Showing results by narrator "Charles Johnston" in All Categories

Three murder mysteries. One diarist. Two brilliant but unlikely sleuths. Step into the dark heart of Restoration England with celebrated diarist, Samuel Pepys, and his loyal inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, as they unravel deadly plotting behind respectable façades.

England, 1930. An antiques dealer is found robbed and murdered in a third class train compartment on a remote Suffolk branch line. The police believe they know who the killer is, and an arrest is soon made. A passenger on the same train, the Reverend Lucian Shaw, country parson and former army chaplain, is concerned that the police have the wrong man and begins an investigation of his own. Before long, Shaw is drawn into a web of intrigue, deceit, and murder which lurks beneath the surface of a seemingly peaceful country parish.

October, 1931: an anonymous telegram summons the Reverend Lucian Shaw, country parson and former army chaplain, to the deathbed of his elderly uncle in the remote Scottish Highlands.

Brian Duffy, aging soldier of fortune, had been hired in Venice by a strange old man who called himself Aurelianus Ambrosius. He was supposed to go to Vienna and act as bouncer at an inn where the fabulous Herzwesten beer was brewed. That was clear enough. But why was he guided and guarded on the trip by creatures from the ancient legends? Why should he be attacked by ifrits and saved by mythical dwarfs? What was so important about the Herzwesten beer to the Fisher King—whoever he was?

Scotland: A place known for its wild natural beauty, fine whisky, and grand castles. From the Loch Ness Monster to bagpipes and tartan kilts, Scotland’s reputation precedes it: It’s a must for your travel bucket list, but if you’re planning a trip, you want to make sure you get the most out of it. You need to know how to experience the true essence of Scotland, steering clear of the tourist traps and steeping yourself in the culture and tradition while taking in all the natural beauty this stunning country has to offer.

A thrilling tale from the author of the popular 'Reverend Shaw' series of Golden Age mysteries! London, 1930: When aspiring film actress Evelyn Parks is found strangled late one night at Hampstead underground station, Scotland Yard detectives begin a desperate manhunt across the fog-shrouded city. Evelyn's neighbour Clarice Thompson begins to suspect that the killer was someone she knew —perhaps even a fellow resident at the Lovell Villa Private Hotel, the down-at-heel boarding house in which Evelyn rented a room.

Suffolk, 1934: When the Very Reverend Eckhart Vale, the Red Dean of Midchester Cathedral, falls to his death during Evensong, the police are only too quick to dismiss the whole affair as a tragic accident, and the only guilty party some rotten wooden railings. The Reverend Lucian Shaw, bicycling enthusiast, country parson and former army chaplain, is the only person to have seen the Dean fall, and begins to ask questions - questions that lead him into very dangerous waters.

The case of Samuel Pepys’s missing pocket watch escalates rapidly when Eustace Blount, writer and wit, is found murdered in Rose’s Coffee House on The Strand. Blount was a prig, a poseur and a parliamentarian – nobody liked him, not even his friends – and Pepys’s intrepid personal inquisitors, Abby Harcourt and Jacob Standish, find themselves with a suspect list as unwieldy as it is perplexing.

As the inferno of the Great Fire devours London in 1666, another firestorm rages in the tranquil village of Brampton, where Pepys’s sister, Paulina, stands accused of witchcraft. Pepys summons his inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, plunging them into the heart of the witch-hunt. Can Abigail, Pepys’s astute housemaid, and Jacob, his awkward yet eager protégé, unravel a web of whispers, gossip and lies to clear Paulina’s name?

Able seaman Humphrey Wilkes is dead, shot between the eyes by the murderer known as the Plague Doctor. When Samuel Pepys’s naval colleague, Robert Drake, finds a black cross daubed on his door, it marks him out as the next victim. Pepys dispatches his inquisitors, Abby Harcourt and Jacob Standish, to the docks. Can they unmask the killer and save Drake’s life before he strikes again?

Summer 1931: After finding the battered corpse of a spiritualist medium at an archaeological site on the Suffolk coast, the Reverend Lucian Shaw is thrust into a dark and deadly mystery. Was the medium a victim of the evil forces he claimed to have harnessed for his own use, or is there a rational explanation for his demise? Discovering a trail of blackmail and intimidation leading from the foothills of the Himalayas to an English seaside town, Reverend Shaw must battle his own inner demons and struggle with the deepest questions of faith before he is able to unmask the killer.

Veteran journalists Simon Pearson and Fiona Gorman follow the remarkable life of heart surgeon Magdi Yacoub from his formative years in Egypt, through spectacular success at Cairo University, to his long and distinguished career in Britain. Although at times he clashed with the medical establishment in London, Yacoub pioneered great advances in heart surgery. He was knighted in 1992, and in 2014, he was awarded the highest honor in the gift of the Queen, the Order of Merit.

Christmas, 1930. An exiled Balkan king, living incognito in rural Suffolk, is shot dead in his secluded mansion following a meeting with the local vicar, Reverend Lucian Shaw. Special Branch detectives are soon on the trail of sinister agents of a foreign power that they think are responsible, but Shaw begins to realize that the culprit could be much closer to home. Observation, cogitation, meditation, and prayer lead him down a dangerous road toward a desperate killer who will stop at nothing to evade capture.

The Crimean War was a major conflict that took place between 1853 and 1856 involving Russia, the Ottoman Empire, France, and the United Kingdom. In this concise history book, you will delve into the causes, events, and consequences of this brutal war. From the Charge of the Light Brigade to the Siege of Sevastopol, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the key battles and turning points that defined the conflict. With vivid descriptions and insightful analysis, this book is a must-hear for anyone interested in the history of warfare and international relations.

Divorce is one of the most stressful life events encountered. Focusing on the man, this book covers the author's experiences in his divorce and gives practical advice on the pitfalls, and how to avoid them.

Pushkin’s story of thwarted love is set in Russia of the early years of the C19th. In verse at once satiric and penetrating, it tells the tale of a bored young man and the country girl, brought up on romantic novels, whose love he rejects. His behavior leads indirectly to tragedy. The tables are turned some time later when he in his turn becomes obsessed with her. In a final confrontation, she rejects his advances.

February, 1932: The highly unpopular Joan Hexham, "the spider at the centre of a web of village gossip", is killed on stage during an amateur performance of Hamlet. An accident, surely. Nobody would be brazen enough to commit murder in full view of 50 witnesses in Lower Addenham village hall—or would they?

Step into the heart of history with the War Omnibus: Volume I from History Nerds, a sweeping exploration of five monumental wars that reshaped the world. From Napoleon’s rise and fall in the Napoleonic Wars, to the epic clashes of the Crimean War and American Civil War, this collection traces the struggles that defined nations.

Are you sick and tired of the rant and rave about Bitcoin but not having a clue about what's going on? This is a perfect entry point! In this book, we will equip you with all the tools you need to start you cryptocurrency escapade. This audiobook explains what is crypto, how to get started, the fluctuation of the market, and more!

A brazen daylight robbery at Christie's becomes the talk of London, but Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are no longer in the business of solving crime. Holmes has retired to Sussex, to keep bees, and Watson, recently widowed, has returned to general practice. But when Watson, desperate for distraction, agrees to accompany his old friend to Vienna, to visit eminent neurologist, Sigmund Freud, it is not long before the pair are pulled back into the murky world of ruthless criminals bent on abduction, intimidation and murder.