Showing results by narrator "Mary Woodvine" in All Categories

In August of 1939, as Britain watches the headlines in fear of another devastating war with Germany, three childhood companions must choose between friendship and country. Erstwhile, socialite Nora is determined to find her place in the Home Office’s Air Raid Precautions Department, matchmaker Hazel tries to mask two closely guarded secrets with irrepressible optimism, and German expat Marie worries that she and her family might face imprisonment in an internment camp if war is declared.

Everyone is hiding a secret. One of them is murder. The book club was her idea, of course. It was her way into our group. A chance to get close. I knew from the day she arrived that she couldn't be trusted. And I was right. Alice didn't come to the village for peace and quiet. She came for revenge. A deliciously addictive psychological thriller about a book club that unravels dark and scandalous secrets between one circle of neighbours.

Sophie Sayers’ plans for a cosy English country Christmas are quickly brought to an end when her ex-boyfriend storms onto the scene. And things are about to get messier when a baby, abandoned in the manger, disappears in plain sight. Before long, the whole village stands accused of murder. But Sophie knows there’s one man she most definitely suspects. Can she uncover the truth? Enjoy the fun of a traditional Cotswold festive season as Sophie seeks a happy ending for her latest village mystery – and for her new romance with charming local bookseller Hector Munro.

Kate thinks all her wishes have come true when she opens her little craft shop down on the harbour in the pretty Cornish seaside town of St Felix. It's been her life-long dream to open her own shop, and now she's finally got the chance, she's loving selling her own quirky handmade textile designs to the many holidaymakers that flock into St Felix every year. But there's a mystery about Kate's shop - one that Jack, the owner of a new art store in town, wants to help Kate solve. A series of mysterious paintings and beautiful embroidered pictures hint at a love story over 60 years old.

All Jamie Allenby ever wanted was space. Even though she wasn't forced to emigrate from Earth, she willingly left the overpopulated, claustrophobic planet. And when a long relationship devolved into silence and suffocating sadness, she found work on a frontier world on the edges of civilization. Then the virus hit. Now Jamie finds herself dreadfully alone, with all that's left of the dead. Until a garbled message from Earth gives her hope that someone from her past might still be alive.

They called them the Orchid Girls. Grace. Molly. Charlotte. One of them is in love. One of them is a liar. One of them is dead. On a jagged Dorset cliff, wind whipping their hair, waves crashing on the rocks below, three friends became two when Charlotte’s body was pulled out of the sea. Fifteen years later Grace and Molly are worlds apart. Grace has a glittering career and a loving husband. Molly is a lonely, unemployed alcoholic. Grace has everything to lose. Molly has nothing.

After their dreams of starting a family are crushed, Philippa and her husband Marco need a fresh start. Focusing on repairing the crumbling walls and leaking roof of the Cotswolds house they impulsively bought seems easier work than repairing their relationship. When Philippa finds a hidden memorial hidden deep in the garden, the discovery only pushes them further apart. But as Philippa determines to uncover the truth behind the memorial, could the secrets it reveals be the key to finally putting their heartbreak to rest?

Everyone knows Melissa Silk and her two best friends: a walking poster for friendship and community. People might hate them if they weren't so infectiously likeable. But when tragedy strikes, Melissa can't move on. Everyone urges Melissa to let things go before obsession and paranoia pull her friendship group apart. But she knows that something isn't right. And she owes it to her friends to find out what it is. But what if learning the truth means losing everything she cherishes? Because friends don't lie. Or do they?

How Lauren thought her summer holiday would go: Priceless mother-son memories of swimming and sunshine before Charlie leaves for university. How things actually are, now they’re here: Charlie refusing to speak to her, locked in a darkened room in their Corsican cottage, and a creeping sense of dread contemplating the rest of her life alone. Although Charlie has decided that holidays with mum are now deeply uncool, Lauren is determined not to waste this trip. Then she meets James, who was supposed to be holidaying with his daughter but is now, like her, unexpectedly flying solo.

When Juno Browne finds a life-sized effigy floating in the River Ashburn, a note attached claims it as the work of Cutty Dyer, Ashburton’s mythical blood-drinking demon. But despite Juno’s instinct that this is a sign of trouble ahead, the police dismiss her find as a practical joke. Then the body of a woman is discovered by the river, and it becomes clear that a killer has taken on Cutty’s identity. As suspicion falls on someone close to her, Juno finds herself drawn into solving the mystery, desperate to prove her friend’s innocence.

