Showing results by narrator "Philip Battley" in All Categories

Oxford, late summer, 1353. On hearing that his cousin is short-handed for the harvest, Nicholas Elyot takes a group of friends back to the family farm to help. When a deer hunt in Wychwood ends in tragedy, suspicion is directed toward the huntsman, a boyhood friend of Nicholas. But the victim has made many other enemies, any one of whom could have shot the fatal arrow. Can Nicholas uncover the real killer before it is too late?

Oxford, Autumn 1353. St. Frideswide's Fair is a great annual event in Oxford, bringing together merchants and buyers from all over England and Wales, and from as far away as Flanders and France. Yet the earnings from the fair, granted to the Priory of St. Frideswide centuries before, are resented by the town, and resentment can turn to violence. Under the unscrupulous Prior de Hungerford, even more trouble is brewing.

Oxford, Spring 1353. When young bookseller Nicholas Elyot discovers the body of student William Farringdon floating in the river Cherwell, it looks like a drowning. Soon, however, Nicholas finds evidence of murder. Who could have wanted to kill this promising student? As Nicholas and his scholar friend Jordain try to unravel what lies behind William's death, they learn that he was innocently caught up in a criminal plot.

It started with a downed Nazi submarine and moved into the jungles of Nicaragua...now, the ultimate plan behind the deadly U-boat cargo and one man’s attempt to seize power in Central America teeters on the edge. All it takes is a single nudge to tip the balance.... Scott and Lisa are enjoying a sailing race when Jarvis is approached by a Miami business man. Ramon Tavares suspects that his fishing and shipping businesses are being used to smuggle cocaine into the country, and he needs private investigators Scott Jarvis and Lisa Gonzalez to discover who’s behind it.

When the novice Emma Thorgold goes missing from Godstow Abbey in the summer of 1353, the hunt is on throughout the Oxfordshire countryside. Bookseller Nicholas Elyot and scholar Jordain Brinkylsworth are anxious to help the girl, but her stepfather has other intentions. Why is he so determined to shut her away for life? Or worse? And will she be found unharmed?

When wounded Templar Knight Sir Marcus de Rancourt receives word that his sister is dying, he returns to a home he hasn't seen in twenty years, only to find his sister dead, and her children orphaned. Sir Marcus decides to take on the greatest challenge of his life and remain behind to raise the children, his loyal sergeant and squires insisting on joining him to work the land by his side.

Oxford, Spring - 1354. When the series of accidents to the building of the chapel at Queen’s College begin, they do not appear a cause for concern, but they grow more serious, and stonemasons are injured. Nicholas Elyot becomes involved after it is discovered that an intruder has reached the college by way of his garden. When Jordain Brinkylsworth’s youngest student goes missing, it seems at first that his disappearance is unconnected, yet he is one of the ‘poor boys’ supported by Queen’s. Surely this serious and studious boy cannot be responsible for the troubles?

A scenic walk in nature isn't Addison Harper's idea of a good time, but with Sergeant Jake Murphy leading the way, he's willing to give it a go. After a picnic as delicious as his date, things are really looking up—that is, until Addison stumbles over something in the undergrowth. Bad news: it's a dead body. Worse news: it's his ex. And the last time they saw each other, a room full of people witnessed Addison wish him dead.

It is December, 1648, and England faces one of the greatest crises in its history. Bands of renegade soldiers and broken men roam the countryside, looting, burning, and raping. In Parliament, former allies are torn apart after six years of bloody conflict. John Swynfen, a rising young MP and one of the leaders of the moderate party, is working for peace, but only if safeguards can be established to protect Parliament and control the powers of the king. Ranged against him and his friends are Oliver Cromwell and his son-in-law Henry Ireton, intent on seizing power by the sword.

When a woman arrives at Sir Marcus de Rancourt's new home, claiming to be a cousin of his late brother-in-law, he and his fellow Templars are forced to fight off her pursuers before knowing the truth of her crime—accusations of adultery by her husband. Swearing she is innocent, Sir Marcus and his trusted sergeant agree to seek out the truth, while his squires remain behind to protect her. But soon after arriving in Paris, they discover that nothing is as it seems, and more is going on than they could have possibly imagined.

