Showing results by narrator "Judith Boyd" in All Categories

When Meredith Mitchell bumps into her old school friend Rachel Hunter at the Chelsea Flower Show, she is shocked to discover that she was the first wife of her companion, Chief Inspector Alan Markby. But the meeting is not the only surprise; before the afternoon is out, Markby has a death on his hands.

It doesn't take Meredith Mitchell long to regret giving up her lovely Cotswold cottage in favour of living in London. In addition, the fact that her job gives a whole new meaning to the word "tedious" does little to improve her mood. What she needs is a holiday. So, when Alan Markby's sister wants a house-sitter, Meredith jumps at the chance. Alan himself is overloaded with work following the discovery of two bodies, one of which, at least, is a murder victim.

It only took one night to tear a family apart. Artist and illustrator Edwina Spinner used to have a busy family life. Now she lives alone in a house that has grown too big for her. She has decided to sell it. As Edwina takes the estate agent from room to room, she finds herself transported back to her life as a young mother. Back to her twins, Rowena and Charlie, and a stepson she cannot bring herself to mention by name.

Meredith Mitchell's old friend Sally Caswell and her scientist husband have moved from London to the quiet of Oxfordshire, but find nothing but trouble. Quarrels between the moody scientist and an eccentric neighbour; goats in the backyard, and a letter bomb in the mail all add to malice, mystery, and murder—and another case for Meredith and her police inspector friend Alan Markby to solve.

Where Old Bones Lie is set on an isolated archaeological dig in the Cotswolds. When a body is found near the site, the suspects, witnesses, and clues all conflict, and the disappearance of a group of New Age travellers just seems to add to the mystery. Superintendent Markby and Meredith Mitchell must untangle the mess, and in doing so find themselves in a dangerous and uncompromising situation.

The fourth Campbell and Carter mystery from one of the nation's best-loved crime writers. In the Cotswold village of Weston Saint Ambrose, Inspector Jess Campbell and Superintendent Ian Carter take on their fourth murder mystery. It is the wettest winter on record, and as Christmas approaches, the rivers burst their banks.

In the heart of the Cotswolds, a body is found, that of a teenage girl, probably local - somebody's daughter who went out one evening and didn't come back. It's not long before she is identified: 15-year-old Lynne Wills, a habitual, underage drinker at The Silver Bells pub who, on the night of her death, was seen leaving with an unknown man.

When old Monty Bickerstaffe finds a dead body in his drawing room it comes as a nasty surprise. Monty lives alone in a crumbling Cotswold manor house and the last thing he wants is the police sniffing around his property. But Inspector Jess Campbell is determined to solve the mystery, with the help of Superintendent Ian Carter, she must dig deep into Monty’s family history to reveal the shocking truth...

Married Love is a collection of short stories to treasure, a masterful new work from one of the UK's most accomplished storytellers. Lottie announces that she is getting married. The youngest daughter of a large and close-knit family, Lottie is 19 but looks five years younger. Her fiancé is Edgar Lennox, a lecturer at Lottie's university, 45 years her senior. We follow as Lottie's life unfolds; it is a story of romantic dreams and daily reality, family loyalties and the comedy and solace to be found in small moments.

On a snowy December morning, a young woman is found outside Patches nightclub in Leek. Half dead from the cold, she says she has been raped. As Detective Inspector Joanna Piercy - fresh from a disciplinary action - investigates, she learns that Kayleigh Harrison has made unsubstantiated allegations before against her stepfather. But there are possible links to a similar rape case six months previously. Is there a real case to investigate or not? Kayleigh holds the key, but how much of her story can be trusted?

For recently engaged DI Joanna Piercy, a murder is the last thing she wants to deal with. Especially one with as dark a back story as that relating to calculating landowner and farmer Jakob Grimshaw; a man who managed to make enemies of all his neighbours and what little family he still had. One thing is certain; Joanna has a tough job ahead of her.

In the thrilling conclusion to the Oracle trilogy, Seth and his companions return from the desert to find a new reign of terror upon the Two Lands. General Argelin has pronounced himself King and declared war upon the Rain Queen and the God. Hired mercenaries repress the populous and prepare for battle with the forces of the Emperor. Returning the dead Speaker to the world of the living has become Argelin's one obsession and brings him under the malign influence of the sign of the Scarab.

When war is declared, Frances and Ralph, both pacifists, turn their house into a sanctuary for friends more materially involved. Invasion seems imminent as one by one the countries of Europe fall to the Nazis. People are even told to immobilise their car engines at night in case the Germans parachute into Britain. Yet although war looms persistently over the Partridges, only a few power cuts affect them, leaving them feeling oddly isolated from it.

When Frankie sees the unforgettable face of her long-lost love in a passing train, she turns straight round and goes after him. For she, more than anyone, "knows" he is dead. She was there when it happened, attended the inquest, and later served a prison sentence for his manslaughter. Frankie, Cristina, Cassandra, Jenny, Pippa.... They are five women living quite separate lives - in Antwerp, Paris, Venice, Rio, Bath - except for one crucial fact. Each has devoted her life to the same duplicitous man.

A poignant imagining of Thomas Hardy’s relationship with his last muse. A celebrated author, in the winter of his life, awaits a visit from a beautiful young actress – the leading lady in a staging of his most famous tragedy. But his wife is troubled. An anxious and sickly woman, she watches the growing intimacy between her husband and the young woman, and becomes tormented by the idea that they will betray her.

Sam Hunter only intended to help his brother fulfil his dream of having children, but now, through an IVF mix-up, a complete stranger is pregnant with his child! To make matters worse, she's utterly gorgeous... For warm-hearted widow Emelia Eastwood, this child was meant to be the final legacy of her husband. The hospital's discovery turns her world upside down.

"Things are going wrong". Alexos is now The Archon, the god-on-Earth, but Mirany, the young priestess, realises that nothing has changed. General Argelin still controls the army and Hermia still controls the temple, and their scheming and treachery threaten to ignite a war with the Emperor himself. And now, in the second book of The Oracle Trilogy, Alexos is determined to undertake a terrifying quest across the desert to the Mountains of the Moon to find the long lost Well of Songs.

In a land without rain, the people turn to the Archon, the god-on-Earth, to end their suffering and, for their sake, the old man must make a terrible sacrifice. Suddenly Mirany, a young priestess, finds herself thrust unwillingly into a desperate struggle to find the child who will be the new Archon. And the only help that she can find are Oblek, a drunken musician and Seth, a conniving scribe. If she fails, General Argelin and the high priestess Hermia will install a false candidate of their own and so gain absolute power. Nominated for the Whitbread Children's Book Award.

Vicky is nine months pregnant and in prison. As the days slip by, she wrestles with the terrible knowledge that her baby will be taken away. Meanwhile her lawyer and his wife have moved to the country with their two children. Their arrival in the village sends ripples through a community that is to reevaluate the nature of family life, love, separation and death....

London, 1921. Julia Longfield lives on the fringes of the East End, in prosperous Victoria Park. With her brother and two younger sisters, she has known a happy childhood, and looks forward to the announcement of her engagement to Chester Morrison, son of a business acquaintance of her father. Any doubts Julia may have are overruled by her family's assurances that this will be an excellent match. But their fortunes are altered forever when Mr Longfield dies, leaving them in poverty.