Showing results by narrator "John Telfer" in All Categories

No other group of animals has had such a complex and lengthy relationship with humankind as birds. They have been kept in cages as pets, taught to speak and displayed as trophies. More practically, they have been used to tell the time, predict the weather, foretell marriages, provide unlikely cures for ailments, convey messages and warn of poisonous gases. When There Were Birds is a social history of Britain that charts the complex connections between people and birds, set against a background of changes in the landscape and evolving tastes, beliefs and behaviours.

Thomas Oulton has worked for a London banking house for 30 years and is widely respected by his colleagues, so when he seemingly disappears with a client’s money, everyone is shocked, none more so than his manager, Louis Carrington. When a friend comes to spend the weekend with Louis and his family at their Surrey home, a series of strange phenomena leads the narrator to discover what’s happened to Oulton.

'A Winter Morning' is a dark story of longing and regret. It sees a widower, mourning both his wife and son, recall his son’s final moments and contemplate life and death.

Based on IWM's ground-breaking new Second World War and Holocaust Galleries, this audiobook examines the development of the Holocaust as it appeared to those who witnessed it. By telling the story of the Holocaust through objects and their owners, this audiobook highlights the devastating human cost of the genocide and helps listeners to understand one of the darkest periods in modern history.

Voices from the Blue tells the story of the hundred years of service of female police officers within the Metropolitan Police through the voices of the women who fought their way towards equality and won the respect of both their colleagues and the public. The authors have interviewed hundreds of former and serving policewomen and with the co-operation of the Metropolitan Police and the Women's Police Association now have access to the files and stories of thousands of former officers who served over the past hundred years.

For three decades the Windrush was the maritime Zelig of the 20th century, playing different roles in the most turbulent years in modern times. Designed in 1930 in the Hamburg boatyard of a Jewish shipbuilder to ferry Germans to a new life in South America, it wasn't long before Goebbels requisitioned her as one of his ‘Strength Through Joy’ vessels. However, her duties soon darkened: she became a Nazi troop carrier, a support vessel for the pocket battleship Tirpitz and a prison ship transporting Jews to Auschwitz.

The October Revolution happened in November 1917. Later Soviet propaganda 'proved' it was 'the will of the people', but few know that the brutal rebellion, which killed millions and raised Lenin's numerically tiny Bolshevik Party to power, was made possible by massive injections of German money laundered through a Swedish bank and a shady arms dealer who had made a fortune in the Balkan wars.

Simon Templar is taking a leisurely drive though the French countryside when he picks up a couple of hitchhikers who are going to work at Chateau Ingare, a small vineyard on the site of a former stronghold of the Knights Templar. At the chateau, the Saint discovers a noble family seemingly plagued by a curse.

The new novel from the award-winning author of The Marlowe Papers. April is angry. Dr Finlay Logan is broken. Only 19, April is an elective mute accused of a religiously motivated atrocity. Logan, a borderline suicidal criminal psychologist, must assess her sanity in a world where - 10 years after the death of Richard Dawkins - moves have been made to classify religious fundamentalism as a form of mental illness.

Two more adventures based on episodes from The Saint starring Roger Moore: In 'The Midas Double' the Saint is kidnapped in the Athens airport and taken to the offices of Diogenes Patroclos - a Greek shipping magnate haunted by a bizarre doppelgänger. Reluctantly, Simon accepts the job of locating the double, only to track down the imposter in London and find that his quarry has exactly the same story.

Two adventures based on episodes from Return of the Saint, starring Ian Ogilvy: In 'The Imprudent Professor' the Saint is summoned by pretty Emma Maclett to prevent the kidnapping of her father, an eminent scientist with world-changing ideas on the large-scale provision of solar energy. In 'The Red Sabbath' the Saint tracks down an Arab terrorist on behalf of Israeli intelligence.

On the eve of World War II, the Saint is in Vienna, where his attentions are divided between a sensuous countess and some legendary diamonds - both of which he is trying to keep out of Nazi hands. Leslie Charteris was born in Singapore and moved to England in 1919. He left Cambridge University early when his first novel was accepted for publication. He wrote novels about the Saint throughout his life, becoming one of the 20th century's most prolific and popular authors.

When a waiter at an Indian restaurant is crucified, and when a customer of that restaurant happens to be the infamous Simon Templar, it spells trouble for one of the more unusual import-export businesses that you’ve ever heard of. Leslie Charteris was born in Singapore and moved to England in 1919. He left Cambridge University early when his first novel was accepted for publication. He wrote novels about the Saint throughout his life, becoming one of the 20th century's most prolific and popular authors.

The Saint is in Portugal on the trail of a young woman whose father was in the US Army and disappeared towards the end of the war. Her father worked as an investigator, tracing large sums of money. Soon the Saint and the Ungodly are on the trail of Nazi gold. Leslie Charteris was born in Singapore and moved to England in 1919. He left Cambridge University early when his first novel was accepted for publication. He wrote novels about the Saint throughout his life.

The Saint is hired to protect Amos Klein, a secretive author who writes a popular and lucrative series of spy novels. Soon the Saint and Amos Klein are kidnapped by members of SWORD, the evil organisation from Klein’s novels. It seems the world created by the famous author has truly come to life.... Leslie Charteris was born in Singapore and moved to England in 1919. He left Cambridge University early when his first novel was accepted for publication.

A unique and anecdote-filled history of desertion. There have been many books written about valour in battle. This is not one of them. On the contrary, On the Run deals entirely with those men and women who, over thousands of years, have departed with alacrity and for multifarious reasons from life in the armed forces. For as long as there have been wars there have been those who have fled, sometimes precipitously, from the cannon's roar.

Harry Tate is a loyal MI5 officer and a servant of the State. But when two civilians are shot dead during a drugs intercept gone wrong, he is forced to take an immediate posting to the Red Station. What he doesn't know is that this remote Balkan outpost is a punishment, and he won't be going home. With an assassination team coming for him and invading Russian forces heading straight for the Red Station, Harry does whatever he can to save himself. But with few allies and enemies everywhere, Harry's chances of survival shrink with each passing day....

1905. A year after 'the affair' in Dinas Powys, Thomas Bexley has become a drunkard and recluse, haunted by terrible visions of the dead. But when news of a spate of extraordinary kidnappings reaches him, Thomas is shocked to learn that his dear friend and former mentor, Professor Elijah Hawthorn, is the lead suspect. Discovering a plea for help from Hawthorn claiming to have unearthed a gruesome conspiracy at the heart of the Metropolitan Police, Thomas embarks on a journey to prove Hawthorn's innocence.

Based on a two-part episode of Return of the Saint, starring Ian Ogilvy, the Saint takes part in a powerboat race only for his main competitor's boat to blow up midrace. As Simon comforts the man's widow, he discovers some rather unusual behaviour, which leads to a rather unusual bunch of crooks....

Two more adventures for the Saint based on episodes from the TV series starring Roger Moore: in 'The Art Collectors' the Saint comes across a collection of Old Masters that have been hidden for many years, but then the art collector herself goes missing.... And in 'The Persistent Patriots', the Saint comes to the aid of the prime minister of Nagawiland when he becomes the target for blackmail and assassination.