Murder on Milverton Square is the first in a wonderful new cozy mystery series set in an enchanting small town nestled amongst stunning New Zealand scenery. The Milverton Mysteries features a chaotic cast of local busybodies, delicious baked treats, a demanding and disdainful ginger cat, a very slow-burn romance with a rather appealing policeman, and of course, murder.

It was the early 1960s. The place, a far-off corner of the Himalayas long fabled in Tibetan tradition to be hiding a valley of immortality among its peaks and glaciers - a real-life Shangri-La. They waited generations for the prophesied lama to come, the one with the secret knowledge of how to "open" the Hidden Land. Then, one day, he came. His name was Tulshuk Lingpa.

Alone and far from home in the big city, Violette is on a mission to find a missing man, a war hero who never made it home, and she doesn't want a chaperone. Though she refuses to reveal who she is, or what the man means to her, the chivalrous Aubrey Russell doesn't care. Accidentally thrust into the headstrong young lady's path, he decides she needs a protector. Determined that the girl should not ruin herself in pursuit of the truth, Aubrey dogs her every step... and finds himself in a spot of bother.

His Grace, Martin MacGalloway, has well-earned the reputation as the most celebrated rake on the entire isle of Britain. But upon his father's sudden death, he heads for Scotland, where he finds his inheritance in a shambles, his sisters without prospects, and his brothers relying on his patronage—and he's not about to conquer his problems alone. Penniless, Lady Julia St. Vincent has no choice but to dress as a man and accept a position as steward to the Duke of Dunscaby. The more time she spends with the duke, the more difficult it is to ignore the flickers of passion in her heart.

Freddie is unremarkable—too unremarkable. He doesn't stand out in any way, and in fact teachers and fellow students keep forgetting who he is. Even his mom thinks he's a disappointment, and spends almost all her time at work, producing a TV show. After a particularly awful night when he embarrasses himself in front of Jasper Perry (the gorgeous teen star of his mum's new show), Freddie decides to follow a proactive new philosophy designed to transform his social and romantic life: saying 'yes' to every opportunity.

Michelangelo is precise and perilous—a man to be respected. After spending four years in prison, serving time for the crimes I committed, I’m now ready to live a life very different from the one I previously led. Becoming an agent for K19 Allied Intelligence means I’ll play a part in taking down one of the world’s worst crime families—the Calabrian Syndicate. Like every other criminal society, the list of their acts against the innocent is long, the worst of which is human trafficking.

Blackmailed by his sister into giving a Christmas house party to celebrate her recent marriage, Edward Greyston, Marquess of Winterbourne, is quite certain the next few days will be an utter nightmare. Nightmares, however, are something Edward is all too familiar with. After the bloody battle of Waterloo, he has returned from the war a changed man, full of rage and guilt. Suspecting one of his house guests, the bluestocking Belinda Holbrook is about to trap unsuspecting and gullible Lord Nibley into marriage, he goes to warn him, only to get caught himself.

When Nicholas Elyot and his friends set out to spend the Christmas season in the country, they are prepared for a hard journey in winter. They are also wary of violence on the road, for these are troubled times after the Great Pestilence, when bands of dispossessed and desperate men roam the countryside of England. It is not surprising, therefore, when the troubadours hired to provide entertainment at Leighton Manor are attacked in Wychwood. Yet why should this group draw the attention of outlaws, who are searching for something? Is one of the troubadours not quite what he seems?

Dreams of love are all well and good, but all Prunella Chuffington-Smythe wants is to publish her novel. Marriage at the price of her independence is something she will not consider...Robert Adolphus, The Duke of Bedwin, is in no hurry to marry, he’s done it once and repeating that disaster is the last thing he desires...Surely showing the man she’s not actually the meek little wallflower he is looking for should be enough to put paid to his intentions? When Prue is dared by her friends to do something drastic, it seems the perfect opportunity to kill two birds.

Raz Frewer just made a bet with the Devil. He needs a cure to save his dying wife, and Lucifer has it—a mystical lamp, but its pieces were scattered around the globe centuries earlier. If he can find them, he'll get his cure; if he can't, the Devil gets his soul.