Audiobooks narrated by Julia Franklin

A Christmas Miracle for the Railway Girls: The brand new romantic historical fiction book perfect fo

Brought to you by Penguin. The sixth heartwarming, feel-good instalment in the much-loved Railway Girls series! Manchester, 1942. There are surprises in store for the railway girls this festive season... When Cordelia's daughter Emily falls for a young chap who doesn't meet the approval of her father, Cordelia is reminded of her own first love - a love that she has never forgotten. Mabel is determined to get to the bottom of a spate of local burglaries. Her heart is in the right place as she sets out on a quest to clear her friend's name, but there will be unforeseen consequences. It's nothing short of a miracle when Colette returns to Manchester. But it's not going to be easy for her to keep living the life she once knew, and an impossible situation lies ahead. There will be more than one storm for the railway girls to weather but with the friendship and support of one another, there's hope that all will be well by Christmas... Readers LOVE the Railway Girls: 'Make yourself a cuppa and find a comfy spot on the sofa because you are not going to be able to put this down' 'I simply cannot wait for the next one - I am hooked!' 'Gives a vivid picture of women's lives in wartime Manchester' 'Dramatic, intriguing and sprinkled with plenty of wit and heart' 'It's just like catching up with old friends' © Maisie Thomas 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Maisie Thomas (Author), Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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Lights Down

Actress Enora Andressen is facing the perfect storm. Her favourite French director, Remy Despret, has lost his touch and is keeping dangerous company. Her agent, Rosa, has been seduced by a kiss-and-tell novel of doubtful provenance. While H, sicker by the day at home at Flixcombe Manor, is battling both Long Covid and something far darker. Devoting herself to H, Enora needs good news, and it arrives in the shape of a fascinating Remy idea based on Flixcombe's role during the Second World War. But the tonic soon turns sour when Enora is drawn into the project, with chilling consequences.

Graham Hurley (Author), Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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The Arsenic Labyrinth

Daniel Kind's relationship with Miranda is on the rocks. After the bright lights of London, Miranda feels isolated in the Lake District and Daniel fears that she will just up and leave. And Miranda wouldn't be the first: ten years ago Emma Bestwick left her cottage and never returned. Her disappearance went unaccounted for, much to the chagrin of DCI Hannah Scarlett, head of the local Cold Case Review Team. But in a small, rural community, someone is bound to know something. And that someone has recently started calling the local newspaper and dropping hints about Emma's death. With the case reopened, Hannah and Daniel are drawn together again, and discover to their cost that one person will preserve the secrets of the past at any price.

Martin Edwards (Author), Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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Hit and Run: A gripping crime thriller filled with twists

