Showing results by narrator "David McCallion" in All Categories

Honoré de Balzac uses his classic style of detail to describe a most controversial setting in his novel Le Pere Goriot. The story takes place in Paris just after the fall of Napoleon in 1819. The story focuses on three characters, Rastignac, a student who wants to try and make it big in the capital, Vautrin, an interesting and funny character who is also quite mysterious, and the main character, Goriot, that carries a heavy burden that only a loving parent would endure.

The stories revolve around the same character, Horne Fisher, who uncovers mysteries that he can't bring to the public eye. In the first story, The Face in the Target, Fisher and two other men come across a dead man at a park. The dead man is a political figure, and Fisher realizes that uncovering the truth could lead to political trouble for the city. Although Fisher usually finds out who has killed the victim, the different circumstances regarding the murders in each of the eight stories usually prevent him from taking further action.

Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped tells the story of a young orphaned 17-year old boy named David living in Scotland during the 18th century. While trying to make his way in the world, David moves in to his uncle's estate, where he soon after finds clues that prove that his father, and thus himself, should have been the rightful heir to the estate, rather than his uncle.

A family day out turns sour for DI McKay when he stumbles across an unidentified corpse. The day becomes darker still when his brother-in-law goes missing and is eventually found dead, the result of a seemingly accidental fall. Meanwhile, DCI Helena Grant has a disastrous on-line date with a pompous senior manager of a local hotel chain. Her initial amusement turns to unease at his disturbing behaviour. And, as she arrives home, she receives a threatening text from someone who has been watching her. 

Jimmy McGuire, a washed-up comic, is found dead on the streets of Inverness, his body garroted. Back in the 1990s, McGuire had been half of a promising double act until his partner, Jack Dingwall, was convicted of rape. Soon, a second corpse is found in an abandoned industrial site on the edge of the Moray Firth. The body has been there for some days and has also been garroted. The victim turns out to be a former musician turned record producer who had also been the subject of rape allegations.

In June 1867, Mark Twain set sail for Europe and the Holy Land. Twain recorded this adventurous trip and later turned it into The Innocents Abroad. This book became so popular overseas that it would propel him into an international star. The Innocents Abroad is Twain’s account of his thoughts of the Old World, including Paris, Venice, Pompeii, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem, as well as many other noteworthy cities. His disbelief and wonder are told with humor that endeared Twain to American audiences.

When Jake Boulder is asked to help investigate the murder of Kira Niemeyer, he soon finds himself tracking a serial killer who selects his next victim in a most unusual manner. As the body count rises, Boulder has to work with the police to identify the killer before more lives are taken. What ensues is a twisted game of cat and mouse. Only Boulder or the Watcher can survive.

The Commentaries by Julius Caesar contains eight books on the Gallic War in addition to all three books on the Civil War. Brilliantly translated, these commentaries provide an account of the many extraordinary events of these wars, brought to life by the words of Julius Caesar himself. If you have ever wondered about the events and thoughts that shaped the mind of Caesar, these commentaries will provide you with that insight.

Considered to be the first autobiography of its kind, The Confessions is two distinct books published seven years apart and covers the first 53 years of the author's life. The autobiographies of the time delved primarily into the individual's religious life, but Jean-Jacques Rousseau wanted to do something different. Instead of focusing on faith, he wrote about his thoughts and misadventures.

The 15 short stories that make up James Joyce's Dubliners give a realistic account of the life in and around Dublin, Ireland, in the early 20th century. In many of the short stories within the work, Joyce includes the Irish struggle for self-identity through epiphanies from the main characters.

The concept of justice and what constitutes "just" behavior has been a topic of philosophical conversation for centuries. Indeed, famed Greek philosopher Plato made it the very focus of his 10-book epic The Republic, in which he endeavored not only to give a working definition of the word "justice", but also to provide examples of justice in society, in the city-states, and in humankind. The Republic is written as a Socratic dialogue. In it, Socrates and other prominent figures have conversations regarding these topics.

Vincent Van Gogh: The Ambiguity of Insanity is a fictionalized biography and gripping novel of the life of the 19th-century Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. The author, Giuseppe Cafiero, draws a psychological portrait of the post-impressionist painter through the women that marked his life and the cities in which he lived. 

Felix Holt, the Radical is the story of a young English nobleman, Harold Transome, and the idealist Felix Holt. Transome amasses a fortune while in the colonies and returns home to run for Parliament while taking a liking to one Esther Lyon, the daughter of a clergyman. Everything goes as planned until Felix Holt comes on the scene with his own radical ideas, determined to educate the working-class citizens on the value of integrity and the common man. 

The Pickwick Papers was Charles Dickens earliest success. Written when Dickens was in his mid-20s, this charming and amusing story would be well-received by both critics and fans alike. Dickens introduces the listener to a number of classic characters in such a way that the listener is unwittingly lured into a world of hilarious adventure.

Andrew Carnegie immigrated to the United States with his parents as a young child. He began his climb to the top as a modest errand boy and eventually moved into the steel industry. By the time he was an adult, Carnegie was one of the richest men in the country. Known as a generous man, he spent a great deal of his fortune investing in organizations that aimed to advance social progress and improve conditions for people of all classes. Andrew Carnegie was also intensely interested in world peace and the security of democracy.

Many of the world's leaders have turned to Niccolo Machiavelli's The Art of War as a guide to the fundamentals of war, including Frederick the Great, Napoleon, as well as countless other military leaders. Limited warfare is one of the philosophies promoted in this work. Machiavelli believed that military conflict should be a last resort and should only be considered when diplomacy fails. He was also of the belief that society could only remain stable and secure with a strong state military.

Carefree, party loving Amory Blaine leaves his home in Minnesota for Princeton University, with his sight set on a high-energy career in New York City. At Princeton, the ambitious and self-centered Amory longs to be included with the popular crowd, and become one of those he views as entitled, but along the way, he indulges in a string of romances with beautiful, young women. While chasing his golden dream, Amory's youth is slipping away, along with the past. Will young Amory understand how fleeting life is before it is too late?

Three of the most popular stories from ancient Persia come to life in one action-packed, magical audiobook. The story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is about two brothers, one who marries a rich woman out of greed, and the other marries a poor woman out of love. The story gets its name from when the brothers are faced with 40 thieves who try to take their treasure.

When Adam Salton travels to a remote village in England to visit his great uncle, he soon finds himself in the middle of some strange happenings, where someone or something is killing people. Within the dark walls of the Caswell estate, there resides a new heir named Adam, and he has a sinister agenda. Lady Arabella has her sights set on becoming Mrs. Caswell, but there may be more to her than meets the eye. When snakes start coming out of nowhere, Adam buys a mongoose to help rid the property of them. That's when things really take a turn for the worse.

At its heart, De Profundis is a love letter and is better known as the De Profundis papers. Written in 1897, while Oscar Wilde was imprisoned in Reading Gaol, De Profundis would become one of his best-known works. The papers include Wilde's account of living a lavish lifestyle and his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, both of which he credited for his eventual downfall and imprisonment. The second half of the papers is Wilde's account of prison life and his spiritual awakening.