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

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.

South Africa, 1877. Andrew Baird is a man trying to escape his past. The son of the famous “Fighting Jack Windrush” of the Royal Malverns, Andrew hopes to forge his own path away from the shadow of his father. Amidst the turbulence of the Zulu-British War of 1879, Andrew finds love with Elaine Maxwell. But after Elaine dies tragically and her sister is kidnapped, Andrew must confront the Zulus in bloody battles, driven by the hope of rescuing the woman and proving his worth beyond his father's legacy.

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.

The successful smuggler John Smith has become a highwayman to safeguard his inland trade. Riding the roads as the Yellowhammer, he makes both friends and enemies as he robs the rich and powerful.

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.

In early 20th-century Belfast, working class Meg Preston struggles to accept her own sexuality and yearns for forbidden love. Battling the customs and hardships of their time, Meg pursues a relationship with her childhood friend Lillian Watson. But soon, tribulations of war, violence, and emigration threaten to tear everything apart.

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.

In seventh century England, tribes and so-called kings vie for power and blood flows throughout the land. Aethelred - ruler of Mercia - is being pressed from all sides, and his wife Osthryth dies under unknown circumstances. Osthryth’s ring falls into the hands of warrior noble Aethelbald, who is accused of her murder and forced to leave Mercia by his conniving cousin Coeolred, who has eyes on the throne. When Aethelred abdicates and the weakling Cenred assumes power, Coelred sees a path to become the king.

When Ingrid flees a violent husband to become a housekeeper in the Scottish Highlands, she discovers the family she works for has a much darker history than her own. Who haunts Strathbairn? Why are the adult McCleod children at each other’s throats? And why does the youngest sneak off at night? As Ingrid searches for answers, she grows ever more fearful that her husband will track her down. Set in late 19th century Scottish Highlands, WHAT HAPPENED AT THE ABBEY is a gothic mystery brimming with intrigue, ghostly drama, and family secrets.

Come on a whirlwind ride across time and place with one of the most recognizable figures of Western history - Joan of Arc. We all know of her, but few know the details of her life. Travel back in time, through the words of the maid, in a series of imaginary interviews conducted by the author. Join her on her journey from shepherdess to warrior woman, to her rise to sainthood. Enjoy Joan’s own words, recorded through two arduous trials. Listen to her own descriptions of the many battles and political maneuvers she lived through and starred in.

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.

Scotland, 1388. After Fergus Scott of Eildon travels north to investigate reports of a malevolent presence, he encounters the ferocious Alistair Mor. Drawn into battle against enchantment and death, Fergus is aided by the lovely but quick-tempered Seonaid. Meanwhile, Donald of the Isles and his army march to confront Alistair, and trouble is brewing as the witches of Scotland gather to recreate the Book of Black Earth.

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?

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.

When preservation architect Leah Halliday falls asleep in the bed once owned by King Richard III, she has no idea it will change her life. When she wakes up, it's the year 1485. Hugh Radcliffe, trusted knight of King Richard, believes Leah is his arranged bride Matilda, who she's never set eyes on before.

Devious and valiant, Francis de Brangelton has never failed in any of his exploits. When the Duchess de Montmurrant employs him to investigate the embezzlement of her investments and to settle a grudge, he does not hesitate to recruit his friend Henri d’Arringnon. But Francis has no idea of "Henri’s" astonishing secret. Henrietta d’Arringnon has masqueraded as "Henri" for so long that neither a military skirmish at the Savoy border nor guard duty in Versailles has exposed her. When her identity is revealed, Henrietta’s and Francis’ friendship shatters, but duty still calls.

In 1958, 19-year-old Kat Caswell loses her best friend in a brutal accident. In an attempt to flee from her past, she hops a freight train, leaving rural Indiana behind. Kat soon discovers that the extreme danger of train jumping is a welcome distraction from her pain.

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.

On her 20th birthday, Mary Hepburn - daughter of the local magistrate - learns that she is to marry John Aitken, a much older man. Unhappy with this, Mary walks to the local moor to clear her mind. Instead, she meets and falls in love with the handsome Captain Ferintosh, when he saves her from whiskey smugglers. The situation gets even more complicated when Mary's father arrests Ferintosh.

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.