Showing results by narrator "Penelope Rawlins" in All Categories

June 1940. As World War Two rages, Daphne Devine remains in London, performing each night as assistant to stage magician Jonty Trevelyan, aka the Grand Mystique. Then the secret service call. For, aware of Hitler's belief in the occult, the war office has set up a hidden cohort to exploit this quirk in the enemy's chain of command. Daphne and Jonty find themselves far from the glitz and glamour of the theatre, deep inside the lower levels of Wormwood Scrubs prison. Here, they join secret ranks of occultists, surrealists, and other eccentrics co-opted to the war effort.

Reports are coming in that an unidentified woman was in the car with James Wilshire (24), the Earl of Rossex, when it crashed in Fenshire late on Tuesday evening and killed him. She died from her injuries later in hospital. The police have not named the woman, but sources at Francis Court, where the earl lived with his wife Lady Beatrice (21), claim the dead woman was the wife of a member of staff.

Autumn 1940, World War Two: Bombs are raining down, destroying the cities of Britain. The evacuations begin, and soon children are being taken to the country for safety. Teacher Eve Parkins is in charge of one such group. The children are scared and Eve does her best to calm them, but the truth is that she too is haunted by a personal tragedy she cannot put behind her. Their destination is Eel Marsh House. Desolate and forlorn, it is situated on a causeway and is sinking into the treacherous tidal marshes that surround it. Far from home and with no alternative, Eve and the children move in.

Princess Ellie is pony-mad! She’d much rather ride one of her ponies or muck out the stables than entertain dull royal visitors. One day, when Ellie is riding through the woods, her brave Welsh pony suddenly whirls around and refuses to go any further. Has Rainbow seen a ghost? It’s a real puzzle and Princess Ellie is determined to solve it.

Caught between boorish Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam and a killer wedding party, Lady Beatrice must solve the murder to save the big day.

The study of consciousness is one of the more fascinating frontiers in science, combining aspects of neurology, psychology, evolutional biology and philosophy. In this guide, Rooney explores the philosophical conundrums and scientific breakthroughs surrounding consciousness and shows how leading thinkers have sought to understand the enigma of awareness.

1940: Parisian seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee France as the Germans advance. She is bound for Manhattan with a few francs, one suitcase, her sewing machine and a dream: to have her own atelier. 2015: Australian curator Fabienne Bissette journeys to the annual Met Gala for an exhibition of her beloved grandmother's work - one of the world's leading designers of ready-to-wear. But as Fabienne learns more about her grandmother's past, she uncovers a story of tragedy, heartbreak and secrets - and the sacrifices made for love.

The Winter’s Tale is one of Shakespeare’s “late plays.” It tells the story of a king whose jealousy results in the banishment of his baby daughter and the death of his beautiful wife. His daughter is found and brought up by a shepherd on the Bohemian coast, but through a series of...

Meet the adults. Claire and Matt are divorced but decide what's best for their daughter, Scarlett, is to have a 'normal' family Christmas. They can't agree on whose idea it was or who said they should bring their new partners. But someone did - and it's too late to pull the plug. Claire brings her new boyfriend, Patrick, a seemingly eligible Iron-Man-in-Waiting. Matt brings the new love of his life, Alex - funny, smart and extremely patient. Scarlett, their daughter, brings her imaginary friend Posey. He's a rabbit.

When a young couple buy their first home in Little Cote, they're so excited to make it their own. The house has been up for sale for months, and it is idyllic on the outside but needs a complete overhaul on the inside. However, while the garden is overrun with meets, the house is falling down, there's a horrid concrete patio that, while ugly, looks absolutely brand-new. The couple hate it, and seeing as they're doing the house from top to bottom, they decide to rip the concrete up, too. When two bodies are discovered under the patio, Jemima Cotton is the first on the scene. 

Max Walker is the golden boy. He's attractive, intelligent, athletic. He's even nice to his little brother. Max is going to pass his exams with flying colours; he’s going to make his parents proud.

With her signature blend of 'lose yourself' love stories and buried secrets, Sunday Times top ten best seller Tasmina Perry is back with this gorgeously romantic read, perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore and Rachel Hore. From Paris to St Petersburg, this spellbinding tale of love, loss and long-buried secrets is guaranteed to break your heart.... Everyone remembers their first kiss. You never forget the last.... It's 1961. Bright-eyed young journalist Rosamund Bailey is determined to change the world.

To everyone who knows her now, Zoe Maisey - child genius, musical sensation - is perfect. Yet several years ago Zoe caused the deaths of three teenagers. She served her time, and now she's free. Her story begins with her giving the performance of her life. By midnight, her mother is dead. The Perfect Girl is an intricate exploration into the mind of a teenager burdened by brilliance and a past that she cannot leave behind.

Life never stays still for long on Big Sky Mountain. Rosa and Grandma Nan are off on an adventure to Toe-Dipper Bay, to see who's in trouble—a distress flare has gone up! When they arrive they find the beach covered in plastic rubbish, and a family of beach otters farming seaweed, while doing their best to tidy up. Rosa and Grandma Nan join in, but they have to find out who sent the distress flare—because who is that out wrecked out at sea? Rosa and Grandma Nan will need the otters' help to build a raft to get out there....

When Andy's school announces a new no-uniform policy, her classmates are over the moon—but her heart sinks. All she wants is to dress like everyone else. However, her mum's the owner of a run-down kooky vintage boutique, so she's bound to look—well—different. But when Andy finds a gorgeous bag full of designer goodies in the shop's storeroom, everything changes. Can she learn to love vintage and help transform her mum's shop into something truly special?

Sink into the romance and sparkle of snowy London, in this charming début novel. For the past two years, Evie has lived an invisible life in London. Her neighbours think she's just moved in, and even Evie's manager at work can't remember her name. But all that is about to change ...this Christmas has brought a flurry of snow and unimaginable possibilities into town. And when an accidental encounter with the handsome, enigmatic Joel gives her the chance of a whole new identity, she takes it.

First published in 1872, Poor Miss Finch tells the story of Lucilla Finch, a young woman who is blind due to an accident. Lucilla lives with her devoted companion, Madame Pratolungo, and fiancé, Oscar Dubourg. However, experimental surgery offers Lucilla the possibility of regaining her sight. Over time a love triangle emerges between Lucilla, Oscar and Oscar’s identical twin, Nugent.

Franz Kafka is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most enigmatic geniuses of European literature. What happens when his idiosyncratic imagination meets some of the greatest literary minds writing in English across the globe today? From a future society who ask their AI servants to construct a giant tower to reach God; to a flat hunt that descends into a comically absurd bureaucratic nightmare; to a population experiencing a wave of unbearable, contagious panic attacks, these ten specially commissioned stories are by turns mind-bending, funny, unsettling and haunting.

With 54,000 new mothers losing their jobs across Britain every year – during pregnancy, or maternity leave – a new trend is emerging: The Freelance Mum. Working from home, with flexible hours, enables the new mother to find a better work-life balance – continuing to build her career, while...

The fourth book in M.C. Beaton's charming A House for the Season series. He's just not the marrying kind... Lord Guy Carlton, late of His Majesty's Regiment and weary from the war in France, has only wine, women and song in mind when he rents No. 67 Clarges Street for the season. He certainly...