Hithechurch, a peaceful, out-of-the-way seaside town in Kent. When Charlie was young, she would visit with her family, making friends and playing down by the beach. Their favourite was telling scary stories; silly games of make-believe that would twist and weave old wife’s tales to scare each other. They would laugh and try to shake off the shiver than ran down their backs and made the hair on their necks stand on end.

Bridget has a secret - one she keeps from everyone, even her husband. One that threatens to explode when her childhood music teacher, Carmichael, walks into her dress shop. With him is a young girl on the cusp of adulthood, fresh-faced and pretty. She reminds Bridget of herself at that age, naive and vulnerable. Bridget wants him away - away from her, away from that girl. But Carmichael won’t leave her alone, won’t stop stalking her. And Bridget’s not a little girl anymore. When he pushes her too far, she snaps.

On the day Juno Browne’s van goes up in flames and nearly cooks a dog, Juno meets James Westershall, owner of Moorworthy Chase, a large family estate. She is invited, along with her friends from Old Nick’s, to bring along their goods for sale to an upcoming garden fete. Included in the invitation is the newest and most irritating member of the Old Nick’s team, Gavin. During the fete, Gavin wanders off and is later discovered dead in nearby woods, apparently the victim of a bizarre accident.

When Sophie Sayers joins a writers' retreat on a secluded Greek island, she's hoping to find inspiration and perhaps a little adventure. Away from her rural English comfort zone, she also takes stock of her relationship with her boyfriend Hector. But scarcely has the writing course begun when bestselling romantic novelist Marina Milanese disappears on a solo excursion to an old windmill. First on the scene, Sophie is prime suspect for Marina's murder.

When Bunny Carter, the old lady from the Manor House, is discovered in an open grave, Sophie Sayers is sure it’s a case of foul play. But when it comes to suspects, she’s spoiled for choice. One of Bunny’s squabbling children from three different husbands? Petunia Lot from the Cats Prevention charity, always angling for a legacy? All these and more had motive and opportunity. But who is to blame? And can Sophie and her boyfriend, village bookseller Hector Munro, stop them before they strike again? Debbie Young is a British writer of cosy mystery novels.

Susannah has had a tough year. After a knotty divorce, moving to a small town in the south of England with her two sons is exactly the fresh start she needs. Charlotte is delighted when Susannah arrives in town. Charlotte may appear to have the perfect husband, the perfect family, the perfect house, but she needs someone to confide in. The two women instantly become best friends. But underneath the surface, secrets, lies and betrayals are all hiding. And when the truth comes out, not everyone will live to tell the tale.

Meteorologist Sky Matthews does not like surprises. Sky monitors her life like she does the weather, carefully and with a scientific eye. So, when she misses out on her dream job abroad and finds herself with no choice but to take a position on a tidal island off the Cornish harbour town of St Felix instead, she feels completely at sea. Worse still, she has to work alongside TV weatherman Sonny Stevens, who barely knows his storms from his tsunamis.

Julia Thayne is a valued and loving wife, a successful mother and a beautiful woman. She is everything most other women strive to be. But beneath the surface is a terrible secret that threatens to tear her perfect world apart. Joshua is Julia's husband—a dynamic, devastatingly handsome man with great style, charisma and humour. He is utterly devoted to his wife and children, but as the ghosts of Julia's past begin to move into their marriage, he finds himself losing the struggle to keep them together. Then two telephone calls change everything.

Emily's instincts tell her that best friend Joanne's new boyfriend is bad news. Emily fears for Joanne. Fears for Joanne's children. But Joanne won't listen because she's in love. So Emily watches and waits...and then she makes a choice. But Emily has a past, and secrets, too. And is she really as good a friend to Joanne as she claims?

A romantic Valentine’s evening at The Bluebird turns into a murder mystery when a dead body plummets to the bottom of the village well. There are no witnesses, but surely in a community where everyone knows each other’s business, the murderer can’t stay hidden for long? Sophie doesn’t think so, and she’s on the case, determined to restore peace to the idyllic Cotswold village once more. The latest cosy mystery from bestselling author Debbie Young is ideal for fans of Richard Osman, Katie Gayle, and Catherine Coles.