Showing results by narrator "Jenny Funnell" in All Categories

Hettie and Tilly set out to investigate an old crime and a spate of new murders. Why is Mavis Spitforce dressed as a pumpkin? Can Irence Peggledrip really talk to cats from the spirit world? Did Milky Myers murder his family on Halloween; longer ago now than anyone can remember? These are the questions that the tabby duo must answer before the latest case for The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency can be solved.

She is noticed by Elliot as he trains in in the gym. He sees her dedication to building her body and taking up space, and he is drawn to her strength. She is observed by her mother, as she grows from a taciturn, tremulous child into a determined and distant woman, who severs all familial ties. She is watched by her former colleague Susie, who offers her sanctuary and support as she leaves her partner and rebuilds her life, transforming her body and reinventing herself online. Each of these three witnesses desires closeness.

Previously published as For Better for Worse. A dramatic listen from Sunday Times best seller Pam Weaver, filled with bigamy, scandal and friendships which bring hope in the darkness. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn and Maureen Lee. July 1948. As Britain recovers from WWII, Annie Royal is looking to the future. Recently married to Henry, and with a baby on the way, she and her new husband are happily settled in the seaside town of Worthing. But a knock at the door brings Annie's world crashing down.

'Have you met them yet, the new couple?' When Gav and Lou move into the house next door, Sara spends days plucking up courage to say hello. The neighbours are glamorous, chaotic and just a little eccentric. They make the rest of Sara's street seem dull by comparison. When the hand of friendship is extended, Sara is delighted and flattered. Incredibly, Gav and Lou seem to see something in Sara and Neil that they admire, too.

The constant theme running through this collection of short stories, the first collection by A. S. Byatt, is that of repetition, taking the form of family patterns recurring across generations, the return of the past in the form of ghosts and the disruptive force of family stories. A. S. Byatt was the winner of the Silver Pen Award for her novel Still Life (1986). Her other novels include Shadow of a Sun, The Game (1983) and The Virgin in the Garden (1981).

I have a gardener's inherent belief in the natural order of things. Soft-petalled flowers that go to seed. The resolute passage of the seasons. Swallows that fly thousands of miles to follow the eternal summer. Children who don't die before their parents. A community in shock. When eighteen-year-old Rosie Anderson disappears, the idyllic village where she lived will never be the same again.

Lawrence and Jo have enjoyed a strong marriage, the envy of their friends. Even after 30 years they have lots to say to each other, many interests in common, and, until recently, a good sex life. But Lawrence seems wary and restless. Something's wrong. Just how wrong, Jo is about to discover... Can they use their years of history - all the things they've shared - to overcome a devastating betrayal?

Faced with an increasing body count, our feline detectives sharpen their claws and set out to catch a serial killer. Did Pomadora Moseley really murder her family on the rollercoaster at Butlins? Is Clara Toddlebury's Country Dance Class under threat? And why does Mr Whisker lock himself in his headmaster's study?

For centuries, men have been writing histories of antiquity filled with warlords, emperors and kings. But when it comes to incorporating women aside from Cleopatra and Boudica, writers have been more comfortable describing mythical heroines than real ones. While Penelope and Helen of Troy live on in the imagination, their real-life counterparts have been relegated to the margins. In The Missing Thread, Daisy Dunn inverts this tradition and puts the women of history at the centre of the narrative.

Eloise Blake has been fascinated by Prospect House, the shadowy Gothic house opposite, ever since she moved to the village of Hookfield. When its new owner turns out to be crime author Ross Farrell, Eloise is determined not to be distracted by him. Love, she thinks, is only true in fairy tales. But is Ross the Prince Charming she thought didn’t exist - or is he a beast in disguise?

Meet Nell Wingfield, a gutsy young print-maker supplying satirical pamphlets to 1820s London. Distraught after her mother's death, Nell is duped into working at one of the 'Houses of the Quality', the brothels on St James's, where she finds herself turning tricks with men at the heart of the English establishment. But when one of them is murdered in his bed, it is time for Nell to flee.

Meet Nell Wingfield, a gutsy young print-maker supplying satirical pamphlets to 1820s London. Distraught after her mother's death, Nell is duped into working at one of the 'Houses of the Quality', the brothels on St James's, where she finds herself turning tricks with men at the heart of the English establishment. But when one of them is murdered in his bed, it is time for Nell to flee...

When pillar-of-the-community Harry Stewart dies of a sudden heart attack, the whole village is devastated - except for his maligned wife, Karen, the only one who really knew the abusive alcoholic Harry had become. Suddenly freed from this oppressive marriage, Karen is nonetheless wracked with guilt about her final argument with her husband and sees the presence of her spoiled stepdaughter, Sophia, as a suitable purgatory. Her only comfort in her grief and isolation is William, the sympathetic local vicar.

Eloise Blake has been fascinated by Prospect House, the shadowy Gothic house opposite, ever since she moved to the village of Hookfield. When its new owner turns out to be crime author Ross Farrell, Eloise is determined not to be distracted by him. Love, she thinks, is only true in fairy tales. But is Ross the Prince Charming she thought didn’t exist, or is he a beast in disguise?

May Starling's had enough of her demanding career and even more demanding ex. Responding to a 'crew-wanted' ad, she follows her dreams of escape only to find herself at sea with red-haired Bill Blythe. But May's dream of escaping her former life is in danger of being swept away when several unwelcome blasts from the past follow her ashore, all seemingly hell-bent on reminding her that it's never that easy to clear the decks.

In her apron and rubber gloves, the woman of the Fifties has become a cultural symbol of all that we are most grateful to have sloughed off. But what if there was another side to the story? In Her Brilliant Career, Rachel Cooke tells the story of ten extraordinary women whose pioneering professional lives - and complicated private lives - paved the way for future generations.

Sometimes the Dashwood girls do not seem like sisters. Elinor is all calmness and reason, and can be relied upon for practical, common sense opinions. Marianne, on the other hand, is all sensibility, full of passionate and romantic feeling. She has no time for dull common sense - or for middle-aged men of 35, long past the age of marriage. True love can only be felt by the young, of course. And if your heart is broken at the age of 17, how can you ever expect to recover from the passionate misery that fills your life, waking and sleeping?

When Janine and Dougie fell in love they thought it would be forever. Fifteen years later their daughter, Stevie, is their one remaining connection. At 16, Stevie’s not quite a child, not quite grown up: a dangerous age. But it's only during a birthday celebration in Spain, when she gets too close to one of Dougie's best friends, that her parents realise just how dangerous.

Madison Albi is a scientist with a very special talent - for reading minds. When she stumbles across a homeless man with whom she feels an inexplicable connection, she can't resist the dangerous impulse to use her skills to help him. But as she delves deeper into J’s mind, it becomes clear that some secrets are better off staying hidden. Is J really the man Madison believes him to be?

Will and Flo Sutherland have found themselves, and each other, in colonial India, but as the war and the age of empire draws to a close, they make their way back to England. There, they and their young family attempt to fashion a new life for themselves in rural Devon, but managing a farm proves harsher than anticipated. Through all the misunderstandings and heartache, this less-than-perfect family remain committed to one another above all things.