly, Easy agrees – he owes Mouse his life. But this is going to be Easy’s deadliest investigation yet.


SARAH MOSSSigns for Lost ChildrenRead by Meriel ScholfieldOnly weeks into their marriage a young couple embark on a six-month period of separation. Tom Cavendish goes to Japan to build lighthouses and his wife Ally, Doctor Moberley-Cavendish, stays and works at the Truro asylum. As Ally plunges into the institutional politics of mental health, Tom navigates the social and professional nuances of late 19th century Japan. With her unique blend of emotional insight and intellectual profundity, Sarah Moss builds a novel in two parts from Falmouth to Tokyo, two maps of absence; from Manchester to Kyoto, two distinct but conjoined portraits of loneliness and determination.


REBECCA MUDDIMANTell Me Lies Read by Tim BruceTell a lie? Break the law? Or solve the problem ... for good? The body in Lauren James’s back garden belongs to her ex-boyfriend, Ritchie. DI Gardner thinks it’s an open-and-shut case. But he reckoned without the interference of Lauren’s father, local businessman and aspiring politician Walter James. And he couldn’t know about the secrets that everyone involved wants to hide. When a murder touches so many lives, not even the cops are immune from the consequences. In the end you must decide what you can live with: a loving lie or the deadly truth?




AMY MYERSClassic Cashes InRead by David ThorpeJack Colby, car detective, takes a seemingly routine commission that precipitates him into a dangerous world of secrets and murder A commission to buy a classic Packard saloon from the 1930s should have been routine, but this Packard is special … and as Jack struggles to piece together the car’s history and the mystery surrounding it, he is soon catapulted into a world where nothing is as it seems. But when murder strikes, Jack is drawn into a hunt for the truth that involves not only his personal happiness but facing a relentless killer.


BARBARA NADELOn the BoneRead by Seán BarrettOn a buzzing street in the fashionable district of Beyoglu, a young man drops dead. Ümit Kavas’s death was natural but the autopsy betrays a shocking truth: his last meal was human flesh. Under desperate pressure from their superiors, Inspector Cetin Ikmen and his colleague Mehmet Süleyman begin their most obscure investigation yet. Soon they find themselves embroiled in a dark web of underground worlds: of Turkey’s old secular elite; a community of squatters; and a new gastronomy scene breaking every boundary. But where does the truth lie?


PARAIC O’DONNELLThe Maker of Swans Read by Mike Grady & Imogen WildeAmid the fading grandeur of a country estate, Clara lives in the care of Mr Crowe, a man of many mysterious gifts. Mr Crowe was once a man of learning and means. Now, he devotes himself to earthly pleasures. But when Mr Crowe commits a crime of passion, he attracts the attention of Dr Chastern, the figurehead of a secret society to which Crowe belongs. When Chastern comes to call him to account, his sinister attention is diverted to Clara. For Clara possesses gifts of her own. She must learn to use them quickly, if she is to save them all.

10 CDs • OCD 1070 • 978-1-78433-745-2 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1070 • 978-1-78433-781-0 • Playing time: 11hrs

KRISTINA OHLSSONThe Chosen Read by Maggie MashOn a cold winter’s day, a pre-school teacher is shot to death in front of parents and children at the Jewish Congregation in Stockholm. Just a few hours later two Jewish boys go missing on their way to tennis practice. A heavy snowstorm hits Stockholm and the traces of the perpetrator are few and far between. Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht are faced with one of their toughest challenges ever as they hunt for a killer who seems as merciless as he is effective. The leads in the investigation all point to the same place: Israel. Someone or something called the Paper Boy keeps popping up in the police investigation. Could he possibly have resurfaced in Stockholm, now claiming new victims?


MARGIE ORFORDWater Music Read by Saul ReichlinA terrified, frozen child is found close to death on an icy Cape Town mountainside. But no-one reported her missing. Who does she belong to? Profiler Dr Clare Hart is baffled – but when a young woman disappears, Clare sees a frightening pattern beginning to emerge. Rosa is a gifted but troubled young cellist, and her grandfather is at his wits end. Why did she walk out of her music school that day? Where has she gone now? As winter tightens its grip, Clare must find Rosa and unravel her secrets …


NICKY PELLEGRINOUnder Italian SkiesRead by Jane McDowellFor 25 years, Stella’s been trusted assistant to a legendary fashion designer, but after her boss dies suddenly she is lost. Then she finds a house swap website and sees a beautiful old villa in a southern Italian village. Could she really exchange her poky London flat for that? But what was intended as just a break becomes much more. As the villa begins to get under her skin, she can’t help but imagine the owner from the clues around her. But can an idea of someone ever match up to the reality?


