Showing results by narrator "Heather Long" in All Categories

In November 2020, Caroline Darian received a call from the police in Carpentras. Her father was in police custody. The seizure of his computer equipment revealed the unthinkable: since 2013, he had drugged his wife before handing her over, in a state of unconsciousness, to men, from all ages and stages of life. With exceptional courage, Darian recounts the earth-shattering discovery that a loved one, her own father, is capable of the worst.

On the night when Caitlin and Olivia's parents leave them to go to a dinner party both girls are full of excitement about being old enough to stay home alone. What they don't see is the figure watching them through the open window. Who, after the girls have fallen asleep, will turn the handle of the unlocked back door. When their parents return, they will find Olivia's bed empty. Their eldest daughter gone. Never to return. Until now. But is the woman who claims to be Olivia really all she seems? And is everything Caitlin said she saw that night really the whole truth?

Meet fairies, witches and giants in this selection of 30 magical short stories by the world's best loved storyteller. Perfect for children aged 5 and up! From to goblin games to never-ending wishes, there's mischief afoot in these fun-filled short stories by Enid Blyton! Who will be on the receiving end of a trick, and who will win out with a treat? Enid Blyton remains one of Britain's favourite children's authors, and her short story collections are the perfect way of introducing her work to a new generation of listeners.

East London, 1940. At the outbreak of war, hopeless romantic Prue Carmichael and her sister must leave their rural parish behind when their father is posted to a church in Stepney. To Prue, the blitz-ravaged streets of London seem an unlikely place for love to bloom – until a chance encounter throws rakish engineer Jack Quinn into her path. But as their connection deepens, his troubled past begins to emerge, and Prue realises Jack has secrets to hide.

Curl up with this sparkling collection of Christmas stories from the world's best-loved storyteller. Perfect for children aged five and up! Embrace the spirit of Christmas with tales of magic and wishes galore in this heart-warming collection. From a dog who discovers the joy of Christmas to Santa Claus who gets himself out of a muddle with a little help from his friends, these stories celebrate shared times, festivities and wonder.

Meet the three women whose lives are about to change forever: Abbie has fled London and the humiliation of not being able to make rent after being made redundant. Her sister, Louise, unlucky in love, has thrown herself into her career at the local hospital. And Eszter, who has travelled from Hungary with her daughter Zoe, hoping to fulfil her husband's dying wish...to reunite his family.

Three women. Three dates. One missing man. The No-Show is the brilliantly funny, heartbreaking and joyful new novel from Beth O'Leary about dating, and waiting, and the ways love can find us.

Stephanie Green isn't like most other doctors. Nearly every day, she confronts life-and-death situations behind the scenes at Heathrow, where the truth is almost always stranger than fiction. Here, she reveals the exhilarating drama of working in the world's sixth busiest airport and what is required to make life-and-death decisions in the hidden no-man's-land of medicine, geopolitics, terror and tragedy that is The Heathrow Doctor.

When Hannah meets Sonny, she's irresistibly drawn to him: he's sexy and confident, but only in town on holiday. That's fine with Hannah - she doesn't do long-term relationships. And luckily for her, neither does Sonny. But before they can even so much as kiss, Sonny receives some shocking news and commits to making serious life changes - ones that can't and won't include romance.

Jayne is quiet. She keeps to herself and has no grand expectations for her days. But after a chance encounter with her elderly neighbour, Meredith, Jayne is forced to reevaluate her determination to keep the world at a distance. Meredith's dust-covered home is chaotic and neglected. And slowly, Jayne starts to grasp that Meredith herself is quite lost. She can't seem to remember anything: what she last ate, when she last went out or saw her daughter, or even Jayne's name, despite what are becoming frequent visits. But most alarmingly, Meredith can't remember where her husband is.

