Showing results by narrator "Helen Keeley" in All Categories

As a single mother, Annie has an especially close relationship with her son, Ben. They have always been together. Just the two of them. So, when Ben brings home his mysterious beautiful new wife, Daisy, immediately Annie doesn’t trust her. Who is this woman who has taken her son away from her? And what is she hiding? She’ll protect him with her life....

1768. Charlotte, daughter of the Habsburg empress, arrives in Naples to marry a man she has never met. Her sister, Antoine, is sent to France, and in the mirrored corridors of Versailles, they rename her Marie Antoinette. The sisters are alone, but they are not powerless. When they were only children, they discovered a book of spells—spells that work, with dark and unpredictable consequences. In a time of vicious court politics, of discovery and dizzying change, they use the book to take control of their lives.

Jude Gray has worked hard to bring a steady equilibrium to life on Malvern Farm and things are going well. The only fly in the ointment is the foul addition of a new face in the village: staunch townie and chauvinistic sleaze, Des Smith. Jude has nothing but sympathy for his caring, patient wife, Loretta, who has become a regular visitor to the farm for a cup of tea and a chat. But things take a turn for the worse when a hit and run outside The Lamb brings death once again to the village. Is it an accident or is something more sinister afoot?

Susie and Stella have nothing in common, except for the fact that they're married to the same man - private detective Mike Hazard. When Mike suddenly disappears, the women discover his double life. The two women soon find out that Mike is keeping more secrets than just his infidelity and his actions soon put them in danger with both sides of the law. They must now track down a missing husband while finding a way to stay alive...

In this fantastical collection of stories, a king hides a terrible secret under his crown, a marvellous dream inspires an epic journey and a clever girl outwits the king! This collection of three lovely tales from Julia Donaldson are an ideal first step for children embarking on a lifelong journey through the wonders of stories.

Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family's insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried—gold and precious stones, each a different part of a skeleton. One by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore's pelvis remained hidden.

Anna Robinson has it all. A loving husband. A son she adores. A close circle of friends. When Anna disappears overnight, everyone is desperate to uncover what happened. Why would Anna leave her perfect life behind? Is she the victim of something more sinister? At the playground gates, it's not long before rumours start to circulate. Someone must know the truth. And as the pressure mounts, it won't be long before they crack.

The place: Seawings, a beautiful art deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-on-Sea. The crime: the gilded Holden family—Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie—has vanished from the house without a trace. The detective: DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade. One late autumn morning, Piper’s best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene.

Gifted and burdened with beauty far beyond that of mere mortals, Medusa seeks sanctuary with the Goddess Athena. But when the lustful gaze of mighty Poseidon falls upon her, even the Temple of Athena cannot protect her. Young Perseus embarks on a seemingly impossible quest. Equipped with only bravado and determination, his only chance of success lays in the hands of his immortal siblings.

It should be the perfect opportunity: a manor house available rent free in exchange for a bit of housesitting. But when Cass and James dig deeper, they find the place has been abandoned since a robbery left almost all the inhabitants dead almost thirty years ago. But they’ve got to save for a deposit somehow, so they move in, and things quickly take a strange turn. Objects disappear and turn up in odd places, the clock always stops at the same time, and the house is oppressive yet strangely familiar. Could it just be bad memories, or are the house’s secrets a little closer to home?

Neve comes across a troubled woman called Isabelle on Waterloo Bridge late one night. Isabelle forces a parcel into Neve's hands and jumps to her death in the icy Thames below. Two weeks later, as Neve's wreck of a life in London collapses, an unexpected lifeline falls into her lap - a charming cottage in Cornwall left to her by Isabelle, the woman on the bridge. The solution to all her problems.

Everyone in the small seaside town of Whitecliff knows the name Kevin Ashworth. Two boys disappeared 30 years ago–and although local teacher Kevin never admitted to knowing where their bodies are, he’s been in prison ever since.

Molly Hopkins has happily watched all of her friends’ dreams come true on Riverside Lane. Deciding to follow her passion for baking, Molly with the help of her friends takes the plunge and opens a Tea Garden in the village hoping to make it a summer to remember! Meanwhile, after a rather public end of his marriage, Logan Armstrong trusts no one but his beloved Grandad. He just wants his brief stay in Cranbridge to be as quiet as possible. But his Grandad has other ideas.

With nowhere else to go, Harriet Colgan has returned to the sleepy village of Cranfield to sell her beloved aunt and uncle’s cottage, the only place she ever called home. When she arrives at Lavender Cottage, Harriet discovers plans to replace the beautiful lavender fields, her uncle’s pride and joy, with an industrial warehouse.With time on her hands, she realises she must fight to protect her family’s legacy and the village of Cranfield as well. Workaholic businessman Joe Randall was expecting an easy purchase of the lavender fields.

No one loves Christmas more than editorial assistant Eve Pilkins. But when her boss hits her with a huge deadline on Christmas Day, it looks like Eve's favourite time of the year might be cancelled. Armed with as much enthusiasm as she can muster, she travels to the coldest part of England, tasked with ensuring brooding author Edward Priest finishes his latest novel on time. The festive spirit at Cranberry Cross is as dark as the house itself; without a fairy light in sight, it looks like only a Christmas miracle can save this one. Will Eve be up to the task?

Alice: beautiful, kind, manipulative, liar. Clare: intelligent, loyal, paranoid, jealous. Clare thinks Alice is a manipulative liar who is trying to steal her life. Alice thinks Clare is jealous of her long-lost return and place in their family. One of them is telling the truth. The other is a maniac. Two sisters. One truth.

The Siege of Excelsis is over at last, and the survivors count the costs amidst the rubble of their city. Even for Galen and Doralia ven Denst, two of the most feared witch hunters in the Order of Azyr, the horrors they have witnessed are not so easily dismissed. Struggling with the traumas inflicted by the siege, Doralia's concerns only grow when her father disappears into the wilds of Ghur. As she sets off on his trail, Doralia begins to suspect that Galen is hunting down a dark secret from their past - one that might hold the key to a new threat rising to engulf Excelsis.

Flora Barton is desperate to save her family home Strawberry Hill Farm. She only needs one thing - a great business idea to keep the farm afloat! So, when Nico Rossi arrives from Italy with a crazy plan to save the farm, Flora should be overjoyed. The trouble is the Rossi men are infamous playboys and sensible Flora doesn’t trust impetuous Nico at all.

Since Amber started the Bad Girls’ Detective Agency, she’s been feeling the pressure. So – when she and her best friends win a trip to a new luxury castle retreat on a remote island – she hopes it will be a chance to relax in style. The girls are all excited to experience world-famous chef Valerie la Fontaine’s tasting menu. But none of them expect there to be another dish being served that weekend: revenge. And when Valerie is found dead inside a locked room in a tower, the Bad Girls know this is a case that only they can solve…

The rain was relentless. It stung Ruth Prendergast’s face as she dashed towards her house, desperate to escape the cold and settle down for an early night. But upon entering her bedroom, she finds a man, lying on her bed - a knife buried in his chest. When Detective Isabel Blood and her sergeant arrive on the scene, Ruth claims she’s never laid eyes on the victim before. But with no sign of a break-in, how did the killer gain access to the house?