JIM POWELLThe Breaking of EggsRead by Charles ArmstrongChange is in the air in a shabby apartment in the 19th arrondissement in Paris. One unremarkable day Madame Lefèvre invites Feliks to call her Sandrine. As his indomitable landlady’s manners have been as unvarying as her dresses for the last 36 years, this feels significant to Feliks. And it is. As the face of Europe transforms beyond recognition Feliks’s own life teeters on the edge of change.Soon his carefully constructed world is tumbling round his ears and Feliks wonders: is there such a thing as a second chance for someone like him?


JIM POWELLTrading FuturesRead by Charles ArmstrongMatthew Oxenhay is 60: a stranger to his wife, an embarrassment to his children, and failed former contender for the top job at his City firm. Seizing on his birthday party as an opportunity to deliver some rather crushing home truths to his assembled loved ones, it seems as though Matthew might have hit rock bottom. The truth, however, is that he has some way to go yet …


LUCY RIBCHESTERThe Amber ShadowsRead by Lucy ScottOn a delayed train, deep in the English countryside, two strangers meet. It is 1942 and they are both men of fighting age. As strangers do, they pass the time by sharing their stories. But walls have ears and careless talk costs lives … At Bletchley Park, Honey Deschamps spends her days transcribing decrypted signals from the German Army. One night, as she walks home in the blackout, she meets a stranger who has a package for her. The parcel, containing a small piece of amber, postmarked from Russia and branded with two censor’s stamps, is the first of several. Someone is trying to get a message to her. Can Honey uncover who is sending these mysterious packages and why before it’s too late?

9 CDs • OCD 1073 • 978-1-78433-748-3 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1073 • 978-1-78433-772-784-1 • Playing time: 10hrs 52mins

KAREN ROBARDSThe Last Time I Saw Her Read by Laurel LefkowIn this world, Dr Charlotte Stone is an expert psychologist, helping to catch serial killers. In the next world, Charlotte’s ghostly lover – wrongly executed killer Michael Garland – is facing death yet again: the ultimate annihilation of his soul. Can Charlie prove Michael’s innocence and rescue him from total oblivion? A stranger has turned up who could be Michael’s identical twin. But the resemblance is only skin deep – behind the handsome face lurks the twisted mind of the real Southern Slasher. Charlie intends to draw the truth out of the mysterious killer ... whatever it takes. But Michael will move heaven and hell for the chance to save Charlie’s life.


KATE RHODESRiver of SoulsRead by Charlotte StrevensJude Shelley, the daughter of a cabinet minister, was assaulted and left for dead in the river Thames. Her attacker was never caught. A year later, forensic psychologist Alice Quentin is asked to re-examine the case. Then another body is found: an elderly priest, washed up at Westminster Pier. An ancient glass bead is tied to his wrist. Alice is certain that the Shelleys are hiding something – and that there will be more victims unless she can persuade them to share what they know.


STELLA RIMINGTONBreaking CoverRead by Julia BarrieFollowing a gruelling operation in Paris, Liz Carlyle’s bosses post her to MI5’s counter-espionage desk, but they haven’t counted on the fallout from Putin’s incursions into the Ukraine. Liz needs to track down a Russian spy who has entered the UK before he completes his fatal mission. Meanwhile, the intelligence services are in the spotlight. In response to the debate raging around privacy and security, they hire Jasminder Kapoor, a controversial civil rights lawyer, to explain the issues to the public. But in this new world of shadowy motives and secret identities, Jasminder must be extra-careful about whom she can trust.






I.D. ROBERTSFor Kingdom and CountryRead by Andrew CullumMay 1915. Kingdom Lock and his faithful sidekick, Siddhartha Singh are gunned down on the streets of Basra and suspicion falls on German spy, Wilhelm Wassmuss. Major Ross believes Wassmuss is behind the assassination of a Turkish officer, the death of whom has been blamed on Lock. Meanwhile, Lock has discovered that Amy Townshend is pregnant and that the child is his. But the general’s daughter stubbornly refuses to break off her engagement. Then, when Lock learns that there is a price on his head, Ross sends him to the frontlines for his own safety ...


ROBERT RYANThe Sign of FearRead by Richard BurnipThe skies above London hum with danger. And in the Channel enemies lie in wait … Autumn, 1917. London is not the city that Dr John Watson and Sherlock Holmes once bestrode like giants. Terror has come from the sky and Londoners are scurrying underground in fear. Then a twin tragedy strikes Watson. An old friend, Staff Nurse Jennings, is on a boat-ambulance torpedoed in the Channel with no survivors. And his concert-going companion, Sir Gilbert Hardy, is kidnapped. Then comes the gruesome ransom demand, for Sir Gilbert and four others, which will involve terrible mutilation unless the demands are met. Help comes from an unlikely source when Watson finds himself face-to-face with his old ruthless adversary, the “She Wolf” Miss Pillbody. Shemakes him a remarkable offer and so an unlikely partnership is formed - the enemy spy and Sherlock Holmes’s faithful companion, a detective duo which will eventually uncover a shocking case of state-sponsored murder and find Watson on board a German bomber, with a crew intent on setting London ablaze.

