Showing results by narrator "Lesley Harcourt" in All Categories

When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it's an opportunity to start over with her three daughters - Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. When two of her daughters go missing, she's frantic. She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft. The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge. Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed.

A thousand years ago in an ancient Scottish landscape, a woman is on the run with her three companions–a healer, a weaver, and a seer. The men hunting her will kill her–because she is the only one who stands between them and their violent ambition. She is no lady: she is the first queen of Scotland, married to a king called Macbeth. As the net closes in, what unfurls is a tale of passion, forced marriage, bloody massacre, and the harsh realities of medieval Scotland. At the heart of it is one strong, charismatic woman.

It should be the most wonderful time of the year for Samantha and Josh as they prepare for the arrival of their first baby. But life at Hedgehog Hollow rarely goes to plan and the pair are faced with adversaries, old and new, and unexpected challenges to overcome. Fizz's job at the heart of the rescue centre is a dream come true but her personal life is more like a nightmare. With her love life a disaster and her past about to dramatically catch up with her, she needs the love and support of her Hedgehog Hollow family more than ever.

The third installment in the Wild Isles series from Sunday Times bestselling author Karen Swan. Flora MacQueen has always dreamt of more than life on the small Scottish island of St Kilda. So, when she catches the eye of visiting adventurer and wealthy businessman James Callaghan, her future seems brighter. Winter seas separate the lovers, but the island’s evacuation the following summer promises to reunite them – until tragedy strikes.

Upon the cliffs of a remote Scottish island, Lòn Haven, stands a lighthouse. A lighthouse that weathered more than storms. Mysterious and terrible events have happened on this island. It started with a witch hunt. Now, centuries later, islanders are vanishing without explanation. Coincidence? Or curse? Liv Stay flees to the island with her three daughters, in search of a home. She doesn’t believe in witches, or dark omens, or hauntings. But within months, her daughter Luna will be the only one of them left.

When two teenagers are found dead in a fire, DI Laura Henshall and DS Will Peters are called in to investigate. They believe it was a revenge attack gone wrong. But soon fires are cropping up everywhere, and the police suspect they’re dealing with something much bigger...something that could bring the city to its knees. With time running out, can the detectives find the arsonists before the city goes up in flames?

The end is near... When an author seeking solitude in Leaf Cottage vanishes after a village stroll in Eyam, her worrying husband desperately enlists the help of the Connection Agency and a hunt for the missing woman begins. Soon DI Carl Heaton is on the case and a trail of bodies starts emerging one by one. Meanwhile, another detective grapples with a wrenching missing person case... With many twists and turns, this riveting final instalment in The Connection Trilogy is perfect for fans of "Slow Horses" by Mick Herron and "The Crossing Places" by Elly Griffiths.

Still fiery and feisty at eighty-seven, Veronica McCreedy, the very first Penguin Ambassador, is determined to prove that nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it. Eileen, Veronica’s ever-patient assistant, is content taking care of other people. But when a new adventure calls, it makes her question everything...

When Clare becomes a widow, her response is something that shocks her – relief. All she wants to do is move on and figure out how to continue her life, alone, no matter the guilt that brings. So when Vic, her closest friend, comes to her, showing the signs of trouble in her own marriage, she is more than supportive in helping her leave Rob. But Vic doesn’t get the chance to do that. Because as they go over to Vic's house to collect her things, they find a body. Rob’s. It appears someone else had an axe to grind.

It’s 1952 in smog-shrouded London. Christmas might be fast approaching, but with her mum away and Uncle Frank busy running the post office, Penny Black is lonelier than ever. All that changes when Penny discovers a small, fluffy, funny, springy talking creature in the post office one night, trying to make off with a letter. But Wishyouwas is no thief. He’s a Sorter and he introduces Penny to a secret world hidden in the tunnels underneath the city’s streets. Self-appointed guardians of lost mail, the Sorters have dedicated their lives to rescuing letters that have gone astray.

