Showing results by narrator "Sophie Aldred" in All Categories

When Detective Inspector Joe Lazarus storms a Lincolnshire farmhouse, he expects to bring down a notorious drug gang; instead, he discovers his own body and a spirit guide called Daisy-May. She's there to enlist him to the Dying Squad, a spectral police force who solve crimes their flesh and blood counterparts cannot. Lazarus reluctantly accepts and returns to the Lincolnshire Badlands, where he faces dangers from both the living and the dead in his quest to discover the identity of his killer - before they kill again.

Absorbing and provocative, a biography of George Orwell's controversial second wife from the Whitbread Prize-winning author of Matisse the Master and Anthony Powell. Just three months before his death, the author of Nineteen Eighty-Four took a new wife. Sonia Brownell was a model for Julia in Orwell's most famous novel, she was 15 years younger than her husband, and after his death she was hounded and pilloried as a manipulative gold-digger who would stop at nothing to keep control of the literary legacy. But the truth about Sonia was altogether different.

In 1942, Cork-born Kay Summersby’s life is changed forever when she is tasked with driving General Eisenhower on his fact-finding visit to wartime London. The pair takes an immediate liking to one another, and so begins a tumultuous relationship against all military regulations. Kay becomes known as 'Ike’s shadow', but that does not stop him from using his influence to grant Kay US citizenship. When the US authorities discover Eisenhower’s plans, Kay is forced to take desperate measures to hold on to the man she loves....

The Fantastic Race is a tale of fast cars, incredible racing and amazing challenges. Two schoolfriends drive across Europe in the car of their dreams. To make it better, no adults allowed. The story takes place in Europe's most famous cities, and shows how intuition, passion and practice go a long way. Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for the ride.

On Time by Catherine Blyth reveals why time sped up, why there never seems to be enough, and how to make it yours again.

We have more time than ever - so why do we feel time poor? The short answer is that our world is addicted to fast. And we have become its servant. Instead of grasping the liberating potential of technology, many of us are locked into a doomed race to outpace hurry. The more we value time, the less we feel we have.

A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.

The children are saved from the dreaded School Holiday Club in the nick of time! They owe their escape to the elderly Miss Kents, who live in the basement of Paradise House. The Miss Kents have agreed to look after them. How can the children thank their rescuers enough? They hatch a plan that they think will appeal to old ladies. But things don't go quite as planned. Will the surprise be spoilt?

The puppy would fit on one hand, it was so small. Its fur was a pale silver-grey all over, except for one dark star on its head... Sylvie can't wait for the school holidays so she can get back to her grandparents' farm in Italy. Their dog, Bella, is going to have puppies and Sylvie is determined to be there when they are born. Perhaps her mum and dad will even let her keep one? There is just one puppy in the end. He is a tiny, furry bundle that Sylvie names Star.

Emma knows that having superpowers isn't always easy, especially when you have to keep them secret. But it's even harder when your mischievous little sister can't help using them in the naughtiest of ways. And when Saffie makes the new nosy neighbours' garden shed come to life and hop over the hedge, it's up to Emma to cover its tracks before it's too late! Being a big sister has never been so heroic!

'The fox called again. Its eerie cry echoed into the night. The sound wove in and out of the night garden, and into Tilly's dreams.' One night, awoken by a strange noise, Tilly looks out of her bedroom window and sees a wild fox watching her from the lawn. Tilly follows it through a hidden gate and is amazed to discover a secret, moonlit garden. She returns the following night but this time a young girl called Helen is already there waiting for her.

The Revolting Rabbles have a new job, being peasants at the castle Open Day. And Rae is SO looking forward to dressing up in a sack. Rupert can't wait. He's obsessed with making plague boils out of balloons and custard. If only they didn't keep bursting... Another fantastic story about the Rabble family's hilarious historical re-enactments, from best-selling author Susan Gates.

Step inside Marietta’s Magic Dress Shop! There are hundreds of beautiful dresses in every colour of the rainbow, sewn with magic thread. Try one on and wait for the magic to whisk you away... Ava has just discovered Marietta’s special shop. Now she can’t wait to try on a twinkling tutu with matching ballet slippers and pirouette back to Victorian times. Once there, she finds she has an important part to play in making a girl’s ballerina dreams come true!

Lizzie, Max and Dan have never liked their neighbours, the Potwards, so when it appears that Lizzie's magic potion may have made them move house the children are delighted. Their glee, however is short-lived as they worry about who will move in.

Laura thinks she knows her mum pretty well. It's been just the two of them since Dad left. But then Mum brings home a boyfriend and, even worse, starts acting very strangely. She's obviously keeping something from Laura. But what? As Laura digs deeper she begins to suspect the secret might be more terrible than she first thought... An exciting story about family relationships, jealousy and secrets from bestselling author Gwyneth Rees.

A sinister school where graduation means death.... A monstrous mystery lurking below a quiet London street.... A desperate plea for help delivered by...hang on. A potted plant? The Doctor has been summoned. The galaxy is in terrible danger, and only a Time Lord can save it. But to do so, she must break in to an ancient vault on a remote and frozen world - from which nobody has ever returned alive.... Can the Doctor and her friends Yaz, Ryan and Graham uncover the shocking secret in Vault 13?

Cadmium Casson is 12 years old the summer that everything changes. Not only are her closest friendships in jeopardy, but her mum is expecting a baby. And when the baby arrives early, Caddy's world turns upside down. Her mother spends all her time at the hospital, and her father takes over the household, which of course turns into one chaotic (though hilarious) crisis after the next. When her charmingly dense boyfriend dumps her, Caddy is at her wits' end. Then she discovers that the fragile baby she is so afraid of losing is not an ending, but a beginning for her whole family.

1542. A French noblewoman is left abandoned on a small island north of Nova Scotia. She has a crossbow, arquebuses and gunpowder. The island is populated only by wild beasts. She may be pregnant at this time. Centuries later, whilst mothering her young children, a woman begins writing what she believes to be a television script about the life of Marguerite de la Rocque and her incredible story of survival against the odds. As she draws closer to the nature of Marguerite, the woman begins to question her ability to tell this story.

Rose knows that nothing stays the same forever. Still, it's hard to watch her sisters and brother growing up and moving so far ahead of her. Caddy is back, but she's not living at home. And worse—she's broken up with Darling Michael. Saffy and Indigo are so busy, they are seldom home. With her father in London and her mother painting in the shed, Rose is often alone in the house. Maybe that's why she agrees to her new friend Molly's crazy scheme. At least it seems crazy when Rose finds herself locked in the zoo at night with a roaring tiger.

Mary Earps caught the football bug at an early age, kicking a ball in the back garden with her brother, and training with his team. At the age of ten she joined West Bridgford Colts and an incredible footballing journey began, which would take her from success in Germany, to Manchester United - and on to the biggest stages of all. Discover how the skill, passion and determination of 'Mary Queen of Stops' helped England to victory in the European Championships, and led her to be recognised as the best goalkeeper in the world.

Detective Joe Lazarus is missing. The Dying Squad are on the case, but following reports of his sighting, signs suggest he may have fallen back into his criminal ways. A new drug is taking the world by storm. Spook allows the living to see the dead, but its effects are often fatal. The Dying Squad's visit to a Berlin nightclub quickly turns their search into an entirely more sinister case.