Audiobooks by Christopher Fowler

This is the memoir Christopher Fowler always wanted to write about 'writing'. It's the story of how a young bookworm growing up in a house where there was nothing to read but knitting pamphlets and motorcycle manuals became a writer - a 'word monkey' - and pursued a sort of career in popular fiction. And it's a book full of brilliant insights into the pleasures and pitfalls of his profession, dos and don'ts for would-be writers, and astute observations on favourite (and not-so-favourite) novelists. But woven into this hugely entertaining and inspiring reflection on a literary life is an altogether darker thread. In Spring 2020, just as the world went into lockdown, Chris was diagnosed with terminal cancer. And yet there is nothing of the misery memoir about Word Monkey. Past and present intermingle as, in prose as light as air, he relates with wry humour and remarkable honesty what he knows will be the final chapter in his story. Deeply moving, insightful and surprisingly funny, this is Christopher Fowler's life-affirming account of coming to terms with his own mortality. 'A delight . . . a glorious, witty and life-affirming ragbag of autobiography, cultural commentary and hard-won wisdom.' ANDREW TAYLOR, author of The Shadows of London 'Perceptive, wise and illuminating . . . an unmissable farewell.' Barry Forshaw, FINANCIAL TIMES 'The most hilarious, life-affirming book you'll read this year.' SAGA magazine

Christopher Fowler (Author), Sean Pertwee (Narrator)

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The Foot on the Crown

It is said a legend is just a beautiful lie... In the second half of the first millennium, the legends say that London disappeared for over four hundred years. We know almost nothing about what happened during that time. But if we could shine a light on the city's ruined walls, we would be in for a shock. For here the Romans are long forgotten. King Scarabold now rules what little remains of the city, together with his over-entitled daughter Giniva, her effete brother Leperdandy and their wayward, lunatic relatives - all squabbling and fighting amongst themselves for the future of their corrupted dynasty while trying to hide their most terrible secret. And opposing Scarabold and his wayward family is a horde of bitter enemies - the eerie Sheathwing, Earl of Beetles, the warlike nuns of Étranges Cadeaux, M'Lin the ape, Orobus the serpent, the terrifying Mater Moribund and the sinister child-spies Spackle and Peut - united in their desire to bring the king's troiubled reign to a bloody end. But it's the arrival of a mysterious outsider into the midst of the beleaguered Scarabold's court that seems to offer a semblance of hope. The stranger's name is Watborn and he is a birdcatcher - strong, silent, he will infiltrate the royal family for a purpose that is all of his own . . . As fiendishly-armed warriors gather beneath the walls, the battle for London, its body and its soul is about to begin - and who will be left unscathed at the field's end?

Christopher Fowler (Author), TBD (Narrator)

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Hot Water

She sees everything, but can never tell anyone... a wickedly compulsive thriller from the bestselling author of the Bryant & May series. At a beautiful villa in the south of France, Hannah Carreras works as a maid. Under strict instructions never to speak to the guests, she blends into the background - but she sees everything. Including the mistress Summer, lounging by the pool awaiting the arrival of her married lover, Steve. When Steve finally shows at the villa - with his family unexpectedly in tow - Summer has vanished. Steve claims he never saw her. But Steve's wife is no fool: she knows there's something going on. Whose tiny bikini lies by the pool? Whose perfume is in the bathroom? Before long, the local police start asking questions, and the villa's occupants have something to hide. Only Hannah, always listening, watching, saw broken glass and blood near the pool the day Summer disappeared. Only Hannah thinks she knows what lies are being told... "Witty, brooding and highly entertaining.' ANN CLEEVES 'A wickedly clever mystery - tense, atmospheric and laced with Christopher Fowler's pitch-black humour." ANTONIA HODGSON PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR: "Devilishly clever." VAL MCDERMID "A first-classs thriller, but don't expect any sleep." SUNDAY TELEGRAPH "The writing is as ever fluid and pacey, the characterization deft and the plot fresh and ingenious.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Christopher Fowler (Author), Rachel Atkins (Narrator)

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Bryant & May - London Bridge is Falling Down

