Showing results by publisher "Next Chapter Audio Ltd" in Historical Fiction

Kent, England, 1762. Bloody smuggling wars are raging on England's southern coast. It's a time of daring men and bold women, and deadly skirmishes between rival gangs and the law. John Smith, a man both hanged and drowned, returns to his home village, swearing vengeance on the landowner who killed his father. There is no quarter asked or expected when Smith begins to carve out his place among the Free Traders of Kent. What he doesn't know is that the Preventative Service has sent Ambrose Grant - their most effective man - to hunt him down.

In the seventh book in the Windrush series, Jack is sent to infiltrate the Fenian Brotherhood, who are threatening to cause mutiny in the British Army. The journey will take him from deepest England to Ireland and across the Atlantic to the United States and Canada. Jack discovers that another nation is using the Fenian cause for its own ends, and gets involved in battles and intrigue. But what's most worrying of all is the involvement of Helen, Jack's old flame. What is she doing with the Fenians?

When newly widowed Martha Henderson is invited to live with her wealthy confidante, an unanticipated lust is brought to the surface as repeated advances from married Peter target her emotions. With an escaped convict’s murders inching closer and closer to home, and Martha’s longing threatening to unravel her friendships, tangled paths cross with devastating consequences.

Who is Denys Woodville? England, 1471. Adopted as an infant, Denys lives with her mother, Elizabeth: queen and married to Edward IV. Denys makes numerous attempts to uncover her true lineage, but each effort comes to an abrupt and tragic end. Queen Elizabeth metes out Denys's ultimate degradation, when she marries her off to the ambitious Valentine Starbury.

In the ninth book in the Jack Windrush series of military novels, Jack and the 113th Foot join the British invasion of Afghanistan in 1878, trying to counter an alleged Russian threat. Training the young battalion for the trials he know will come, Jack's unit is assigned to Afghanistan, to a war created by Russian interference and British politicians. Between bloody battles, treacherous spies, and friends who may be on either side, Jack must guide his men through a morass of dangers. But can he succeed and return home safely, or will he never see his wife Mary again?

Come into the East End of London, England, 1888. Walk the streets of Whitechapel and slums of Spitalfields, side by side with history's most notorious serial killer. Overhear his plans, and listen - or try not to - to his secret thoughts as he waits in the shadows. Keep pace, if you have the nerve, as he stalks his victims. Watch, if you have the stomach, as he commits his outrages. And run with him, if you're still upright, as he escapes the swarming forces of police desperate for his hide and head.

In ancient Finland, young Vierra begins her passage to adulthood. It's a time when Viking warriors prowl the land, and riches are in reach of the powerful. The medieval north of myth is a dangerous place, and powers both natural and supernatural are ready to take away everything she holds dear. Vierra sets to overcome the odds with iron will and sharp wit, but fate has more in store for the young woman.

After millionaire Malcolm Capshaw hires Joe Cutler and his team to search for a fabled artifact, they enter a maze of lies, murder, and betrayal. The real purpose of their search is soon exposed, as an old London crime family displays an unusual interest in an ancient town where Christianity laid its roots in England.

Dundee, Scotland, 1862. After the mill of businessman Matthew Beaumont burns to the ground, Detective Sergeant George Watters is sent to investigate. Soon, George discovers that this is not the first property that has been targeted. When a man is found dead in the hold of a trade ship, George discovers a shocking connection between Beaumont and foreign powers threatening the very country.

When Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to paint The Last Supper, he believes it will seal his reputation as the finest artist in Italy. Yet all does not go as planned. The notorious Papal emissary, Father Rodrigo of Salamanca accuses him of blasphemy over his decision to choose a lowly peasant, Alessandro, to be his model for Jesus. To Leonardo’s horror, Alessandro takes on quasi-religious significance for the populace of Milan, dragging both into a journey of political and religious upheaval, violence and scandal, which eventually leads to their climactic confrontation.

