Showing results by narrator "David Thorpe" in All Categories

"Carnivorine" follows the tale of Ellis Graham, who has been asked to find his friend’s lost son, Julius. Ellis heads to Europe in his search, only to find Julius on the brink of a remarkable discovery about carnivorous plants.

The Victorian era saw orchids become one of the most expensive and collectable plants, and this short story follows orchid collector Wedderburn, who gets more than he bargained for with his latest floral specimen.

A Charlotte Riddell novella from the British Library Tales of the Weird collection Haunted Houses. When his cousin Geoffrey dies, barrister Hercules Stafford Trevor agrees to act as his young widow’s guardian. But Trevor has troubles of his own when he discovers that the legends surrounding his country house might have more than a grain of truth in them, and it seems these hauntings are destined to become intertwined with the fate of the widow.

A Charlotte Riddell novella from the British Library Tales of the Weird collection Haunted Houses. In The Uninhabited House, the owner of haunted house River Hall is taken to court by one of her tenants for failing to disclose prior spectral possession.

From the once-popular yet unfairly neglected Victorian writer Charlotte Riddell comes a pair of novels that cleverly upholster the familiar furniture of the haunted house story. In An Uninhabited House, the hauntings are seen through the perspective of the solicitors who hold the deed of the property. In Fairy Water, Riddell again subverts the expectations of the audience, suggesting a complex moral character for her haunting spirit.

Daniel isn’t used to living life in the slow lane. So when he finds himself unexpectedly jobless and back in his old Cornish hometown, he can’t sit still. Hazel used to be adventurous too. But now widowed and in her 80s, she barely leaves the house. When she sees an advert for Daniel’s new walking club, she grabs at the chance of some excitement. Daniel’s heart sinks when he sees that the only person who’s turned up for his walking club is the old lady from two doors down. What he doesn’t expect is to discover that she is one of the most fascinating people he’s ever met.

When teacher Dee Nicholls receives her invitation, she isn’t sure what to make of it. Surely it’s some kind of clever, festive marketing ploy? But as the Christmas countdown begins, it becomes clear that Dee isn’t the only ‘Jingle Bells Express’ invitee. There are other people out there who have received the same invitation: Tom the intern, Rachel the aspiring writer, Dylan the musician and his dog, Muttley - and they’re not the only ones! Could the unusual festive journey they eventually take together show them all the true meaning of Christmas?

Mr. Richard Dodsley, owner of a fine second-hand bookshop on Charing Cross Road, has been found murdered in the cold hours of the morning. Shot in his own office, few clues remain besides three cigarette ends, two spent matches and a few books on the shelves which have been rearranged. In an investigation spanning the second-hand bookshops of London and the Houses of Parliament - since an MP's new crime novel Death at the Desk appears to have some bearing on the case - John Ferguson's series sleuth MacNab is at hand to assist Scotland Yard in an atmospheric fair-play bibliomystery.

Soundings and Choc Lit present the audiobook edition of What Happens at Christmas. Best-selling author Andrew Vitruvius knows that any publicity is good publicity. But when his agent talks him into the craziest scheme yet - getting himself kidnapped, live on TV - it all starts to feel a little bit too real. Meanwhile, Lori France and her four-year-old niece Misty are settling in to spend the holidays away after unexpected events leave them without a place to stay. Little do they know they’re about to make a shocking discovery and experience a Christmas they’re not likely to forget....

The world's leading toy manufacturer gives each of its amazing toys a tiny, computerized brain and a unique personality. But sometimes there's a problem. Dan, a 'Snugliffic Cuddlestar' bear, should be perfect for hugging. But because of a faulty chip, he's so strong he could crush a car. In the rejects pile, he meets Arabella, a 'Loadsasmiles Sunshine' doll with a temper. Soon Dan, Arabella and Flax, a police robot rabbit, are recruited by the head of the toy world because of their faults. Their first mission is to protect a senator's eight-year-old son from being kidnapped.

