Showing results by narrator "Gemma" in All Categories

Berlin, 1989. As the wall between East and West falls, Miriam Winter cares for her dying father, Henryk. When he cries out for someone named Frieda - and Miriam discovers an Auschwitz tattoo hidden under his watch strap - Henryk’s secret history begins to unravel. Searching for more clues of her father’s past, Miriam finds an inmate uniform from the Ravensbrück women’s camp concealed among her mother’s things. Within its seams are dozens of letters to Henryk written by Frieda.

All I will say is - prepare to be astounded! Mildred Hubble has always been the worst witch at Miss Cackle's Academy, but she just knows this term will be different. She's done the best holiday project ever and she's sure that her form teacher, the fearsome Miss Hardbroom, will be impressed...

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Broken Heart Club by Cathy Cassidy, read by Gemma Whelan and Oliver Chris. Andie, Eden, Ryan, Tasha and Hasmita love being part of the Heart Club. They've promised to stay best friends forever and nothing can tear them apart. But...

Brought to you by Penguin. Will you brave The Retreat? The bestselling thriller from the author of The Sanatorium. They couldn't wait to stay here. An idyllic wellness retreat has opened on an island off the coast of Devon, promising rest and relaxation - but the island itself, known locally as...

From Finnish saunas and soppy otters to grief, grandparents and Kellogg's anti-masturbation pants, Slug is a book which holds a mirror lovingly up to the world, past and present, through Hollie's driving, funny, hopeful poetry and prose. Slug is about the human condition: of birth and death and how we manage the possibilities in between.

Airen is at war. The queen is dead. The coven is incomplete. And things are uncertain under the sea. Now, the unicorns and mermaids and witches and warriors and the strangers from other lands all must band together to face the Beast and save Triton. The unions have been realized. Silence and Mars, True and Farah, Cassius and Elena, and Aramus and Ha-Lah are at their fullest powers. But the gods require sacrifice. The sacrifice of pure love. If it isn’t given, the Beast will prevail, and Triton will fall.

Brought to you by Puffin. When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't.) Then Hazel discovers...

All Catherine wants is to be like the heroines in the books she reads. On her first trip away from home, she finally gets her chance. A new friendship and a growing love lead her to the spooky Northanger Abbey. There Catherine will find that a little imagination can cause a lot of trouble.

Georgie may be figuring out what it means to be a new mother but she does know one thing for sure: she absolutely despises the strict nanny who was foisted upon her by her meddlesome sister-in-law. In search of a new nanny, Georgie travels to London to see her old friend ZouZou only to find her about to depart for a funeral, after the unexpected death of a young man in her social circle. It quickly becomes clear there’s more than one mysterious death around town, when another friend reveals he’s also just returned from the funeral of a school friend, who seemingly died in a boating accident.

In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick. The weird part? Only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot. The man who played 'The Thin Kid' is the only surviving cast member. He remembers all too well the secrets buried within the original screenplay, the bizarre events of the filming and the dangerous crossed lines on set that resulted in tragedy.

With intolerance and inequality increasingly normalised by the day, it's more important than ever for women to share their experiences. We must hold the truth to account in the midst of sensationalism and international political turmoil. Nasty Women is a collection of essays, interviews and accounts on what it is to be a woman in the 21st century. People, politics, pressure, punk. Keep telling your stories.

Edward Philpott is found bludgeoned to death with his own spade in his beautiful garden. He lived with his daughter, Rachel, and his two grandchildren. Hillary's only lead is a rival from the village flower show who used to argue with the victim about the size of their vegetables. But what dark secrets from the past and present does this village hold? Hillary has returned to work after the slaying of her boss and is desperate to track down his murderer. His pregnant widow is even more determined to get revenge, but will she go too far? 

Brought to you by Penguin. For too long the people of Tír na nÓg have suffered under the dominion of the drunes; strange druids who have poisoned the land with their magic. Sláine has had enough of their tyranny and, through the Earth Goddess, he learns some shocking truths about the...

Winter, with its unsettling blend of the cosy and the sinister, has long been a popular time for gathering by the bright flame of a candle, or the warm crackling of a fire, and swapping stories of ghosts and strange happenings. Now eight best-selling, award-winning authors, master storytellers of the sinister and the macabre bring this time-honoured tradition to vivid life in a spellbinding collection of new and original haunted tales.

Violet Veil is ready for her next big case, and with trouble afoot at the Grecian Theatre, Violet and her dog, Bones, are hot on the trail. But just who is the mysterious fortune-teller, Lady Athena, whose predictions keep coming true? Is it all just a case of smoke and mirrors? Or is there something more sinister going on?

When six-year-old Alice Hilton disappears on New Year's Eve 1979 from Yew Tree Manor, suspicion immediately falls on local boy Bobby James. Bobby claims he knows nothing about it, but his family has a grievance against Alice's landowner father. Tragically the child is never found. Decades later, Willow James, an architect working on a development at Yew Tree Manor, discovers that the land surrounding the house is holding a secret.

In the bustling heart of London’s East End, Maisie, Amanda and Bethan work long hours at the uniform factory. The pay is poor, the shifts relentless and the bombs fall far too close for comfort ­– but these three women refuse to give in to despair. For when not at the factory, the girls spend their days on the markets of Petticoat Lane, trying to source material in order to make dresses ­– doing their best to bring any small amount of joy in these troubled times. When a chance encounter leads them to a bundle of parachute silk, they decide to think bigger.

1950, Stretton Village, Cambridgeshire. Emily's troubles continue as she tries to manage the Vanbrough estate, which has been left in trust for her son. Is there hope she can find new love and happiness? Frances has survived a fate worse than death but can she find a new life in Cornwall? Daniel is home with his family. Can he make a go of things and what will happen when the past comes back to haunt him? Connor is all grown up. A chance meeting could lead to love, fame and fortune. But opportunities don’t come without peril…

When the ghost of a notorious killer possesses the body of an upper class youth, London’s pre-eminent medium, Emily Chambers, must exorcise it before the spirit goes on a rampage. As if this isn’t distracting enough, she must fight her feelings for brooding ghost, Jacob Beaufort, who doesn’t like the new man in her life–the handsome (and very much alive) Theodore Hyde.

When Megan loses her beloved husband, Rick, in a tragic car accident, she feels like it’s her own life that has ended. She feels too young to be a widow. Walking around the house that had been their home – so quiet without him – nothing feels the same. But at his funeral, she sees a face she doesn’t recognise. A heavily-pregnant young woman, with a sweet heart-shaped face that is somehow a little familiar. This stranger introduces herself as Emily, Rick’s estranged sister. She explains how she’s been searching for her brother for years, but she knows she’s too late now.