Showing results by narrator "Gemma" in All Categories

When a priceless ruby known as the Malabar Rose vanishes while being guarded by Sherlock Holmes and his assistant, Dr. Watson, the formidable Mrs. Hudson sets out to give a lesson in criminal deduction for her most famous and logical of tenants, the master sleuth himself.

Ruth Patchett never thought of herself as particularly devilish. Rather the opposite in fact - simply a tall, not terribly attractive woman living a quiet life as a wife and mother in a respectable suburb. But when she discovers that her husband is having a passionate affair with the lovely romantic novelist Mary Fisher, she is so seized by envy that she becomes truly diabolic. Within weeks she has burnt down the family home, collected the insurance, made love to the local drunk and embarked on a course of destruction and revenge.

Chuck and Joey meet in a bar. He's in his mid-thirties; she's twelve years younger. He's long abandoned his ambition of being a novelist and works as a copywriter at a big ad agency. Joey's living paycheck to paycheck on her barista wages and privately dreams of making it as a poet. Soon, Joey's imagining a future between them and Chuck's moving on from a major change in his recent past. Funny, excruciating, and true, I Want You to Be Happy is a sharp-eyed tale of two people searching for meaning and connection in modern times, missing the mark maybe, but trying.

In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick. The weird part? Only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot. The man who played 'The Thin Kid' is the only surviving cast member. He remembers all too well the secrets buried within the original screenplay, the bizarre events of the filming and the dangerous crossed lines on set that resulted in tragedy.

Twin sisters Lily and Daisy Kennedy live a life ruled by their controlling father, Des. Desperate to salvage his own shattered dreams, he forces his girls to perform in seedy London club, Eden's, in the hopes they will finally hit the big time. Their double act instantly pulls in the punters, but in the shadow of the spotlights, danger lurks. Lily, the golden girl, is stressed out by their new life, but rebellious Daisy relishes the freedom and excitement it brings.

An evil stalks London, blown in from the tropics. A group of merchants are dying one by one. The elementary choice to investigate these mysterious deaths is, of course, the team of Holmes and Dr. Watson. But the unique gifts of their housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson, and her orphaned assistant Flotsam, will also be needed to solve the case.

Becky and Jamie are an ordinary hard-working couple trapped in the daily grind, dreaming of an easier life. On one of their rare vacations, they meet Phil and Mel, a wealthy couple who seem to have it all—they're fun, well-traveled, and very generous with their money. But they are also very, very dangerous. Phil and Mel are not who they say they are, and this is no random vacation friendship.

The body that turns up in Bron's garden has been there for decades, and he died of natural causes. Just rebury him and carry on as normal, right? But it's kinda hard to be normal when the ghost of the dead man has been disturbed, and now he want...well, just what does he want? It's down to Bron, a traditional hedge witch, to find out. If she doesn't, that ghost is going to be lingering in corners and upsetting kitchen chairs for the rest of her life. Creepy, tedious, and noisy, all at the same time.

Natasha Pyne, Stephen Thorne and Gemma Saunders star in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation.

When Daisy Kennedy risked everything to rescue her twin sister, Lily, from the clutches of a ruthless gang, she thought it would finally mend the cracks in their fractured relationship. But Lily sees it differently. She’s convinced Daisy’s reckless choices are what put her in harm’s way to begin with, and forgiveness feels as far away as ever. Then Daisy is kidnapped by another notorious gangland boss. His demand? Repay their father’s crippling debt by working as a prostitute in his seedy club. Trapped, terrified, and with no one to trust, Daisy clings to the hope that Lily will come for her.

When the world was supposed to end everyone did things they never normally would…none more so than Siobhan, who wakes up on her floor, hungover, dumped by her no-good boyfriend and with a strange man in her bed…who turns out to be more than a little bit dead.

Art Barbara was so not cool. He was a 17-year-old high school loner in the late 1980s who listened to hair metal, had to wear a monstrous back-brace at night for his scoliosis and started an extracurricular club for volunteer pallbearers at poorly attended funerals. But his new friend thought the Pallbearers’ Club was cool. And she brought along her Polaroid camera to take pictures of the corpses. Okay, that part was a little weird. So was her obsessive knowledge of a notorious bit of New England folklore that involved digging up the dead.

With her twin sister still missing, Daisy Kennedy is determined to do all she can to bring her sister home. She’s sure she knows who’s to blame – her old boos and renowned nightclub owner, Samson Fox - but she’s going to need help if she’s going to make Samson pay. And so Daisy joins forces with Samson’s biggest rival – Roscoe Allen – a man who has seen and done things that makes Daisy shiver. But if she wants Lily back safe, she’s going to have to make a deal…even if it is with the devil himself.

It is spring in Baker Street, and London is preparing itself for the wedding of the year. It will be an international spectacle in which the young and popular Count Rudolph Absberg, a political exile from his native land, will take the hand of the beautiful and accomplished Princess Sophia Kubinova. A lot depends on the marriage, for it is hoped that the union will ensure the security and independence of their homeland. When the princess subsequently disappears in dramatic circumstances, members of the British establishment are quick to call on Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

*COMING SOON: the second novel from Booker-longlisted Sophie Mackintosh* *Blue Ticket, a chilling new novel about freedom, fate and motherhood - out 7 May 2020* The Water Cure British Vogue 'Star of the Future' for 2020 Independent Best Books of the Decade Penguin presents the audiobook edition...

Ruth's tireless research into the disease that killed her young daughter had an unexpected outcome: the discovery of a vaccine against old age. Just one jab a year reverses your biological clock, guaranteeing a long, healthy life. But Ruth's cure was hijacked by her colleague, Erik Grundleger, who hungers for immortality, and the SuperJuve—a premium upgrade—was created, driving human lifespan to a new high. The wealthy elite who take it are dubbed Supers, and the population begins to skyrocket. Then, a perilous side-effect of the SuperJuve emerges, with catastrophic consequences.

Waking up in a rickety hospital bed, the sweet ten-year-old girl with soft blonde hair and flushed cheeks is lucky to be alive. But all she can remember is the screech of the air raid siren. The nurses call her ‘Rosie’, and hope someone will save her. But no one does, and without a family, she is taken to Blakely Orphanage in Scotland under the supervision of the strict Miss Black.

As war breaks out across Europe, Clara - a British midwife married to a German officer - finds herself an outsider in the place she has called home for nearly a decade. Dismissed from her hospital and powerless as a pregnant Jewish woman is turned away alongside her, Clara is forced to confront a terrifying new reality. She may not recognise the city she once loved, but she won't stand by and watch as a desperate mother and her child are neglected, so she delivers the woman's baby in secret - a single act of courage that changes everything for Clara and her husband.

All it takes is one message for Gemma’s life to fall apart. A confirmation of all she’s feared these last few months. Jack was supposed to be preparing for their new start in Australia, building their home, building their life together. And now this. Gone. Without a trace. Leaving their perfect world – all that their two-year-old daughter, Poppy, knows – shattered. Crystal comes into Gemma’s life at the opportune moment. This new friend, who’s been through it before, who knows how it feels for all of your hopes and dreams to suddenly implode, who wants to help, who will do anything…

The beautiful Irish witch Alainn O'Brien and her husband Killian, a handsome warrior chieftain, have been in love most of their lives. While danger has followed the gifted witch and her sovereign guardian ruthlessly and relentlessly, their love and commitment have always saved them. But now, finally returned to their castle, they and the other witches and guardians must face what may be their greatest challenge yet—the long-predicted battle between light and dark magic. Who'll live to see the battle and who'll live through it?