11 CDs • OCD 1074 • 978-1-78433-749-0 2 MP3 CDs • OMP 1074 • 978-1-78433-785-8 Playing time: 13hrs 12mins

KATE SAUNDERSThe Secrets of WishtideRead by Charlotte StrevensMrs Laetitia Rodd is the impoverished widow of an Archdeacon: she is also a private detective of the utmost discretion. In winter 1850, she is asked by Sir James Calderstone to investigate the background of an ‘unsuitable’ woman his son intends to marry. In the guise of governess, she travels to the family seat, Wishtide, where she discovers that the Calderstones have more to hide than most. As their secrets unfold, the case takes an unpleasant turn when a man is found dead outside a tavern. Mrs Rodd’s keen eyes and astute wits are taxed as never before in her search for the truth.


GUY SAVILLEThe Madagaskar Plan Read by Richard Burnip1953. Nazi Germany controls Europe and a vast African territory and the Jews have been exiled to Madagaskar. Returning home after a disastrous mission to Africa, ex-mercenary Burton Cole finds his lover has disappeared. Desperate to discover her, he is drawn into a conspiracy that will lead him back to the Dark Continent. Meanwhile Walter Hochburg, Nazi Governor of Kongo, has turned his attention to Madagaskar where there are scientists who could develop a weapon of unimaginable power. But the British are interested in Madagaskar too. They plan to destroy its naval base to bring America into a war against the Reich. They have found the ideal man for the task: Reuben Salois, the only Jew to have escaped the ghetto.


SIMON SCARROWThe Generals: The Wellington and Napoleon Quartet, Book 2: 1795-1803Read by Jonathan KeebleIn the turbulent aftermath of the French Revolution Napoleon Bonaparte stands accused of treachery and corruption. His reputation is saved by his skill in leading his men to victory in Italy and Egypt. But then he must restore order in France and find peace or victory over her enemies: England – and Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington). Wellesley is leading a vast army in India, where British interests are under threat. Wellesley returns to England a hardened veteran and more determined than ever to end France’s domination of Europe. Both Wellesley and Napoleon intend to win – whatever the cost. Who will ultimately succeed?


BERNHARD SCHLINKThe Woman on the StairsRead by Jonathan OliverFor decades the painting was believed to be lost. But, just as mysteriously as it disappeared, it reappears, an anonymous donation to a gallery in Sydney. The art world is stunned but so are the three men who loved the woman in the painting, the woman on the stairs. One by one they track her down to an isolated cottage in Australia. Here they must try to untangle the lies and betrayals of their shared past – but time is running out.


NATASHA SOLOMONSThe Song CollectorRead by Charles ArmstrongFox, as the celebrated composer Harry Fox-Talbot is known, wants to be left in peace. His beloved wife has died, and he’s unable to write a note of music. Then one day he discovers that his four-year-old grandson is a piano prodigy. The music returns and Fox is compelled to re-engage with life – and to confront an old family rift. Decades earlier, Fox and his brothers returned to Hartgrove Hall after the war. But on the last night of 1946, the arrival of beautiful wartime singer Edie Rose tangles the threads of love and duty, leading to a shattering betrayal.


MICHAEL M. THOMASFixersRead by Lewis HancockWhat if a candidate who promised hope and change had agreed to staff his campaign with Wall Street insiders in exchange for very secret campaign cash? And what if those insiders then made sure that none of their own ever got caught when the financial crisis exploded? Michael M. Thomas has written a shocking, wildly plausible thriller about the insider’s insider who brokers the deal – and changes American history forever.


PAUL TORDAY & PIERS TORDAYThe Death of an OwlRead by Leighton PughAndrew Landford is driving home one night, along a dark country lane, when a barn owl flies into his windscreen. It is an accident, nothing more. However Andrew is in line to be the country’s next prime minister. But barn owls are protected species, and it is a crime to kill one. If Andrew acknowledges that he has killed the owl, he could be risking his political career. With Andrew in the car is his old Oxford friend and political adviser, Charles Fryerne. But the death of the owl threatens to destroy not only Andrew’s career, but everything that Charles has worked for too. Should they come clean, or hide the story and hope it goes away?