91 year-old Alice Hoffman died alone in her top floor flat. Social services say she slipped through the cracks in a failing system. But detectives Arthur Bryant & John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit have their suspicions. Mrs Hoffman was not as innocent as she appeared. A former government security expert, she had once worked for their own unit, but there's no-one left who can remember her. And when they uncover a link between her and a diplomat desperate to leave the country it begins to look as if someone might have committed an impossible murder. But Mrs Hoffman wasn't acting alone. Arthur Bryant is convinced that a group of talented women have been working together for decades and now the others are in danger. With the help of some of his more certifiable contacts and historical experts, he and John May embark on an investigation that will lead them down forgotten alleyways to riverside buildings and on to the city's oldest bridge. But just when the case appears to have been solved and unit chief Raymond Land can congratulate everyone on ending a threat to international security, the detectives discover that they've been the victims of the biggest deception of all. For even after her death, Mrs Hoffman would prove too clever for them . . . Bryant & May's twentieth anniversary case brings an ending and a new beginning to London's most peculiar crimes unit and all who work there.

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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Fantastic Crimes: Four Bibliomysteries by Bestselling Authors

Book-centered mystery novellas from four masters of the craft. From Anne Perry, the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, comes The Scroll: Hapless bookseller Monty Danforth's recent discovery of a millennia-old manuscript plunges him into a cutthroat conspiracy. Christopher Fowler, author of the Bryant and May mysteries, presents Reconciliation Day: One man's obsession with a lost edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula sends him on a dangerous journey to Transylvania. From F. Paul Wilson, the New York Times bestselling creator of Repairman Jack, comes The Compendium of Srem: Prior Tomás de Torquemada yields the ultimate power, deciding who lives and dies during the Spanish Inquisition, but an ancient, evil tome is about to change that. Elizabeth George, the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Lynley novels, brings you The Mysterious Disappearance of the Reluctant Book Fairy: A woman's gift for immersing herself in the plot of whatever book she likes draws overwhelming fame-and misfortune.

Anne Perry, Christopher Fowler, Elizabeth George, F. Paul Wilson (Author), Nicole Poole, Steven Crossley (Narrator)

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Oranges and Lemons: Bryant & May Book 17

One Sunday morning, the outspoken Speaker of the House of Commons steps out of his front door only to be crushed under a mountain of citrus fruit. Bizarre accident or something more sinister? The government needs to know because here's a man whose knowledge of parliament's biggest secret could put the future of the government at stake. It should be the perfect case for Bryant & May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit, but unfortunately one detective is in hospital, the other is missing and the staff have all been dismissed. It seems the PCU is no more. But events escalate: a series of brutal crimes seemingly linked to an old English folk-song threatens the very foundation of London society and suddenly the PCU is offered a reprieve and are back in (temporary) business! And if the two elderly detectives, 'old men in a woke world', do manage to set aside their differences and discover why some of London's most influential figures are under life-threatening attack, they might not just save the unit but also prevent the entire city from descending into chaos . . . 'The most consistently brilliant, entertaining and educational voice in contemporary British crime fiction.' CATHI UNSWORTH, author of That Old Black Magic

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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England's Finest

The Peculiar Crimes Unit has solved many extraordinary cases over the years, but some were hushed up and hidden away. Until now. Arthur Bryant remembers these lost cases as if they were yesterday. Here, then, is the truth about the Covent Garden opera diva and the seventh reindeer, the body that falls from the Tate Gallery, the ordinary London street corner where strange accidents keep occurring, the consul's son discovered buried in the unit's basement, the corpse pulled from a swamp of Chinese dinners, a Hallowe'en crime in the Post Office Tower, and the impossible death that's the fault of a forgotten London legend. Expect misunderstood clues, lost evidence, arguments about Dickens, churches, pubs and disorderly conduct from the investigative officers they laughingly call 'England's Finest'!

