Showing results by narrator "Elizabeth Bower" in All Categories

From the international best-selling author of Eeny Meeny comes the second thriller in the truly excellent series featuring Detective Helen Grace. A man’s body is found in an empty house. A gruesome memento of his murder is sent to his wife and children. He is the first victim, and Detective Helen Grace knows he will not be the last. But why would a happily married man be this far from home in the dead of night? The media call it Jack the Ripper in reverse: A serial killer preying on family men who lead hidden double lives. Helen can sense the fury behind the murders.

Clemmie has always been a romantic at heart, even going so far as to write her own regency romance novels… not that she’d EVER let anyone read them. This year, she’s dreaming of a white Christmas, but any chance of a merry holiday is dashed when she spots her ex-boyfriend, Ross Lavender, across the frosty village green at a carol concert. Even worse, Clemmie is mortified when, in the village Christmas raffle, she picks the winning ticket. The prize? A portrait painted by Ross himself, who is a talented local artist.

In a world where disguises and discretion are the norm, and where one admission could unravel a life, a killer has struck, and a man is dead. No one wants to come forward to say what they saw or what they know - including the woman heading the investigation: Detective Helen Grace. Helen knew the victim. And the victim knew her - better than anyone else. And when the murderer strikes again, Helen must decide how many more lines she's willing to cross to bring in a devious and elusive serial killer.

Framed for a murder she didn't commit. As one of HM Prison Holloway's most high-profile new inmates, Detective Helen Grace has a target on her back with nowhere to hide. Helen has made a long list of enemies over the course of her career - some are incarcerated within these very walls. When one of her fellow prisoners is found mutilated and murdered in her locked cell, it's clear that the killer is someone on the inside.

Ruby wakes up in a strange room. Her captor calmly explains that no one is looking for her. No one wants her. Except him. When the body of a woman is found buried on a secluded beach, Detective Helen Grace is called to the scene. She knows right away that the killer is no amateur. The woman has been dead for years, and no one has even reported her missing. But why would they? She's still sending text messages to her family.

A silent killer stalks the city, targeting those home alone at night—killing without pity or remorse. As panic spreads, Detective Inspector Helen Grace leads the investigation, but is herself a hunted woman, her every step dogged by a ruthless killer bent on revenge. As she tracks the murderer, Grace begins to suspect there is a truly shocking home truth that connects these brutal crimes.

The girl emerged from the woods, barely alive. Her story was beyond belief. But it was true. Every dreadful word of it. Days later, another desperate escapee is found - and a pattern is emerging. Pairs of victims are being abducted, imprisoned then faced with a terrible choice: Kill or be killed. Would you rather lose your life or lose your mind? Eeny Meeny is an electrifying debut, with the nerve-shredding intensity of Saw and Along Came a Spider.

Helen awaits trial in a crumbling women's prison in Southampton. She has a fight on to prove her innocence from inside her prison cell, but this soon turns out to be the least of her worries. A serial killer is picking off fellow inmates, thriving in an environment where there is truly nowhere to run. Is it a criminal giving in to their dark urges or a member of the prison staff preying on the captive population? Helen must work fast to reveal this devious killer, all the time wondering if she will be next on her list....

Ros is too busy for a boyfriend; between work and looking after her father, there’s no time left for a relationship. But when she overhears her dad's dying wish is for her to find love, Ros is determined to make it happen – or at least, make it look like it has. Enter Cameron, a struggling student with a mountain of debt but a zest for life. Ros, driven by love for her ailing dad, reluctantly agrees to the simple business transaction: paying Cameron to play the role of her boyfriend. Ros meticulously plans their fake relationship – but when Cameron decides to go off-script, chaos ensues.

When Katie Straw's body is pulled from the waters of the local suicide spot, the police are ready to write it off as a standard-issue female suicide. But the residents of the domestic violence shelter where Katie worked disagree. These women have spent weeks or even years waiting for the men they're running from to catch up with them. They know immediately: This was murder. Still, Detective Dan Whitworth and his team expect an open-and-shut case—until they discover evidence that suggests Katie wasn't who she appeared.

A woman's body lies in the road. At first it looks like a tragic accident. But when Helen Grace arrives on the scene it's clear she's looking at a coldblooded killing. But why would anyone target a much-loved wife and mother?

Best friends tell each other the truth – don't they? When North Stones best friend Kelly Orton is found hanging lifeless in a tree, North knows for certain it wasn't suicide. Kelly had everything to live for – a loving boyfriend, a happy life, and most importantly of all, Kelly would never leave North all by herself. The girls have been friends since childhood, devoted to each other, soul sisters, or at least that's what North has always believed. But did Kelly feel the same way, or was she keeping secrets from her 'best friend' – deadly secrets.

Detective Helen Grace has never seen such destruction. Six fires in 24 hours. Two people dead. Several more injured. It's as if someone wants to burn the city to the ground.... With the whole town on high alert, Helen and her team must sift through the rubble to find the arsonist, someone whose thirst for fire - and control - is reducing entire lives to ashes.

Single mum Frankie’s whole life revolves around her kids. But when your teenage daughter goes on more dates than you and your toddler has a more active social life, something has to change. Forget ‘me time’, Frankie would settle for some adult conversation, and watching something other than the Disney channel. The local playgroup may be ruled by Instagram mums with perfect husbands, but Frankie accidentally forms a splinter group of single parents. After all, Mummy really needs a playdate of her own. (Now pass the prosecco.)

Detective Samson O'Brien is ready to settle down to a nice cup of tea, but it's not long before he's called on for help with a new case. In order to execute a recent will, solicitor Matty Thistlethwaite requires a copy of a death certificate for a young woman who died when Samson was a child. It should be straightforward, but things in Bruncliffe rarely are. Particularly when Matty insists that Delilah Metcalfe, with her wealth of local knowledge, works alongside Samson on the sensitive investigation.

The body of a middle-aged man is discovered in Southampton's red light district - horrifically mutilated, with his heart removed. Hours later - and barely cold - the heart arrives with his wife and children by courier. A pattern emerges when another male victim is found dead and eviscerated, his heart delivered soon afterwards. The media call it Jack the Ripper in reverse; revenge against the men who lead sordid double lives visiting prostitutes.

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of The Doll's House, the third installment of the Detective Inspector Helen Grace series by M. J. Arlidge, read by Elizabeth Bower and Scott Joseph. A woman wakes. Immediately she knows she's not in the bed in which she slept. It's just the beginning of her nightmare. Across town a child discovers a woman's body buried beneath the beach. Then another victim is found.

Hiding her personal connection to the victim - and a double-life which must remain secret at all costs - Helen becomes a woman possessed, working her team around the clock to chase down every lead. As the killer strikes again, the investigation takes its toll not only on Helen but also her senior officers. Tempers flare, friendships fray and Helen faces an impossible choice. Confess her sins and lose control of the case? Or keep living a lie, protecting her darkest secrets, and risk getting trapped in this tangled web?

Perfect for fans of Jo Nesbo and Mo Hayder, Liar Liar showcases all the hallmarks of Arlidge's taut and rapid-fire writing, including his protagonist, DI Helen Grace, and the Southampton-based team. Faced with yet another ruthless serial killer, one with a penchant for pyromania, DI Helen Grace is an unwilling participant in a race against this new sadistic combatant.

Summer and her mum soon find their hands full with the arrival of her future stepsister, Frankie – a blue-haired teen firecracker who's nothing like the sweet little girl they remember. Meanwhile, local vet Ben is struggling – buried under a mountain of responsibility with trying to keep his crumbling family home Monk’s Folly standing, while supporting his reclusive mother and errant younger brother.