Showing results by narrator "Gordon Griffin" in All Categories

Jenny Simmons has always thought of herself as the ugly duckling of her family, so when she blossoms into a swan, she’s not quite sure what to do. When amateur boxer Bryn Thompson walks into her life, it seems happiness really is possible. But then a well-kept family secret rears its ugly head, a secret that could put her very life in danger.... Helen Hall, a newly qualified doctor, may just be able to help her, but will she risk the job she loves in order to do it?

Barbara Roberts, pretty, mischievous and 17, has grown up wanting for nothing. But a long-buried family secret that threatens her happiness is about to be uncovered. Will it deny her the one man she truly loves? And outside of the close-knit mining community of Hillsbridge, war once again looms on the horizon. Youngest of the Hall clan, fate is about to propel Barbara into maturity....

1926. The Great War is over, and Amy Hall is struggling to make a success of the business her late husband has left her. But her strong will and stubborn nature won’t let her give up. With the handsome, ruthless Ralph Porter waiting for Amy to slip up so that he can absorb her ailing business into his empire, she must be vigilant. Amy has always been a fighter, but coming to terms with a shocking secret in her husband’s past and holding her own in a changing world will push her to the edge of her endurance....

1894. Mr Simeon Crosby, a retired executioner, comes to Wigan with his wife and brother to give a talk on his life’s work. Whilst he has an eager following, there are also many people who strongly object to Crosby’s profession and do not wish his melancholy shadow to be cast over their town. Protests have been organised and threats have been made. Detective Sergeant Brennan is tasked with overseeing the security of the controversial visitor and all seems to be going to plan...until a murder is committed on the night of Crosby’s talk.

Detective Sergeant Michael Brennan of the Wigan Borough Police has no time for tales of ghosts and the afterlife or of the dead contacting the living. So, when he finds himself investigating the case of a recently widowed young woman, Alice Goodway, who has suddenly developed 'the Gift' of mediumship and has received a threatening letter, he embarks on the inquiry with no small degree of scepticism. But just as Brennan and his colleague, Constable Jaggery, consider how to proceed with the case, something much more sinister takes place - a murder in Alice’s own home.

A short story from British Library Crime Classic The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories. When the Russian Royal Family Jewels are put on display at Orbin’s department store in the fortnight leading up to Christmas, Mr Rossiter Payne can’t resist a present to himself. An inconspicuous London bookseller by day, an experienced jewel thief by night - can he pull off this latest festive heist?

A short story from British Library Crime Classic The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories. A locked-room mystery that will delight Agatha Christie fans. Dramatist Trevor Lowe and his friend Detective Inspector Shadgold board the Western Express to spend Christmas in the little Cornish village of St Merryan. Heavy snowfall forces their journey to an abrupt halt and, after seeking refuge in a local pub, one of their fellow passengers is found stabbed to death, clutching half a Christmas card. Is the murderer in their midst?

A short story from British Library Crime Classic The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories. As Sir Leonard Huntercombe tells the elaborate story of one of his clients, listeners will love piecing together this strange locked-room mystery set on a sleeper train to Aberdeen.

A short story from British Library Crime Classic The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories. When Alfred Caithness extends his stay at Dingle House for Christmas, it is not only due to the bad weather. He is in need of a loan from his wealthy cousin Herbert, and he is in love with his wife, Barbara. But events take a dark turn after Herbert refuses to help him....

A short story from British Library Crime Classic The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories. A brutal murder and a shocking deathbed confession - the love triangle of Karen Garborg, Thord Jensen and Olaf Kinck proves deadly on the Norwegian ski slopes.

A short story from British Library Crime Classic The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories. Car trouble and poor weather lead John Bradley to Lark Cottage, the home of Lucy Shaw and her young daughter, Julia. Her husband, serving a life sentence for murder, has escaped from Lanforth Prison, and she implores her unexpected visitor to stay the night. Listeners will love this rare short story from John Bingham and the unexpected twist.

A story from Night in the Front Line, a collection of Second World War short stories. In this lighthearted short story, a farm labourer observes the land girls going about their work and wondering what the future might hold for the farming industry.

A story from Night in the Front Line, a collection of Second World War short stories. The war may have ended, but Richard and Louise discover there’s more to repair than just buildings and infrastructure. As they take a much-needed holiday in Paris, the couple must try to heal their relationship and get to know each other again after years of wartime separation.

A story from Night in the Front Line, a collection of Second World War short stories. 'The Wall' vividly captures the horror and reality of the Blitz with a firsthand recollection of a particularly fateful night from a member of the National Fire Service.

A story from Night in the Front Line, a collection of Second World War short stories. 'I Had to Go Sick' tackles army bureaucracy as we follow an unnamed narrator through the army medical system during WW2 and the mounting ridiculousness of the rules and regulations for soldiers to be declared fit for service.

A story from Night in the Front Line, a collection of Second World War short stories. In 'In the Orange Grove', the author takes us to India and describes his experience of fighting overseas.

A story from Night in the Front Line, a collection of Second World War short stories. 'According to the Directive' opens in a displaced persons camp at the end of the war. Journalist Lisa Wilson is writing a feature and is met with mixed emotions as the camp prepares to disband.

The Second World War sparked the writing of hundreds of short stories by servicemen and women as well as civilians. They appeared in magazines and collections during and after the war and addressed all areas of the conflict, from the home front to service abroad. Short stories offer a wonderful insight into everyday concerns on the various front lines and illustrate the humour that kept up morale as well as the despair and confusion felt by so many.

Robert Arthur Kewdingham is an eccentric failure of a man. In middle age he retreats into a private world, hunting for Roman artefacts and devoting himself to bizarre mystical beliefs. Robert's wife, Bertha, feels that there are few things more dreadful than a husband who will persist in making a fool of himself in public. Their marriage consists of horrible quarrels, futile arguments, incessant bickering. Scarcely any friends will visit the Kewdinghams in their peaceful hometown, Shufflecester.

Detective Inspector Frank Elder's first case was unsolved. A dead woman, lying on a bed, immaculately dressed. The murderer was never found: free to kill again. Eight years later, Elder's estranged wife contacts him in his Cornish hideaway. Her friend's sister Claire has mysteriously disappeared. Elder reluctantly agrees to help. Then Claire is found dead, arranged with meticulous detail on her bed, and it doesn't take long for Elder to make the connection.