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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Exit Wounds: Nineteen Tales of Mystery from the Modern Masters of Crime

Exit Wounds is a thrilling anthology of crime stories written by masters of the genre, including Dean Koontz, Val McDermid, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Elly Griffiths, Dennis Lehane, Joe R. Lansdale, and others. After an introduction by the editors, Paul B. Kane and Marie O'Regan, this collection includes the following stories: "The Bully" by Jeffery Deaver"Dead Weight" by Fiona Cummins"Like a Glass Jaw" by Mark Billingham"On The Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier" by John Connolly"The Pitcher" by Sarah Hilary"Disciplined" by Martyn Waites"The Consumers" by Dennis Lehane"Voices through the Wall" by Alex Gray"Wet with Rain" by Lee Child"Happy Holidays" by Val McDermid"Fool You Twice" by Steph Broadribb"Lebensraum" by Christopher Fowler"Dancing towards the Blade" by Mark Billingham"Kittens" by Dean Koontz"Take My Hand" by A. K. Benedict"Dressed to Kill" by James Oswald"Booty and the Beast" by Joe R. Lansdale"The New Lad" by Paul Finch"The Recipe" by Louise Jensen

A. K. Benedict, Alex Gray, Christopher Fowler, Dean Koontz, Dennis Lehane, Fiona Cummins, James Oswald, Jeffery Deaver, Joe R. Lansdale, John Connolly, Lee Child, Louise Jensen, Mark Billingham, Martyn Waites, Paul Finch, Sarah Hilary, Steph Broadribb, Val Mcdermid (Author), Alan Smyth, Alison Larkin, Austin Rising, Courtney Patterson, Derek Perkins, Helen Lloyd, James Langton, Jennifer Woodward, John Mclain, Justine Eyre, Kate Reading, Marisa Calin, Matthew Lloyd Davies, Peter Noble, Rachel Jacobs, Ralph Lister, Robert Fass, Ron Butler, Shiromi Arserio (Narrator)

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The Lonely Hour: Bryant & May, Book 16

There's method in the madness of a murderer who strikes in the night's darkest hour.... On a rainy winter night outside a nightclub in London, four strangers meet for the first time at 4:00am. A few weeks later a body is found inside a willow tree on Hampstead Heath. The Peculiar Crimes Unit is called in to investigate. When another victim seemingly commits suicide, it becomes clear that in the London night is a killer who knows what people fear most. As they explore a night city where all the normal rules are upended, Bryant and May are drawn deeper into a case that involves murder, arson, kidnap, blackmail, bats and the psychological effects of loneliness on Londoners. It's a trail that takes them from the poorest part of the East End to the wealthiest homes in North London - an investigation that can only end in tragedy...

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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Hall of Mirrors: Bryant and May, Book 15

The year is 1969 and ten guests are about to enjoy a weekend at Tavistock Hall. The guests also include detectives Arthur Bryant and John May - undercover, in disguise and tasked with protecting Monty Hatton-Jones, a whistle-blower turning Queen's evidence in a massive bribery trial. The house's owner - a penniless, dope-smoking aristocrat - is intent on selling the estate to a secretive millionaire but the weekend has only just started when the millionaire goes missing and murder is on the cards...

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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Bryant & May - Wild Chamber

The members of London's Peculiar Crimes Unit are on the case again when a dog walker is found dead. The method of the death is odd... the killer had no way in - or out - and the dog is nowhere to be seen. But the 'hows' and 'whys' of the murder are not the only mysteries, and it seems very likely that the killer is preparing to strike again.

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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Bryant & May: Strange Tide

London's most brilliant but unconventional detectives, Arthur Bryant and John May, must plumb the depths of a particularly murky mystery. The Peculiar Crimes Unit faces its most baffling case yet-and if Bryant and May can't rise to the challenge, the entire unit may go under. Near the Tower of London, along the River Thames, the body of a woman has been discovered chained to a stone post and left to drown. Curiously, only one set of footprints leads to the tragic spot. "The Bride in the Tide," as the London press gleefully dubs her, has the PCU stumped. Why wouldn't the killer simply dump her body in the river-as so many do? Arthur Bryant wonders if the answer lies in the mythology of the Thames itself. Unfortunately, the normally wobbly funhouse corridors of Bryant's mind have become, of late, even more labyrinthine. The venerable detective seems to be losing his grip on reality. May fears the worst, as Bryant rapidly descends from merely muddled to one stop short of Barking, hallucinating that he's traveled back in time to solve the case. There had better be a method to Bryant's madness-because, as more bodies are pulled from the river's depths, his partner and the rest of the PCU find themselves in over their heads. Fiendishly fun and rich in London lore, Bryant and May: Strange Tide is Christopher Fowler at his best, delivering more twists and turns than the Thames itself

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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