Jennifer McAndrew thinks she’s living her best life in London – wonderful man, great job, happily child-free. Except the ‘wonderful man’ turns out to have a secret that ruins everything. Shocked and devastated, Jen doesn’t know what to do. So, she packs her bags and runs for the hills – away from her problems, all the way to her childhood home in Scotland and the safety of her dad. But her dad is a changed man. Busy with his girlfriend, golf and G&Ts, he doesn’t have time for Jen’s worries. And she can’t see her sister, Isla, who she fell out with years ago.

I am safe here, in my cottage in the woods where no one knows me or my real name. All is peaceful and calm and the real world can’t hurt me – because I know how cruel it can be. But then I see her again. I see her pale, white face. Watching me. Taunting me. And then the notes begin to appear. I know who you really are... I know what you did... All of a sudden, the walls of my cottage feel like a prison, the peaceful woods around me a maze that will trap me forever.

Callie has taken multiple jobs to make the money she desperately needs. Her favourite is being the new guide for Lerwick Manor's alpaca walks. But her troublesome past is making it difficult to prove to others that she's learned from her mistakes. Heather has been content breeding Sheltie sheepdogs and taking care of her grownup daughters. But now she feels that something is missing. Taking the leap into online dating, she makes an unexpected connection to which her daughters react very differently.

Murder is no game... When an intruder ends John and Caroline Coates hopes and dreams, John turns to the Connection Agency seeking justice for what happened five years ago. In the past, Tessa's pursuit of the truth had been abruptly halted by the cold case division. Reunited with Luke and assisted by DI Eileen Haughton, an old colleague from Tessa's police years, they delve deep into the sinister world of the unseen enemy.

2019. Dawn. The River Humber. A misty February walk. Surprise early daffodils. A picture taken. Then forgotten. Because five hours later, my world shattered. My mother jumped off the Humber Bridge. Had those yellow flowers not delayed me, I might have been there. Could I have stopped her? In the aftermath of this violent act, I turned to my writing, to my beloved siblings, to our only uncle. I was forced to look at events that led to this suicide attempt. At relationships wrecked by alcoholism. At chronic depression. At our care records. At my childhood. At my mother.

When Rosa Hammond splits up from her partner, Marcus, her mum, Dora, suggests a summer in Malta. Not one to sit back and watch her daughter be unhappy, Dora introduces Rosa to Zach in the hope that romance will bloom under the summer sun. But Rosa’s determined not to be swayed by a handsome man - she’s in Malta to work, after all. Zach, meanwhile, is a magnet for trouble and is dealing with a fair few problems of his own. Neither Rosa or Zach are ready for love - but does fate have other ideas?

Murder is just around the corner... The Connection Investigation Agency is under new management, with partners Tessa, Luke, and Beth at the helm. As they reopen the office, a chilling discovery is made - a body hidden in the outhouse, bones lying undiscovered for twenty-five years. While Luke faces his first solo case, Tessa, a former DI, must prove herself, unravelling the mystery behind threatening notes sent to two women who later become murder victims.

Rescuing the reputation of her 18th-century local highwayman means Poppy Summers must make a stand against her community - and deliver the truth.... Poppy Summers is packing her suitcase to spend a two-week holiday back in her seaside hometown of Port Starr. However, when she returns, her parents inform her they have decided to take that year-long trip around the world they always dreamed of and they plan to sell their ailing holiday cottage business, which has been in the family for years.

She's your best friend. And your worst enemy... A gripping new thriller with a jaw-dropping twist, for fans of "B.A. Paris", "The Wife Between Us" and "Gone Girl". Beth: Beth is running from her past - and her abusive ex-boyfriend. She's building a new life, but can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her. Victoria: Victoria is unhappily married to Greg. She knows he’s cheating, but doesn’t know what to do - until she contacts an old friend, someone who has never let her down.

A thousand years ago in an ancient Scottish landscape, a woman is on the run with her three bosom companions–a healer, a weaver and a seer. If the men hunting her find them, they will kill her because she is the only one who stands between them and their violent ambition. She is no lady: she is the first queen of Scotland, married to a king called Macbeth. Shakespeare fed us the myth of the Macbeths as power-hungry murderous conspirators. But now Val McDermid drags the truth out of the shadows, exposing the patriarchal prejudices of history.