Showing results by narrator "Ciaran Saward" in All Categories

When David Bowie died on 10th January 2016, it seemed the whole world was united in mourning. His greatest hits were sung tearfully in pubs up and down Britain, garlands of flowers were left at the Aladdin Sane mural in his old stomping ground of Brixton and tributes poured in from a galaxy of stars. To many of us, Bowie was so much more than a pop idol. But why? In Why Bowie Matters, Professor Will Brooker answers that question persuasively, as both a fan and an academic. 

Ravi Gupta’s dark secret is unravelling. After years of hiding a dangerous portal discovered through foolish magic, the regretful academic worries his brilliant student has recklessly used it to travel to an alien world. And though he’s loath to go back, he stealthily opens a passage and journeys to the perilous land, desperate to save the missing scholar.

Russia is the largest country in the world, with the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. Over a thousand years this multifaceted nation of shifting borders has been known as Rus, Muscovy, the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Thirty years ago, it was reinvented as the Russian Federation. Russia is not an enigma, but its past is violent, tragic, sometimes glorious, and certainly complicated. Like the rest of us, the Russians constantly rewrite their history. They too omit episodes of national disgrace in favour of patriotic anecdotes, sometimes more rooted in myth than reality.

To the outside world, the Goodlights are perfect. Julia is a lawyer, Paul a stay-at-home dad who has dedicated his life to helping their daughter Chrissie achieve her dreams as a talented violinist. But on the night of a prestigious music competition, which has the power to change everything for Chrissie and her family, Chrissie goes missing. She puts on the performance of a lifetime, then completely disappears. Suddenly every single crack, every single secret that the family is hiding risks being exposed. Because the Goodlights aren’t perfect. Not even close.

An abandoned mansion, strange noises, and secret spies. Detective duo Alice and Theo reunite with their East End friends to solve a new mystery in Edwardian London. Their curiosity is awakened when sounds come from the spooky house next door. A plea for help catapults the gang into a thrilling chase. Join them as they dash across historic sites from the British Museum to hidden catacombs in a fast-paced action adventure.

When a championship jockey discovers the body of a young woman during a cold morning’s training ride, the local racing community is shocked to its core. Everyone says she was the perfect friend, the perfect daughter and the perfect fiancée. However as Detective Mark Turpin delves into the girl’s fateful last hours, he discovers a past full of lies and mystery. Investigating the truth behind her savage death, Mark uncovers jealousy and ambition within the tiny community, accompanied by a disturbing reluctance to help the police.

When a parish priest is brutally murdered in cold blood, a rural community is left in shock–and fear. New to the Vale of the White Horse, Detective Sergeant Mark Turpin discovers the murder bears the hallmark of a vicious killer who shows no remorse for his victim, and leaves no trace behind. After a second priest is killed, his broken body bearing similar ritualistic abuse, the police are confronted by a horrifying truth–there is a serial killer at large with a disturbing vendetta.

When Monkey is sent into space by a team of scientists, he thinks everything will be smooth sailing. But not everything goes according to plan, and soon Monkey's spaceship crash-lands in a forest, disrupting the peaceful atmosphere. Convinced that he has discovered a new world, power-mad (but mostly incompetent) Monkey claims the forest as his own and determines that all other animals must be banished, including his soon-to-be nemesis, Bunny. As Bunny gathers reinforcements and goes head-to-head with the gadget-obsessed Monkey, hilarious hijinks ensue.

When archaeologists discover a skeleton in secluded woodland, the body is first thought to be related to an ancient Saxon settlement. Then the torn and rotten remains of another woman’s bones are uncovered, her injuries bearing the markings of abuse and a violent death. Detective Mark Turpin is tasked with finding their killer, except the forensic evidence is perplexing and the victims’ bodies are proving impossible to identify. When a third victim is discovered only metres from the first, Mark and his team realise they’re running out of time to find out whoever is responsible.

The pharmaceutical industry is broken. A system that was designed to drive innovation and patient care has been relentlessly distorted to drive up profits. Medicines have become nothing more than financial assets. Sick Money argues that the way medicines are developed and paid for is no longer working. In this book, investigative journalist Billy Kenber offers a diagnosis of an industry in crisis and a prescription for how we can fight back.

When Detective Mark Turpin is assigned the task of investigating the death of a local businessman, the case is first thought to be one of accidental drowning. Until a bullet hole is found where the victim fell into the River Thames. Then a number of graves are unearthed at a disused airfield site being redeveloped by the dead man, exposing a horrific secret and plunging Mark into one of the darkest investigations of his career. After two more bodies are discovered amongst the burnt-out ruins of a building on a nearby industrial estate, Mark realises that a serial killer is at large.

It started with an invitation to dinner. An evening of good food and good company at a luxury villa. But as the night progresses, the party takes a dark turn. The host makes you an offer, a party favour he calls it: another guest has committed a heinous crime, you can end their life, stop their terror. He tells you there will be no consequences; do you believe him? Your decision will change your life. Choose carefully.

What actually is AI? Will it take over the world? And one day, will it tidy your bedroom...? In this beginner's guide, learn everything you need to know about AI, from how it helps us discover epic stuff up in space or under the sea, whether it will help you build your very own dinosaur, and why, it won't actually help you write your homework!

Britain, AD 75. Quintus, long exiled from his people, has travelled great odysseys in the retinue of a powerful Roman. Though a citizen of nowhere, is a man of reason, fluent in many languages. Olwen, imperious tribal royalty, is rooted in her native land – a volatile warrior, fiercely attached to the natural world. Given away by her father as part of a peace treaty, Olwen flees during the night, taking Quintus with her. Hunted by an army, the two make their way across the country, living off the land, heading for the western shore.

Run. Don’t look back. When a young teenager is stabbed to death at a busy fairground, Detective Mark Turpin is assigned the task of finding the boy’s killer. But this was no random murder. Mark knows the victim, and the man who ordered his death. As he sifts through the young victim’s final days, he uncovers a powerful crime syndicate that will do anything to protect its interests. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly Mark isn’t just trying to solve a murder–he’s fighting for his own survival.

Meet Murphy... the unluckiest dog in Ireland! Whatever could go wrong, would always go wrong, when I was around. Wherever I set a paw, bad luck was always sure to follow.

All societies, in their very different ways, are orderly. The very term 'society' implies the existence of a degree of organisation and predictability to human life. Orderliness, however, is a matter of degree. It is neither total, nor totally absent. In recent times, however, such concerns have largely given way to a greater preoccupation with disorderliness: with significant and disruptive social change; with rising crime and anti-social behaviour; and with a variety of other social problems. But what has really been happening?

After being summoned to a crime scene late one Friday afternoon, Detective Mark Turpin arrives to find the body of a man, his face obscured by a plastic sheet wrapped around his head. When the victim’s final moments are traced to a rented property in the Oxfordshire countryside, Mark discovers another body, one that has been brutally cut to pieces and left to rot.

Meet the Tobin family. When Joy's children receive the news that she has only days to live, they rush to her side, bringing with them all of the dysfunction and hurt they have been carrying since their childhoods. Each of them is at a crossroads in their lives - but there's one more secret about their mother they need to learn. Will they finally be able to forgive their mother and, in doing so, face their futures together?

The true story behind the 2023 ITV series, STONEHOUSE, starring Matthew Macfayden and Keeley Hawes. 'An extraordinary life . . . a vivid account' Telegraph 'Completely absorbing' CAROL ANN LEE, author of The Murders at White House Farm and A Passion For Poison 'I literally consumed the book in...