Showing results by narrator "Una Byrne" in All Categories

In 427 B.C., the Ancient Greek city-state of Athens was flourishing. Approximately 80 years earlier, the Athenians had formed the first self-representative democracy in history, the Peloponnesian War against Sparta had only just started, and Socrates was only beginning to lay the foundation of what would become Western philosophy.

Jenny Spencer is missing after a violent encounter on a beach. Her aunt, Susan Blake, asks wisecracking PI Jake Travis to intervene. Susan and Jake spent only one dinner together and both felt an instant attraction. Jake walked away. He was, and is, committed to Kathleen. As Jake and his partner, Garrett Demarcus, close the circle on finding Jenny, they discover that Kathleen's past ties to organized crime and Jenny's life are strangely entwined. They fight a two-front battle to find Jenny and to protect Kathleen.

Nine years ago Ellie's now ex-boyfriend was the finance manager of her publishing house. He drained all her bank accounts and disappeared. Since that time she has not made any effort to pursue a new relationship or even date. Her life revolves around her growing business and a small group of women friends who are all single, about the same age, have no kids, and are driven to succeed in their careers.

Philomena ‘Phil’ Byrnes and her husband Peter ran the Byrnes Private Investigation company in Seattle, Washington; until Peter was murdered at his desk late one night. While keeping the company alive, Phil has been slowly gathering information to try and figure out who killed him. One night she, her business associate Buzzy and their close friend Seattle Police Detective Coleman, go up to Phil's cabin in the San Juan Islands to comb through the information and finally bring the killer to justice.

The Troll Bridge tells the story of a young boy, Joel, and his encounter with the Troll who lives under a bridge. The greedy Troll charges everyone and everything that crossed the bridge and grew very wealthy. When disaster strikes however he needs the kindness of strangers to save him from a damp and miserable end.

Jupiter, the psychopath from Portrait on Wicker, has escaped the institution for the criminally insane and is out for revenge against Judith McCain and Tracy Carr, who were responsible for putting Jupiter away. The convict's rap sheet lengthens with identity theft, kidnapping, and murder of a loved one. Being a former cop, Jupiter knows what the police will do next. Will Judith and Tracy have enough time to figure out what Jupiter wants?

George MacWhirtle Fleck's life is fairly ordinary until he falls off a roof. Suddenly, his childhood dreams of his body in flight come rushing back to him in a conscious reawakening of his belief in his own latent power. Despite therapy and the frustration of his wife, George cannot be dissuaded from his growing obsession to fly - and the lines between his dream life and his waking life begin to blur. A talking crow opens the way for George to travel the world, and then, he meets a mythical stargoose that takes him beyond his wildest dreams into a realm of breathtaking wonder.

Laila Byrne made a final promise to her friend. She will travel more and work less. After sticking a pin in a map of the world, she heads off to Ireland. Laila's trip doesn't work out as planned, but the mix-up results in a chance encounter with a handsome Irishman, Alasdair. Alasdair spends all his waking hours trying to figure out how to keep his family's century old pub, The Empress of Ireland, open for business.

How did Terry Daniher save a famous Melbourne stately home's priceless chandelier from crashing to the floor? What happened when Lou Richards gave big Simon Madden a massage? Is Billy Brownless any good at making milkshakes? And what did James Hird want with the Fish at 3am, one hour after surgery? Paul Salmon - the Big Fish - reveals all in More Fish Tales.

In the third Quarterly Essay of 2001, Guy Rundle comes to grips with John Howard, the prime minister who, on the eve of an election, seems to have turned round his political fortunes by spurning refugees and writing blank cheques for America's War on Terror. This is a brilliant account of John Howard's dominant ideas, his concerted "dreaming" with its emphasis on unity and national identity that reveals him to be the most reactionary PM we have ever had.

John Howard has the loudest voice in Australia. He has cowed his critics, muffled the press, intimidated the ABC, gagged scientists, silenced NGOs, censored the arts, prosecuted leakers, criminalised protest and curtailed parliamentary scrutiny. Though touted as a contest of values, this has been a party-political assault on Australia's liberal culture. In the name of "balance", the Liberal Party has muscled its way into the intellectual life of the country. And this has happened because we let it happen.

When Mal Brough and John Howard announced the Northern Territory intervention in mid-2007, they proclaimed a child abuse emergency. In this riveting piece of reportage and analysis, Paul Toohey unpicks the rhetoric of emergency and tracks progress. One year on, have children been saved? Will Labor continue with the intervention? What are the reasons for the social crisis and how might things be different? Toohey argues that the real issue is not sexual abuse, but rather a more general neglect of children.

Sometime this century, after 4 billion years, some of Earth's regulatory systems will pass from control through evolution by natural selection, to control by human intelligence. Will humanity rise to the challenge? This landmark essay by Tim Flannery is about sustainability, our search for it in the 21st century, and the impact it might have on the environmental threats that confront us today. Flannery discusses in detail three potential solutions to the most pressing of the sustainability challenges: climate change.

Steve Byrne has established himself as one of the premier stand-up comedians of his generation.

Lachlan Macquarie is credited with shaping Australia's destiny, transforming a harsh, foreboding penal colony into an agricultural powerhouse and ultimately a prosperous society. He also helped shape Australia's national character. An egalitarian at heart, Macquarie saw boundless potential in Britain's refuse, and under his rule many former convicts went on to become successful administrators, land owners and businesspeople.

Inspired by the works of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, Garth Nix's Newt's Emerald is a lighthearted Regency romance with a fantasy twist. After Lady Truthful's magical Newington Emerald is stolen from her she devises a simple plan: go to London to recover the missing jewel. She quickly learns, however, that a woman cannot wander the city streets alone without damaging her reputation, and she disguises herself as a moustache-wearing man. During Truthful's dangerous journey she discovers a crook, an unsuspecting ally and an evil sorceress - but will she find the Emerald?

Sparkles and the dragon embark on an unforgettable journey that will teach them the true meaning of friendship. "Sparkles and the Lost Dragon" is not just a story; it's a journey into a world where kindness and courage make all the difference.

Discover how Sparkles helps Azura the mermaid recover her treasured necklace from an octopus who is a bully. Through courage and a dash of unicorn magic, Sparkles embarks on an adventure that will teach him and his new friends the true value of friendship, kindness, and the strength to stand up for what is right.

In this audiobook for 4-6 year olds, Sparkles has to save her home from mischievous goblins. Faced with the impending danger of the forest being burned down, the little unicorn rallies her friends together to stop the goblins and preserve the beauty of their enchanted home. Azura, the magical mermaid, the friendly dragons and the woodland animals join forces with Sparkles and together, this diverse group of friends, forms an unbreakable bond, demonstrating the power of unity and friendship.

Ask google Who discovered gold in Australia? and you'll promptly get 'Edward Hammond Hargraves'. Hargraves has for decades (and decades) received the fame, fortune and adulation from all corners of the country, but did he earn it? This is the story of an oversized layabout who received years of accolades and free lunches, despite lumbering from one embarrassment to another, and of those who spent decades trying to expose him and seek their share of the glory.