LUCA VESTEBloodstreamRead by Jonathan KeebleSocial media stars Chloe Morrison and Joe Hooper seem to have it all – until their bodies are found following an anonymous phone call to their high-profile agent. Tied and bound to chairs facing each other, their violent deaths cause a media scrum to descend on Liverpool, with DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi assigned to the case. It quickly becomes clear that the killer believes secrets and lies within relationships should have deadly consequences …


SALLEY VICKERSThe Boy Who Could See DeathRead by Anna Bentinck & Peter NobleEli is an ordinary boy with an extraordinary gift. It will shape the course of his whole life. Cousin Francesca, a charming spinster and a favourite with the children, is harbouring kleptomaniac tendencies. Sarah Palliser, living alone next to a ramshackle graveyard, is more scared of the small box under her stairs than the ghosts outside her window. Dreamy artist Nan is nursing a growing obsession with wolves in Britain and the recently widowed Frances finds herself inventing an exotic imaginary boyfriend. In this collection of eleven remarkable stories, Salley Vickers explores bereavement and betrayal, closely guarded secrets and common gossip, long-overdue endings and decidedly strange beginnings.




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GILES WATERFIELDThe Long AfternoonRead by Charlotte StrevensThe year is 1912. Henry and Helen Williamson arrive on the French Riviera looking for a house. Barely 30, Henry has been forced to retire from the Indian civil service through ill-health. They fall in love with the dreamlike Lou Paradou and set about constructing a life of ease, and a ravishing garden. But as the political conflict gathers, so the atmosphere of their new home becomes increasingly unquiet and a tragic fate befalls them. The Long Afternoon enchants and involves the reader, just as the Williamsons’ garden seduces its visitors.


KATHERINE WEBBThe English GirlRead by Anna BentinckJoan Seabrook, a fledgling archaeologist, has fulfilled a lifelong dream to visit Arabia by travelling from England to the ancient city of Muscat with her fiancé, Rory. She longs to explore the desert fort of Jabrin, and unearth the treasures it is said to conceal. But Oman is a land lost in time and gaining permission to explore Jabrin could prove impossible. Joan’s disappointment is alleviated by the thrill of meeting her childhood heroine, pioneering explorer Maude Vickery. As their friendship grows, Joan is seduced by Maude’s stories, and the thrill of the adventure they hold. Only too late does she question actions that will spark a potentially disastrous, chain of events. Will the girl that left England for this beautiful but dangerous land ever find her way back?


HUGO WILCKENThe ReflectionRead byTim FlavinDr Manne isn’t himself when he’s called out by the police to evaluate a man suspected of psychosis. But the man is perfectly calm, and insists he’s not who the police says he is. Manne isn’t sure what to believe, but something definitely isn’t right. Before he knows it, he’s helping his patient escape from an unfamiliar psychiatric hospital. Then a careless slip on the subway leads to a horrific accident. Waking up in a hospital bed, Manne realises his own identity is not as certain as he’d always believed. What kind of a hospital is he in and why can’t he leave? As Manne pieces together the story, he realises that pretending to be someone else might be his only chance for escape.


EDWARD WILSONThe Envoy Read by Richard AttleeThe setting is 1950s London, at the height of the Cold War. Kit Fournier is ostensibly a senior diplomat at the US embassy in Grosvenor Square, but is actually CIA bureau chef in London. The Arms Race informs much of the action in this fast-paced page turner which sees Kit go undercover to meet a dissident KGB agent, lose a loved one, have a crisis of soul and get blackmailed into becoming a double agent for M16 ...


MAIRI WILSONUrsula’s SecretRead by Jenny DunbarIn just a few heartbreaking days, Lexy Shaw’s world has fallen apart. After her mother is killed in a tragic hit-and-run, her mother’s childhood guardian, Ursula, also dies suddenly, leaving everything to Lexy. But as Lexy reads through Ursula’s hidden papers, what she discovers raises doubts about her own identity and if she really is now all alone in the world. Desperate to find out if she has any surviving family, Lexy travels to Africa hoping she can unravel the mystery she’s now tormented by, only to find that she’s stumbled into a past full of lies and deceit and that her life is in grave danger.


TOM WOODA Time to DieRead by Daniel PhilpottIf the assassin known only as Victor once had a moral compass, it is long since buried. Yet some men are so evil even Victor accepts they must die for reasons other than just money. One such is Milan Rados, a former commander in the Serbian army who escaped trial at The Hague to become a formidable criminal power. Tracking down and killing this brutal man will win Victor a reprieve for his own crimes on British soil. But Victor isn’t the only one who wants Rados dead. A woman, whose family was butchered on the tyrant’s orders, will do anything to see Rados’ blood spilled on the snow of Eastern Europe.


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