Showing results by narrator "David Thorpe" in All Categories

A Charlotte Riddell novella from the British Library Tales of the Weird collection Haunted Houses. When his cousin Geoffrey dies, barrister Hercules Stafford Trevor agrees to act as his young widow’s guardian. But Trevor has troubles of his own when he discovers that the legends surrounding his country house might have more than a grain of truth in them, and it seems these hauntings are destined to become intertwined with the fate of the widow.

A Charlotte Riddell novella from the British Library Tales of the Weird collection Haunted Houses. In The Uninhabited House, the owner of haunted house River Hall is taken to court by one of her tenants for failing to disclose prior spectral possession.

When teacher Dee Nicholls receives her invitation, she isn’t sure what to make of it. Surely it’s some kind of clever, festive marketing ploy? But as the Christmas countdown begins, it becomes clear that Dee isn’t the only ‘Jingle Bells Express’ invitee. There are other people out there who have received the same invitation: Tom the intern, Rachel the aspiring writer, Dylan the musician and his dog, Muttley - and they’re not the only ones! Could the unusual festive journey they eventually take together show them all the true meaning of Christmas?

A dawn swim turns deadly in a brand-new short story starring DCI Vera Stanhope.... Two bored cell-mates play a game with chilling results.... A hen night in an isolated cottage brings new meaning to 'I will survive'.... Why not treat yourself to a slice of murderously moreish fiction, and join us in wishing the squad many deadly returns. With stories by Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Margaret Murphy, Chris Simms and Cath Staincliffe, as well as John Baker, Chaz Brenchley and Stuart Pawson.

Pippin and her little mouse, Tony, are playing hide-and-sleep in Granny's garden, when Pippin peeps into the shed and sees a very strange door that she's never noticed before. How did it get there, and where does it lead to? Well, one thing it leads to is a crazy new adventure for Pippin, Granny, Mungo, Tony, and Oddplop the frog. Soon they are on the trail of evil Doctor Blowfart and his thieving ghost monkeys, Lumpkin and Bachacha, to recover a very important magical golden mayoral chain!

On the besieged planet of Kepler 186f, a Marine platoon races against time to rescue civilians from an army of unstoppable Ghosts. Dropship pilot Justin Ceguerra is living through his own private hell, until the mission offers an unlikely chance of redemption.

London, 1888. Though the beautiful Miriam Cromer has confessed to the murder of her husband’s assistant, she is still confident of her acquittal. But then, she is sentenced to hang. She blames her husband, but he has an alibi. Sergeant Cribb and Constable Thackeray must discover what really happened at Park Lodge on 12th March, 1888, and quickly.

The spiritualist movement has captivated a segment of society: manifestations, the occult, and “sensitives” are in vogue. But the séance sites seem to be targeted for burglaries. Then, while Cribb is on the case, someone murders the medium. There was a great vogue for table-turning and getting in touch with the dead in Victorian times, and this lent itself to fraud, at the very least. It seemed inevitable that Cribb and Thackeray should take part in a séance at some stage. They come to it indirectly, following an art theft.

London, 1884: A series of bomb blasts in public places is causing mayhem throughout the city. Even Scotland Yard’s CID office becomes a target, throwing suspicion on Constable Thackeray. The primary suspects are Irish terrorists seeking independence, but could the villain be someone else? A beautiful Irish woman? An American athlete? Sergeant Cribb reluctantly enrolls in a bomb-making course and infiltrates the Dynamite Party.

To love and protect. The code of the good dog is clear. When single mother Tuesday took on mongrel pup Stupendo, she made a friend for life. Through the best and the worst of times, Stupendo has been there for her. Ever faithful, ever loyal, ever true. Nothing could break their bond. Until last week. Stupendo doesn't know why Tuesday is suddenly ignoring him or why his doggy antics no longer seem to soothe Baby William. It takes his worst enemy - the cat next door - to break the news that Stupendo has become a ghost.

In Praise of Famous Horses is an A-Z companion to perhaps the most loved of all domesticated animals. The book's entries include a wealth of unexpected, fascinating and serendipitous information, from horse-slang phrases to horses in British pub signs and from the horse in advertising to the horse as a food item. Themes such as the horse in warfare and the horse in folklore abound.

Glasgow, 1898. A man is found stabbed to death in a tenement block. Juan Camerón, photographer-cum-sleuth, is drafted in in the hope he can bring to light what the eye may overlook. Yet Juan has problems of his own. Following the tragic death of his father in Cuba some months before, the man’s legacy is threatened by a plagiarism suit from a mysterious señora, and Juan’s hoped-for happiness with his fiancée, Jane, might be over before it’s even begun - even more so when a visiting professor is murdered and Jane is witnessed fleeing the scene.

Detective Jake Porter’s life was ripped apart by the hit-and-run driver that killed his wife. The life he has been building up piece by piece is rocked by the discovery of new evidence. At the same time, he has a volatile case to juggle. Ross Henderson was a Vlogger with over 10 million followers rallying against the growing tide of the far-right. As his audience tuned in to listen to Henderson tear apart more anti-immigrant vitriol, they watched in horror as he was brutally murdered during a live broadcast.

1898. When Juan's father is killed while working as a photographer in Cuba, the young man is left with nothing but his last photos amid the chaos as the war between Spain and America escalates. But the images reveal a sinister truth to his father's last moments, and Juan soon realises his death was no accident. The young man travels to Scotland to grieve with his surviving family and soon immerses himself in the study of photography and pioneers a self-timer. When this technology inadvertently solves a crime, it is not long before the device draws the attention of law enforcement.

Jennifer Hughes doesn’t have an extraordinary life, but that doesn’t matter - she loves her family and enjoys her job as a teacher. In her eyes, her unextraordinary life is utterly perfect. But then, in the blink of an eye, Jennifer finds herself cut off from everything she knew and loved, confined to a strange new world and forced to watch from a distance as her family and friends pick up the pieces. Can Jennifer hold her perfect life together, even though she’s not living it herself?

The Steampunk Pirates jump at the chance to earn a handsome reward in return for doing some snooping. But when they find themselves sandwiched between the Dread Captain Inky beard and a spider on the attack, it's time to beat a retreat. Can they escape without a scrape, or have the robotic rebels ticked their last?

Causing chaos wherever they sail, the robotic Steampunk Pirates are roaming the high seas, hunting for gold! But the evil Iron Duke has other ideas. He's determined to capture the pirates in return for a handsome reward from the king. Can the mechanical marauders stay one wave ahead of their enemy?

The Steampunk Pirates get a taste of their own medicine when their ship is raided by a sea monster that’s greedy for gold. But when the rusty robots race to get their treasure back, they sail straight into a trap. Can they dodge the creature's twisting tentacles or will they be next on the monster’s menu?

The Steampunk Pirates are lured back to England by the promise of gold. But the appearance of their inventor, Mr. Richmond Swift, signals big trouble. He has a new army of robots, and it's not long before sparks begin to fly. Have the pirates finally met their match?

In this game it’s kill or be killed. A stranger has you cornered. They call themselves The Host. You are forced to play their game. In it one person can live and the other must die. You are the next player. You have a choice to make. This is a game where nobody wins....