Showing results by narrator "Sarah Durham" in All Categories

The Cold War ended 30 years ago, the Communists won in Europe and the world has settled into two blocks divided by a silicon curtain, The Partition. The tranquil backwater of the People's Republic of Britain is due to host an international sporting event and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the country becoming a republic. When the organizer of the Games dies suddenly and his office is broken into, Barrow, the retired security operative enlisted to investigate, is drawn into a conspiracy with implications for him, his team of young, inexperienced assistants, and their way of life.

In this deliciously strange debut collection, Leon Craig draws on folklore and gothic horror in refreshingly inventive ways to explore queer identity, love, power and the complicated nature of being human. In the 13 darkly audacious stories of Parallel Hells, we meet a golem, made of clay, learning that its powers far exceed its Creator's expectations; a ruined mansion which grants the secret wishes of a group of revellers and a notorious murderer who discovers her Viking husband is not what he seems.

Philippa Taylor (Pepper to her friends) has big dreams. When she closes her eyes, she can picture exactly who she ought to be. The problem is, it's about as far away from her real life in a small coastal town in Suffolk as she can imagine. So when her elderly friend Josephine persuades Pepper to accompany her on a trip to Europe, she jumps at the chance to change her routine. And when Pepper bumps (literally) into the handsome Finn in Lisbon, it seems as though she might have finally found what she's been looking for.

Stratford-upon-Avon, 1940. Rosalind Arden, born into one of the oldest families in England, has grown up running wild through the walled gardens and secret passages of historic Arden House, known to have once been frequented by Shakespeare himself. But centuries of squandered wealth have left the family destitute, and Papa Arden plans to replenish the coffers by securing hasty marriages to the highest bidder for Rosalind and her sisters. Passionate and headstrong, Rosalind is quickly running out of ways to avoid this fate.

Anna and Marley are best friends. So when Anna rings Marley, panicking because she has to miss a tour of an exclusive wedding venue, Marley agrees to go in her friend’s place. After being totally ignored by the glamorous receptionist who can tell she doesn’t belong there, Marley meets handsome hotel manager Cameron. He assumes she’s Anna and instead of admitting that she’s not the blushing bride, but the unlucky-in-love single friend, Marley plays along to see what it’s like to be Anna for a day.

Seventeen-year-old student Kyle Wilson is lying in the fetal position of a derelict school outbuilding. As Detective Hollie Turner studies the boy’s lifeless body, pushing back the tears pooling in her eyes, one question plays over in her mind. Who would want this teenage kid dead? Interviewing the tight-lipped students and staff, Hollie learns that Kyle was a loner with a penchant for secretly filming his peers and had been receiving threatening notes in his locker. The deeper Hollie digs, the more she realizes almost everyone at the academy has something to hide.

Hailey has always been told she can have it all. And saying yes to every opportunity that comes her way seems like the obvious way to make sure she gets it. But somewhere between saying "yes" to Vivian’s latest demands and still trying to make it home on time for box sets and burritos on the sofa with Dom, Hailey has lost sight of what she really wanted in the first place.

This book encourages you to become absorbed in the everyday magic of transforming a few simple ingredients into something utterly delicious. From the focus of baking sourdough to the quick-win of a cheesy biscuit, gut-friendly muffins to crowd-pleasing carrot cake, there is a recipe for every mood and every occasion. Steph Blackwell took her own baking journey to the final of The Great British Bake Off, and having experienced the well-being benefits of baking first-hand, she is on a mission to share her passion with others and sprinkle a little baking joy in the world.

Alison Lennon receives the worst news a parent can expect - her son, Ben, has been killed, in what looks at first like a random attack on a dark street in the middle of the night. Only, she knows that he isn't the first victim. Mia Johnstone has just turned eighteen. Ready for the next phase of her life, she should be looking forward to university, studying, partying. Instead, she's thinking about how her boyfriend Ben is the third person close to her has died. Alison believes that Mia killed her son.

When Pax, a middle-aged second-rate actor, scores an audition for a blockbuster, he is convinced fate has taken pity on him and he will finally get to spend some time in the limelight. He leaves his flat in a hurry, ignoring the alarming sounds coming from the apartment above. He is beside himself when he learns what devastating consequences his decision had: not only was his neighbour Alex assaulted and left for dead, he is also his girlfriend Emi's son....