Showing results by narrator "Joan Walker" in All Categories

Everyone knows Ruby Devereaux's books. But no one knows her story. Until now. From a teenager in wartime England to a veteran of modern-day London—via 1950's New York, the Swinging Sixties, Cold War Berlin, Venice and Vietnam—Ruby Devereaux has lived one hell of a life: parties, scandals and conflict zones, meeting men and adventure along the way. In a writing career spanning seven decades and more than twenty books, she's distilled everything into her work. Or has she?

Ipswich, 1923: After an unlucky start in her first role as a nursemaid, sixteen-year-old Elin Odell looks forward to seeing in the New Year at home. Little does she know, her family is changing and she has no idea what lies ahead. Having been offered the role as governess for the Lamberts in Middlesex, Elin quickly accepts, leaving her own family behind in Ipswich. But when tragedy strikes at her new home, Elin steps up to hold everyone together at the expense of her own happiness.

Ever since she was a child, Alice Vernon has slept strangely. From episodes of sleepwalking to hallucinations of sinister figures in her bedroom, her nights are often eventful and sometimes frightening. She's not the only one. Drawing on scientific, historical and literary sources, as well as her own experiences, sleep historian Vernon explores the history of our relationship with bad dreams and how we've tried to make sense of and treat them. Night Terrors aims to shine a light on the darkest parts of our sleeping lives.

December 1935. Director Monty Harrison's production of A Christmas Carol has had a troubled run on its tour of regional theatres. With tensions amongst the cast running high, the company reach their final stop—London's Theatre Royale. Catastrophe, however, strikes on opening night: Scrooge dies on stage, the result (it is presumed) of a heart attack. But the show must go on. Until, that is, a leading theatre critic—and old rival of Monty's—is killed backstage.

He helped you move on... Until you discovered what he did. Louisa Adams has done her best to hold herself together in the years since she lost her husband in a car accident. But each morning she wakes up alone is more painful than the last. She hopes moving into the crumbling seaside guest house her daughter just bought in Devon will help put what’s left of her broken family back together... There, Louisa is offered a final chance to save her career by writing an article on a local sand artist, Isaac.

In a quiet provincial Danish town, something is afoot. The volunteers of the local second-hand shop keep dying. Since they’re all OAP's, the police can’t see the problem. It’s the inevitable – if unfortunate – circle of life. However, resident busy-body, and force-to-be-reckoned-with, Anne-Maj Mortensen is not so sure. She may be newly retired herself, but she still has her wits about her and knows when something needs a little investigating. Scandi crime, but not as you’ve ever seen it before.

I know many things about Larissa. I know what she eats, which must-have brands she applies to her face, and the price of each carefully selected ‘piece’ in her multi-million-pound home in Belgravia. Because Ris, as she is known to her many followers, likes to share. And now I’m here, in her home, watching her every move. Entrusted with her secrets and running her diary from the bijou basement flat, I’m on hand to fulfil Ris’ every need. Her right-hand woman. But what she doesn’t know is why I’m really here.

Cassie has settled into life in Hedgely when, out of the blue, her troubled cousin, Sebastian, comes to stay for Hallowe'en. Sneering and scornful, Sebastian trails after Cassie and her friends, interfering with their coven projects and belittling the dangers of the faery world. But Cassie, Rue and Tabitha have bigger problems – as the nights grow longer, a dark shadow creeps out of the Hedge and villagers start behaving strangely, possessed with the desire to find a mysterious object.

Oli and Joe are identical twins. But they will never be the same. Lizzie Truman gives birth to her sons at thirty-one weeks. From the start, the differences between the twins are clear. Oli is bigger, stronger, healthier. Joe is small and much less robust, his future inexorably altered by the trauma of his premature delivery. As soon as the boys are well enough, Lizzie checks out of the maternity hospital and leaves her old life behind. By the time Oli and Joe are grown, Beth has a new name, a thriving business, and she has successfully raised her sons alone.

Constance Fitzgerald may be approaching 70, but she's never been one for putting down roots. She's spent her life untethered and free, but when she finds herself newly engaged and a soon-to-be grandmother, Constance is forced to accept it may be time—perhaps—to settle down. Until a chance encounter throws open a window to her past, and Constance decides to head to the Highlands to find an old friend...