Showing results by narrator "Esther Wane" in All Categories

Withering and waspish, Ursula Smart (not her real name) gate-crashes her mother's book club at an isolated country house for a long weekend retreat. Much to Mother's chagrin. Joining them are Mother's best friend, Mirabelle, Aunts Charlotte and Less, and Bridget with her dog, Mr. Bojangles. It doesn't matter that they've read Gone Girl three times this year already, this retreat is their chance to escape bustling suburbia. But someone has other ideas. A body is found in the grounds.

THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR THE RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK 'Utterly bewitching ... a pitch-perfect modern Gothic' AJ FINN, author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW 'Compelling, intelligent and increasingly mesmerising' PETER JAMES 'At once a homage to the Gothic thriller, and a re-imagining, it is...

Tanya Bowe, an ex-investigative journalist, agrees to interview the contestants of the National Talent Competition for the local newspaper, but finds herself up to her neck in secrets, sabotage, and simmering resentment. The tensions increase when her condescending sister comes to stay next door for the duration of the contest. Several rising stars on the circuit hope to win the competition, but old stager, Lance Emerald, is not going down without a fight.

When Raisa Hopeland, determined to win her race to become the next electromancer of London, bumps into Amon Brightbourne―tweed-suited, otherworldly, guided by the Grace―in the middle of a London riot, she sets in motion a series of events which will span decades, continents, and a series of events which will change the world.

Solve the mystery with the Secret Seven - everyone's favourite detective club! These timeless stories are perfect for young fans of mystery, adventure or detective series. In book five, a sinister-looking man gets George in trouble with the police. The Secret Seven are outraged. Spying on him...

Meet Sister Veronica Angelica, a secret crime fiction writer and lover of custard cream biscuits. When she discovers a dead man in the grounds of the Catholic Youth Hostel, a building next door to her Convent, she can see he's been brutally murdered. What she doesn't know is that Jamie had a secret he'd been about to confess. Being forbidden by the Cardinal to contact the police, the nuns at The Convent of the Christian Heart are instructed to contain news of the murder. As Sister Veronica tries to uncover the truth, another murder takes place, plunging her deeper into the mystery.

Welcome to Malory Towers, where there's more to life than lessons! Felicity Rivers is excited to be Head Girl of the third form and there are three new girls to help settle in this term. But Felicity's in for a shock when someone starts playing spiteful tricks. The girls suspect an old enemy is...

It was their darkest secret. Three schoolgirls made a promise - to take the horrible truth of what they did to the grave. Thirty years later, Beth and Sally have tried to put the trauma behind them. Though Carol has distanced herself from her former friends, the three are adamant that the truth must never come to light, even if the memory still haunts them. But when some shocking news threatens to unearth their dark secret, Beth enlists the help of private investigator Matthew Hill to help her and Sally reconnect with estranged Carol.

Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life. Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders.

Once upon a time, in a parallel universe, there existed the continent of Triton.... The land was filled with beauty, but it was also splintered by war. Out of the chaos grew a conspiracy to reawaken the Beast, a fearsome creature who wrought only tragedy and devastation. The only way to stop him was to fulfill an ancient prophecy: Triton’s four strongest warriors must wed its four most powerful witches, binding all nations together and finally bringing peace to the land.

Solve the mystery with the Secret Seven - everyone's favourite detective club! These timeless stories are perfect for young fans of mystery, adventure or detective series. It's their first adventure and the Secret Seven super-sleuths are already on the trail of a mystery! The gang are dressed in...

Welcome to Malory Towers, where there's more to life than lessons! This term the fourth-formers are busy planning for the school Christmas concert, but that doesn't stop them plotting tricks too! Susan is supposed to be in charge of the play but bossy Sylvia wants to take over, and new teacher...

Of the real-life serial killers whose gruesome acts have been splashed across headlines, none has reached the mythical status of Jack the Ripper. In the Ripper's wake, terror swept through the streets of London's East End in the fall of 1888. As quickly as his nightmarish reign came, Saucy Jack vanished without a trace - leaving future generations to speculate upon his identity and whereabouts. He was diabolical in a way never seen before - a killer who taunted the police, came up with his own legendary monikers, and, ultimately, got away with his heinous crimes.

FAST FRIENDS is a warm and funny romantic novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Jill Mansell. For fans of Lucy Diamond, Cathy Kelly and Marian Keyes. When the chips are down, who better to turn to then your oldest friends? When bored housewife and mother Camilla Stewart impulsively invites...

Lady Holme—a person, a place, an idyllic setting—the home of Lord and Lady Hazlett. It is also a nightmare haunt of dangerous secrets, both ancient and modern. It's the autumn of 1920 in beautiful southern Hampshire, and the year is fading away. As leaves begin to fall over the landscape, one of the Hazlett party is mercilessly also made to fall, dropping like a leaf before its time. There's no doubt it's murder; it can be nothing else. Why, though? And where will this tragedy lead?

Hotel Portofino has been open for only a few weeks, but already the problems are mounting for its owner Bella Ainsworth. Her high-class guests are demanding and hard to please. And she’s being targeted by a scheming and corrupt local politician, who threatens to drag her into the red-hot cauldron of Mussolini’s Italy. To make matters worse, her marriage is in trouble, and her children are still struggling to recover from the repercussions of the Great War. 

The complete SIX TUDOR QUEENS short-story collection by acclaimed historian and SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING author, Alison Weir. 'This brilliant series has brought Henry VIII's six wives to life as never before' TRACY BORMAN 'Detailed, immaculately researched and convincing' THE TIMES 'Lingers long...

Solve the mystery with the Secret Seven - everyone's favourite detective club! These timeless stories are perfect for young fans of mystery, adventure or detective series. In book three, the Secret Seven have a new meeting place - a treehouse! But someone else is using it too. The gang are...

Solve the mystery with the Secret Seven - everyone's favourite detective club! These timeless stories are perfect for young fans of mystery, adventure or detective series. In book two a priceless pearl necklace goes missing. The Secret Seven are first off the mark to catch the thief. Why?...

When Kit and Mary Aston visit the Newmarket stables of an old friend who is training a potential Derby winner, they stumble into a new case. The death of Teddy Harrison seems to be an open and shut case of suicide. Yet, the manner of his death raises suspicions as the two men who found him were rumored to be paramours to the dead man's wife. Kit meets an old detective sparring partner from his days at school in Cambridge. Together with Mary, they investigate one of the twistiest mysteries you will come across.