Librarian Heather Brown discovers the fascinating life of Alice Bailey - a long forgotten occultist. Back in 1931, Alice is preparing to give a speech at a Swiss summer school. But how can she stave the tide of hatred and greed set to bring the world to its knees? Soon after, Alice is put on Hitler's blacklist. What she doesn't realize is the enormity of her influence to the world, and the real enemies who are much closer than she thinks. A dynamic and complex figure, Alice Bailey’s reach was huge.

Forced to watch his father’s crucifixion and separated from his mother, orphaned six-year-old Adelbhert’s life forever changes when he is sold into slavery in Britannia. Years of servitude fill his heart with malice, and he resolves to escape, determined to rescue those he loves and deliver retribution to the Romans who wronged him. But as new allies shed light on old perspectives, Adelbhert begins to question his path.

Three lives come together on the steps of a country church one fateful summer’s morning – two from backgrounds of wealth and privilege, the other an artisan already on his way to genius – each will know love and loss as the next twenty years unfold. Cremona, Italy. 1714. When thirteen-year-old Katarina Rota opens the door to the Guarneri workshop and Giuseppe plays a violin for her, neither can imagine what lies ahead. Though Giuseppe can teach her how to play, nurturing her talent until it surpasses his, he cannot see beyond that child he first knew.

King Alfred never achieved his dream of uniting the disparate Anglo-Saxon kingdoms into one Perfecta Saxonia. The man destined to fulfill Alfred's dream is his grandson, Athelstan, as the spark of unity begins in the Saxon kingdom of Wessex. Abandoned by his father and raised by his uncle, young Athelstan faces numerous adversities on his way to becoming a mighty warrior and diplomat. But can he overcome the odds to transform England from an insignificant island off the Western European mainland, into the leading centre of 10th-century diplomacy and learning?

After a distinguished scientist dies under suspicious circumstances at an archaeological dig in Tuscany, Darren Priest and Alana Weber are called in to investigate. They discover that the now-deceased scientist's work was focused on Italy's earliest history and the possible connection to the mysterious Etruscan people.

The Jewels of Warwick are two very different sisters: Topaz and Amethyst Plantagenet. They are grand-nieces of Richard III, who lost his life and kingdom to Henry Tudor, future father of Henry VIII. Amethyst is the love of Henry VIII’s life, but each time he proposes marriage, something - or someone - gets in the way. Meanwhile, Topaz wants what’s rightfully hers: the throne of England. And hers it would have been, had her father been crowned Richard III’s heir. But life holds many strange twists of fate.

When Abe Kilhoe woke up, he had no idea he'd be shot in the gut before dinner. It happened anyway, and the scoundrel who did it fled into the desert. Now, he's in for a world of hurt. Abe's brother is the legendary Texas Ranger Frank Kilhoe, and it so happens that he is friends with the legendary Sheriff Curly Barnes and his two loyal deputies. Soon, the fugitive will be getting a lot more justice than he bargained for.

After becoming the lover of King Henry II, Princess Alais' bid for the throne fails. As Richard the Lionheart, King Henry's son, will not honor their engagement, Alais is sent away to a nunnery to live out the remaining years of her life. Imprisoned at the hands of her enemies, Princess Alais of France finds a way to escape and returns to her home in Paris.

In his darkest hour, hiding in the depths of the Somerset marshes in AD 878, King Alfred devises a scheme to save his kingdom from the Vikings threatening to overwhelm the country. His spectacular success, beginning with the triumphant battle of Ethandun, involves creating a sense of nation among his subjects.

Shipwrecked on the African coast, Major Jack Windrush and his wife Mary find themselves embroiled in a war, as the Ashantis attack the British colony of the Gold Coast. While Jack leads a company of the West India Regiment, Mary tries to help the refugees in Cape Coast Castle. Soon, they both find themselves deeply involved in the war, and will need to make sacrifices they could have never anticipated.