Showing results by narrator "Julia Barrie" in All Categories

Alice Lee, middle-aged and unmarried, is the only volunteer when the minister asks his congregation to help young Zebediah Bailey. Zeb is in prison for a ghastly crime, and the townspeople would rather forget than forgive this local lad who lost his way. But Alice dutifully writes to him every week, sending him sweets from the little shop that is her livelihood: Alice Lee's Confectionary. She won't admit she's lonely, but since her parents' deaths, making and selling sweets has become her whole world.

Motorbike-riding, leather-clad Ross looks like a bad boy, but underneath the leathers he’s a good-looking charmer and he soon worms his way into the hearts of everyone in Talyton St George. Even vet nurse Shannon warms to him. So when she needs a place to live, it makes sense to move in with Ross. Just as a friend, of course. As they grapple with escaped snakes and feral cats, their friendship deepens until they can’t deny their feelings for each other any longer.

It's the summer of 1933, and Alice Eveleigh has arrived at Fiercombe Manor in disgrace. Hiding her shame in this isolated house concealed within a Gloucestershire valley in the care of housekeeper Mrs Jelphs, Alice soon begins to sense that something isn't quite right within this beautiful manor. For one thing she is being watched.... There are secrets at Fiercombe that those who remain there are determined to keep. Tragedy haunts the empty rooms, and foreboding hangs heavy in the stifling heat.

The Winter Folly is a gripping mystery of family secrets and past sins by Lulu Taylor, author of The Snow Angel. In this house there are many secrets . . . It is 1965 and young Alexandra Crewe obediently marries the man her father has selected for her. But, very soon, both she and her husband...

MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle has received alarming intelligence from a source in Syria. A Middle East peace conference is planned to take place at Gleneagles in Scotland, and the Syrians have learned that two individuals are mounting an operation to disrupt the conference in a spectacular way, laying the blame at Syria's door. As the conference deadline draws ever closer, Liz discovers that the threat is far greater than she or anyone else could have imagined. But so many questions are still to be answered.

Susan has been trying for a baby for years, and when a one-night stand makes her dream come true, she’ll do anything to ensure her husband doesn’t find out - including the unthinkable. Her secret is safe. For now. But as governments embark on a genetic arms race and children around the globe start experiencing a host of distressing symptoms, something truly horrendous is unleashed. Because those children have only one thing in common and people are starting to ask questions.

Teri has dated more men than she's had low-calorie, low-fat dinners, and she still hasn't found Mr Right. She's found other men, though: Mr Lazy, Mr Greedy, Mr Completely Selfish, Mr Looking-for-Mother-Substitute and Mr Pervert. But no Mr Right. That is until she's literally knocked off her feet by Jamie Duncan as they rush to catch the same train from Euston station: the 18.07 from platform eight. It's not long before love blossoms and commuting takes on a whole new meaning.

Queen of psychological crime Sophie Hannah returns with a chilling new Culver Valley crime novel. A killer that the police are calling "Billy Dead Mates" is murdering pairs of best friends one by one. Before they die, each victim is given a small white book.... For months detectives have failed to catch Billy or work out what the white books mean. And then a woman, scared by what she's seen on the news, comes forward. Stand-up comedian Kim Tribbeck has one of Billy's peculiar little books.

Throughout her distinguished career, Ann Granger has penned an array of hugely entertaining and gripping short stories. From a nosy neighbour who trusts no one to a jealous nephew protecting his inheritance, and from a ghostly apparition on a cruise ship to an Oxford undergraduate who cannot escape his past, Ann's short stories transport listeners from the Highlands of Scotland to the rugged coast of Cornwall and from the Victorian era to the present day.

It’s summer in Adders Fork. The sun is out, the sky is blue and things are going swimmingly for Rosie Strange. The Essex Witch Museum has been relaunched with a new Ursula Cadence wing and picnic grounds. Then developers roll into the sleepy village to widen the road. When the centuries-old Blackly Be boulder, said to mark the grave of a notorious witch, is moved, all hell breaks out. Within hours a slew of peculiar phenomena descends, and when a severed head is discovered atop the boulder, the locals storm the museum to demand someone take action.

Katy and Ben and their four closest friends are going to Spain for a week with their kids. Sun, sex and sangria? Almost certainly not. The couples think they are prepared for all the joys and trials a family holiday has to offer but they have a shock coming, and not only from the kids. Into their first day by the pool crashes Ollie, who has just been dumped by his girlfriend, and Cassie, on her hen party holiday but having serious doubts about her impending marriage. A recipe for a relaxing week abroad? Let’s wait and see....

A wonderful warm festive treat from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Christmas Invitation The perfect gift isn’t always under the tree… Single mum Cally’s life is all about her little girl Stella. She’s resigned to the fact that the only romance she’s going to get is from the...

When Megan meets Ben Saunders, she's very attracted and he seems the same, but she didn't expect him to propose immediately. It'd be like marrying a stranger. Only, how can she refuse when they get on so well and he goes to Australia in a week? Can they make this sudden marriage work?

Jefferson Winter is no ordinary investigator. The son of one of America's most renowned serial killers, Winter has spent his life trying to distance himself from his father's legacy.When he accepts a particularly disturbing case in London, Winter arrives to find a psychopath on the loose who likes abducting and lobotomising young women. Winter must use all his preternatural brain power in order to work out who is behind the attacks, before another young woman becomes a victim.

Christmas is coming, and life is busy for vet Maz Harwood. She has a beautiful baby boy, George, and she will soon be marrying fellow vet Alex Fox-Gifford. But between arranging the wedding, performing life-saving animal surgery, and taking care of George, Maz doesn’t have much time left for Alex, and even if she did, he’s working even harder than her. And as Alex won’t do anything to make life easier, Maz has decided that she will have to take matters into her own hands.

In the early hours of the morning, the naked body of a young man is discovered in a ditch next to Göta Kanal. The cause of death is mysterious; the body bears no visible traces of violence. The man is soon identified as Peder Akerlund, a former Swedish politician, excluded from his party for racism but since reformed. Then 16-year-old Nadja Lundin is reported missing, possibly abducted, the same evening, and there are signs that suggest the two cases might be connected.

After years of training, horse-mad Flick has finally achieved her dream of becoming one of the few female blacksmiths in the country. Her first job is in Talyton St George. The little cottage where she is staying is idyllic, but she soon finds that she has to work twice as hard to prove herself. Stunt rider Robbie Salterton is a bit of a local celebrity. He's gorgeous, a devoted single father and gives free riding lessons to disadvantaged children in his spare time. In addition, he's one of the few men in the village who doesn't doubt her skill.

Successful city accountant Stevie receives two surprises in one week. A proposal of marriage from her boyfriend and a phone call begging her to return to the family farm in Talyton St George. But what she thought would be a weekend visit turns into much longer as she struggles to bring order to the farm. Finally, she decides to give up her job – and her boyfriend – and stay permanently. Even though the locals are up in arms about her plans for the farm, Stevie loves being back in the country – and having to work so closely with local vet Leo is an added bonus.

Becca seems to have it all - a stable marriage, a lovely home and a 14-year-old daughter, Lily, who's growing up beautifully. But when her mother drops a bombshell about her relationship with Becca's father, Becca's world is turned upside down - everything she thought was certain slips away. She turns to her husband, Martin, for support, only to find that he's too preoccupied to listen to her concerns.

The Winter Folly is a gripping mystery of family secrets and past sins by Lulu Taylor, author of The Snow Angel. In this house there are many secrets . . . It is 1965 and young Alexandra Crewe obediently marries the man her father has selected for her. But, very soon, both she and her husband...