The once-notorious cabaret singer Adora Ferne guards a treasure trove of 12 classic Jaguar cars but hankers over the one that is missing. Enter Jack Colby: Adora's manager Danny Carter has commissioned him to buy the 13th dream car from its owner, the Earl of Storrington. When a murder follows the Earl's rejection of an offer, Jack is determined to find out whether there is a link between that and the 12 Jaguars. But does the truth lie amongst the secrets of Adora's past or closer to home? Speeding along the route he's certain will lead to the answer, Jack rushes headlong into danger.

Two explosions in Victoria mark the beginning of a bombing campaign against banking institutions in London. The attacks bear the hallmarks of Irish republican dissidents but are disowned by IRA volunteers and politicians in Belfast. Detective Chief Inspector John Kerr believes the bombs are the work of the extremist group Anti-Capitalist Insurrection, with attacks in London the first stage of a devastatingly deadly campaign across Europe. Can Kerr stop them in time?

As a secret agent for the British government, Anthony Brooke wants to expose a gang responsible for blackmailing innocent people and gruesome murders. But when they plot a kidnap, Anthony must race to reach the little girl before they do. Milly will not be easy to retrieve, for she is in a Belgian convent, in German-occupied territory. To rescue her, Anthony must go behind enemy lines, crawl under the wire, face ruthless guards and break into the convent.

Amra and Holgren's comfortable—if decidedly unexciting—life is rudely interrupted when Amra receives an old enemy's head in a box. A longstanding debt calls her back home to Bellarius, the scene of many childhood horrors she would much rather forget about. Bellarius must be saved from utter destruction and civil war. After Amra suddenly vanishes, Holgren crafts a plan that teeters between impossibility and insanity. But first, he'll have to deal with three separate armies vying for control, all of which view him as either a threat, an inconvenience, or a potential tool.

Born to Be Wild began with the death of Oz Blackstone, movie hero and idol of millions, and tells how it might not have happened. The Last Chickenpig carries on the yarn as 17-year-old Tom, Oz's son with his soul-mate Primavera Phillips, goes in search of the father he has mourned since his early childhood.

These are the facts I collect. My son, Gabriel, met a woman called Mariela in a bar. She went home with him, where they had sex. They next morning she was found in an allotment. Mariela is dead. Gabriel has been asked to report to Camden Police station in six hours for questioning.

As the Big Freeze of 1947 grips the land, the railways struggle in their battle against the snow, and refugees from the recent war in Europe, freezing in the displaced persons' camp at Finmere, are forced to resort to desperate measures to stay warm. The snow lies deep as a murder of crows sits and waits upon a telegraph wire along the edge of a lonely railway cutting. A steam engine storms out of Catesby tunnel, and a young woman is thrown from the passing train. A killer is stalking the line....

A prominent millionaire disappears, and as the headlines grow more cynical by the day, Jack Shepherd knows that his search for a missing retired bookie can only end in misery. But in accepting May Marsh's commission to find her husband, Shepherd doesn't anticipate how high the odds stacked against him are as he is pitched into a world of ruthless exploitation, unbending violence and a heart-stopping confrontation with old enemies - the city's criminal royalty, the Settle family.

Department K didn’t tell John Craig why Kaplan was important. That wasn’t his business. His business was to get Kaplan out of Turkey despite the very hostile attentions of competing intelligence services, including his own! Very quickly Craig realises that there is no-one he can trust on this violence-strewn journey except himself; and that there are probably no innocent bystanders.

December 1916. Inspector Sam Blackstone is suspicious when he is called to the office of Superintendent Brigham - the new head of Special Branch. A German traitor wants £25,000 in exchange for intelligence on U-boat locations, and 'Max' has specifically asked for Blackstone to be the one to deliver the money - alone. Blackstone and his sergeant, Archie Patterson, are certain there's more to it, but Blackstone can't turn down the job.