LISTEN TO ONE OF THE MOST ELECTRIFYING CRIME SERIES EVER. What everyone is saying about Cath Staincliffe: “A real knockout.” Ian Rankin “One of the best police procedurals I’ve read this year.” Ann Cleeves “Powerful, complex, and utterly gripping.” Sunday Mirror “A star in the firmament of British crime fiction.” Big Issue “Mercilessly exciting.” Daily Telegraph Second day back at work. Detective Chief Inspector Janine Lewis drops off her seven-year-old son at school. As she drives off, a car breaks fiercely with a squealing sound. Janine sees the child flung to one side, the small body flying limp like a puppet, then landing hard. With a sickening feeling, Janine recognizes her as Tom’s classmate — Ann-Marie Chinley. Janine gives chase, but the hit-and-run driver gets away. When she finally gets to work she hears a body has been fished out of the river. The victim is in her early twenties, newly pregnant, malnourished as a child. Cause of death is strangulation. Time within the last 24 hours. Second day back. Two murders on her hands. An ex-husband who’s completely unreliable. How is DCI Janine Lewis going to cope? Discover the books behind the hit ITV detective drama, starring Caroline Quentin. **Cath Staincliffe has been shortlisted twice for the prestigious CWA Dagger in the Library Award.** Fans of Rachel McLean, Angela Marsons, D.S. Butler, Lynda La Plante, Rebecca Bradley and Caro Ramsay are sure to be hooked from the first page to the shocking final twist. PRAISE FOR CATH STAINCLIFFE: “Such a good writer.” The Times “Gripping . . . Ripped from the headlines and totally scary.” Irish Independent “Real suspense.” The Guardian “A swift, satisfying read.” City Life “An absolutely cracking read, fast paced, absolutely believable, I loved this DCI and found myself rooting for her against her stupid boss. Well, we have all been there haven’t we?” Pinkmouse “Gotta love it! I can’t wait to continue this series.” Naomi “Good characters and a tangled story.” Jack “Excellent start to the series! Good storyline and well-defined characters.” Pauline THE DETECTIVE Juggling her chaotic home life with her career is all in a day’s work for single, pregnant mum-of-three Janine Lewis. But nothing could prepare her for the day she was promoted to detective chief inspector. She came home to find her husband in bed with the cleaner. His betrayal still stings and though she hides it well, her friends can’t fail to notice. But self-pity isn’t Janine’s style. Witty and earthy, she’s a first-class detective, bringing empathy and insight to every case she works. She may be broken, but she’s anything but beaten. THE SETTING Synonymous with music and football, Manchester is a vibrant northern city of striking extremes. Leafy suburbs and gritty urban estates. Towering skyscrapers and seedy canals. Its people are an inspiration, characterized by their humour, warmth and resilience. They are shaped by the city and in turn shape it. DETECTIVE JANINE LEWIS MYSTERIES Book 1: BLUE MURDER Book 2: HIT AND RUN

Cath Staincliffe (Author), Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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Blue Murder: A gripping crime thriller filled with twists

DISCOVER ONE OF THE MOST ELECTRIFYING CRIME SERIES EVER WRITTEN. Meet Janine Lewis. A single mum of three and Manchester’s newest detective chief inspector. Her cheating husband walked out the day she got promoted. Now she’s six months pregnant with his baby and in charge of her first murder case. The body of a deputy head teacher is found on a lonely allotment. Gutted — his stomach sliced open — and left for dead. The only witnesses are a dying elderly man and a seven-year-old girl. And now the prime suspect has disappeared . . . Discover the books behind the hit ITV detective drama, starring Caroline Quentin. **Cath Staincliffe has been shortlisted twice for the prestigious CWA Dagger in the Library Award.** Fans of Rachel McLean, Angela Marsons, D.S. Butler, Lynda La Plante, Rebecca Bradley and Caro Ramsay are sure to be hooked from the first page to the shocking final twist.

Cath Staincliffe (Author), Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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Intermission

The world is struggling in the face of a relentless virus. When Hayden Prentice develops symptoms during a stay in his native Portsmouth, Enora Andressen and her son Malo must do their best to save his life. Because H, already in deep financial jeopardy, trusts no one. Except his kith and kin. But survival comes at a savage price. Not just the fortune that Enora must somehow raise to pay for his home nursing, but the murderous attentions of a stalker from H's past, determined to pay him one last visit and exact vengeance for a long-ago debt of blood . . .

Graham Hurley (Author), Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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Hope for the Railway Girls: the new book in the feel-good, heartwarming WW2 historical saga series

Brought to you by Penguin. The brand new Spring Railway Girls novel set in Manchester during WWII. Perfect for fans of Nancy Revell, Daisy Styles and Margaret Dickinson. Manchester, 1942 A new year brings new hope for the railway girls. Alison's romance with the charming Dr Maitland is blossoming, but then she is posted away from Manchester. Working in a canteen isn't part of her plan, nor is meeting her beau's old girlfriend - one who just happens to want him back. Margaret is supportive of her friend's new relationship until she realises exactly who he is. Torn between keeping her secret and warning Alison, she turns to Joan for help. Working in Lost Property wouldn't be Joan's first choice of job, but with a baby on the way she knows she can't continue being a station porter. As she looks to the future, can she put the troubles of her past behind her? Being a railway girl isn't always easy but together, they can overcome every challenge that stands in their way. Readers LOVE the Railway Girls: 'Gripping and intriguing' 'Great story lines' 'Exceptional story . . . a must-read' 'Poignant' 'Emotional . . . strong women' © Maisie Thomas 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Maisie Thomas (Author), Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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Murder by the Book: Mysteries for Bibliophiles

