Showing results by narrator "Marlene Sidaway" in All Categories

Too young to be whisked away by a Stannah Stairlift or to enjoy the luxury of a walk-in-bath, Marie Sharp is horrified when a friend suggests she join a bookclub as she turns 60. Bookclub people feel they must poke their brain with a pointed stick to keep it working - they're as bad as oldies who cycle across Mongolia in their 80s or paraglide in their 90s. As far as Marie is concerned, they're tragic failures who haven't come to terms with ageing.

A dead man dressed like a vicar is propped against a church wall, clutching the address of a dilapidated cottage that's abandoned - except for a human skeleton inside. Inspector Witherspoon's only prayer is to seek the counsel of his housekeeper and secret weapon, Mrs. Jeffries - who proves that a great crimesolver's work is never done.

Mirabelle Daws travelled all the way from Australia to Sheridan Square to visit her sister - only to die in the middle of a locked garden. All the residents of Sheridan Square have a key to the garden - but no-one seemed to know that Mirabelle was planning to arrive. So the question facing Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon is: who wanted to make sure that Mirabelle's visit was very, very short-lived?

Harrison Nye may have been involved in some dubious business dealings, but no one ever expected him to be murdered. Now Inspector Witherspoon must root out the perpetrator of the underhanded deed. Nye's business associate visited him just hours before the murder and seems to know more than he's letting on. And when his maid disappears, this dirty business gets even deadlier. Now, Mrs. Jeffries and her staff must root through the sins of Nye's past to discover which one caught up with him....

The war in Europe is over, but for Peggy Reilly and the residents of Beach View Boarding House the effects of the conflict are still far-reaching. Cockney evacuee Ivy and her sweetheart, Andy, are saving to get married and fulfil their dream of returning to the East End. But when tragedy strikes, Ivy is faced with a life-changing dilemma that only she can resolve. Rita also faces an impossible choice when her sweetheart, Peter, proposes and asks her to live with him in Australia - just as her widowed father returns from the fighting in Europe.

When a magistrate rules Harlan Westover's death a suicide, something smells fishy. Amidst a sea of unanswered questions, the clever Mrs. Jeffries wants to get to the bottom of it - and make sure someone doesn't stage another 'suicide'.

Sir Edmund Leggett is flattered to be stalked by a young lady. But she soon makes herself scarce after he's murdered in cold blood. The police hold the young woman to blame. But Inspector Witherspoon has other ideas and consults his housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries - who always gets to the heart of the matter.

In 1955 Scotland Road residents fear for their futures when government plans threaten to demolish their road. Polly’s Parlour café is the centre for action, where strategies are formed to fight back. But when local priest Father Brennan attacks little Billy Blunt, minds are instead turned to vengeance. Frank Charleson, business entrepreneur turned local hero after saving Billy’s life, finds himself increasingly fond of Polly Kennedy. Polly has a hard enough life as it is.

The O'Neils, who have lost brothers and sons into the bowels of London's East End, keep watch over their one remaining young male, Seamus. Meanwhile, Rosh Allen mourns the loss of her husband. Aided and impeded by her mother, she struggles to raise three fatherless children. With the help of a kind-hearted neighbour, her wounds begin to heal. Tess and Don Compton are on the verge of separation. But what really lies behind her desire to live on the posh side of the street? Behind the three families, two men are at work.

Winter, Liverpool, 1947. Evie Kilgaren is a fighter. Abandoned by her mother and with her father long gone, she is left to raise her siblings in dockside Liverpool, as they battle against the coldest winter on record. But she is determined to make a life for herself and create a happy home for what's left of her family. Desperate for work, Evie takes a job at the Tram Tavern under the kindly watch of pub landlady and pillar of the community Connie Sharp. But Connie has problems of her own when her quiet life is upturned with the arrival of a mysterious undercover detective.

Andrew Sanderson, brilliant surgeon and renowned musician, is still grieving the death of his wife Mary when his younger daughter turns up on the doorstep having left her philandering husband. It’s not long before the house is overrun with daughters, grandchildren, sons-in-law and a boisterous stray dog called Storm. At Andrew's time of life, is this really what he needs? One thing is sure, home is a lot more interesting than it once was, and things have certainly changed from when he was a boy.

Kate Owen is a woman fleeing from the past. Leaving a rewarding job in London, she’s uprooted her life and given away her daughter to keep them both safe. Damaged from a traumatic event that broke her family apart, she attempts to find peace in Liverpool. There she meets the seemingly eligible Alex Price, who offers her a glimpse of a happy future. But there are those in London who can never forget what she did and believe she holds the key to the unfinished business she left behind in the capital.

In the backstreets of Liverpool, Eileen Watson lives with her mother Nellie, daughter Mel and her three tearaway sons. Life isn’t great, but they have each other, and family can get you through anything. Or can it? Then Britain declares war on Germany and their lives change forever. The children have to be evacuated, but Mel refuses to go, and so Eileen says goodbye to her mother and sons, moves away from the street they love and faces a future without her precious family.

Headmaster Theodore Quinn has lived in Liverpool since coming over from America to fight for Britain in the 1940s. Over ten years later, he is harbouring two secrets and scars that are both physical and emotional. Where women are concerned, he and his secrets are a closed shop, until Tia Bellamy walks into his life. Tia cuts through Theo’s reserve, and the first of his secrets is shared with her.

When two people have history, how can they ever be history? That's the question facing Molly and Doug, who are separating after 16 years of marriage. He's moving out (albeit a mere three streets away), and she's moving on (just as soon as she can get her wedding ring off)—only somehow, they can't seem to stay away from one another.

In 1946, Alice Quigley returns to her childhood home on Penny Lane, having lost her house in Bootle and three sisters to the bombs that fell over Liverpool. Estranged from her husband Dan, she finds comfort in living closer to her remaining sister, Nellie. But even though the bombs have stopped falling, tremors still rock the family when Alice's reviled mother is kicked out of Nellie's home and seeks vengeance.

What possible connections might exist between an aged man who used to sell shoes, some ladies of the night, a serial killer, Lime Street Station and a mansion in Southport? The answer lies in love, friendship and the determination to endure all the way to the winning post. Eve, owner and madam at Meadowbank Farm, is keen to secure a deal that keeps her in pocket. But is she a match for Babs, a 'Baby Girl' in this house of ill repute?

Now that her family is grown, content in the knowledge that she loves them, Lucy Henshaw decides she is free to leave. She secretly purchases a beautiful house overlooking the Mersey, and there she plans to start afresh. Within hours, she has met some characters: her new neighbour Moira, who is dying, and sees Lucy as the ideal new companion for her husband; Shirley Bishop, cleaner extraordinaire; and Dr David Vincent, who is grieving for the loss of his young son.

Looking for a sign from God, nun Martina leaves her convent and becomes a temporary chef – only to walk straight into a catering crisis of epic proportions. Valentine’s Viennese Patisserie supplies classy Austrian snacks for corporate events, but now their pastry cook has left, no-one knows how to make any of the delicacies they’re offering. And that’s not their only problem – they’re also being chased by clients, up to their necks in bills and cancellations, and stuck with a clapped-out delivery van that keeps breaking down.