On honeymoon in Bali, you hit it off with another newlywed couple and celebrate your last night at a fancy cliff-side restaurant. No one predicted the evening would end with a dead body. But it was an accident, right? A tragic accident. The honeymoon may be over but it soon becomes clear that there's another side to this story...and your life depends on uncovering it. Many marriages can survive anything – but when it starts on a lie is it really 'til death do us part?

When Ruth Miller returns a dropped scarf to Elena Shilkov, she is whisked from a dreary shared house to a world of unimagined luxury. The super-rich Russian wants a new personal assistant and won't take no for an answer. Ruth gets accommodation, a credit card and a complete wardrobe makeover. And she's good at the job; distributing gifts, attending galas, dealing with the high-society movers and shakers fighting for Elena's attention. Then the sinister truth begins to reveal itself, that nothing is quite what it seems in Elena's dangerous, deceptive world.

Becky Brown has selected extracts from the Mass Observation Archives to anthologise the voices of everyday people as they deal individually and collectively with the crisis of the Second World War. The diarists themselves have been selected from every level of society - from warehousemen to widows, soldiers to farmhands, WRENs to architects. The extracts have been chosen to both uplift and to ground, to remind listeners that nothing is new, that everything can be weathered and perhaps even made better. After all, World War II saw the birth of the NHS.

Ten-year-old Bryony is excited to move with her family to a new home by the sea. She knows that adventures are just around the corner but wishes she didn't have to leave her best friends or the local stables behind. Then, while exploring the woods near her house, she encounters a beautiful bay pony. Something has spooked the pony and caused him to bolt, but Bryony manages to calm him using her natural ability and their instant connection.

At 104 years of age, Mrs Elsie Drake of Granville Gardens, London, is the sixth oldest woman in Britain. But fed up with sitting in her armchair all day, Elsie is ready for new adventures. And so, armed with a computer she can barely operate, she fires off dozens of letters to everyone from the Prime Minister to Greggs Bakeries, to see if they can help. Whether offering her services as the new Arsenal football mascot dressed as a giant hare, or simply sending Sainsbury's a load of meat, no one can escape the clutches of Elsie Drake.

The gripping follow-up to The Binding Song, from the winner of the Stephen King and Guardian short story competition. Is there a serial killer in East Anglia? The police deny it. Journalist Frankie suspects they're wrong. Student Ava knows they're wrong...because she's just been abducted by him. This is a gripping novel in which suspense meets investigation - as Ava struggles to stay alive and Frankie finds herself far closer to the case than she'd anticipated....

April hates men. Her dating life is a disaster and she carries the damage of her last relationship with her every day. She's trying so hard to put herself out there, but every time it seems like she's found something real it falls apart. If only April could be more like Gretel. Gretel knows how to behave perfectly in relationships - she's a 'Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems'. Gretel is exactly what all men want. The problem is, Gretel isn't real.

Leni and her sister Alice were best friends. But did they know each other as well as Alice thought? In the hope of coming to terms with her grief, she tries to piece together Leni's last weeks - but her discoveries only lead to more questions. And that's before the surprise reappearance of someone from the past. Meanwhile, the rest of the family seem to be falling apart. Belinda, Alice's mum, has developed an unhealthy obsession with a clairvoyant, and Tony, her dad, is stressed about becoming a father all over again, what with three failed marriages stacking up behind him.

Growing up autistic can often feel as though you have to become a chameleon in social situations, camouflaging yourself to fit in with a seemingly neurotypical world. Combining lived experience with scientific research and practical advice, this book is the essential guide to understanding why you mask and how to feel confident without one.

Greetings card copywriter Phoebe Chapman knows a good romantic line or two – and it makes her a fantastic Cupid. So when she lands in the Hollywood Hills – a place that proves film stars, golden beaches and secret waterfalls don’t just exist in the movies – she can’t resist playing matchmaker for her handsome neighbour, carpenter Ren. But you can’t hide from love in La La Land. And isn’t there something a little bit hot about Ren, her own leading man next door?