A bookish puzzle threatens an eagerly awaited inheritance; a submission to a publisher recounts a murder that seems increasingly to be a work of non-fiction; an irate novelist puts a grisly end to the source of his writer's block. There is no better hiding place for clues - or red herrings - than inside the pages of a book. With Martin Edwards as librarian and guide, delve into an irresistible stack of tales perfect for every book lover and armchair sleuth, featuring much-loved Golden Age detectives such as Nigel Strangeways, Philip Trent and Detective Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn. But readers should be warned that the most riveting tales often conceal the deadliest of secrets. . .

Claire Harman (Author), Ben Onwukwe, David Thorpe, Jeff Harding, John Telfer, Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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The Threlkeld Theory

Persimmon 'Simmy' Brown's wedding day to Christopher Henderson has arrived on a glorious summer's day in the pretty Lake District village of Threlkeld. While the day passes off without undue calamity, later when most of the guests have departed, a young man is found nearby, possibly the victim of a vicious attack. The mystery of the attack is complicated by pressure on police resources. Was it an accident or something far more sinister? Speculation is rife as to what precisely happened and a chilling suspicion develops into a theory that might be impossible to prove.

Rebecca Tope (Author), Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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Evil Roots: Killers Tales of the Botanical Gothic

Strangling vines and meat-hungry flora fill this unruly garden of strange stories, selected for their significance as the seeds of the villainous (or perhaps just misunderstood) 'killer plant' in fiction, film and video games. Step within to marvel at Charlotte Perkins Gilman's giant wistaria and H.G. Wells' hungry orchid; hear the calls of the ethereal women of the wood, and the frightful drone of the moaning lily; and do tread carefully around E. Nesbit's wandering creepers. Every strain of vegetable threat (and one deadly fungus) can be found within this new collection, representing the very best tales from the undergrowth of Gothic fiction.

Daisy Butcher (Author), Ben Onwukwe, David Thorpe, Jeff Harding, Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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A Phantom Lover and Other Dark Tales by Vernon Lee

During her lifetime Violet Paget, who wrote as Vernon Lee, was referred to as 'the greatest of modern exponents of the supernatural in fiction', and yet today she remains on the periphery of the genre. This collection of her uniquely weird short stories and dark fantasies proves why she was once considered among the best of the genre, and why she deserves to return to those ranks today. From modernised folk tales such as 'Marsyas in Flanders' and 'The Legend of Madame Krasinska' to ingenious psychological hauntings such as the titular 'A Phantom Lover' and 'A Wicked Voice', Lee's own voice is just as distinctive and captivating - her weird imaginings just as freshly unsettling - as in her fin-de-siècle heyday.

Vernon Lee (Author), Ben Onwukwe, David Thorpe, John Telfer, Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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Glimpses of the Unknown: Lost Ghost Stories

A figure emerges from a painting to pursue a bitter vengeance; the last transmission of a dying man haunts the airwaves, seeking to reveal his murderer; a treasure hunt disturbs an ancient presence in the silence of a lost tomb. From the vaults of the British Library comes a new anthology celebrating the best works of forgotten, never since republished, supernatural fiction from the early 20th century. Waiting within are malevolent spirits eager to possess the living and mysterious spectral guardians a diverse host of phantoms exhumed from the rare pages of literary magazines and newspaper serials to thrill once more.

Mike Ashley (Author), Ben Onwukwe, David Thorpe, John Telfer, Julia Franklin (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Julia Franklin