Showing results by narrator "Dean Williamson" in All Categories

The Commonwealth Games have come to Manchester and the city is buzzing. Caught in the commercial feeding frenzy is Tom Benwell, an advertising executive. But the pressure is getting to Tom - too many deals to make and too many lies to tell. Meanwhile, his friend DI Jon Spicer is on the fast track, showing a love for the job that borders on obsession. Then, in the aftermath of the Games, a string of brutal murders shatters the city's newfound spirit.

Brought to you by Penguin. At the age of 16, a boy amongst men, Andy Farrell made his first-team debut for Wigan Warriors – and became a father for the first time. At 18, he won his first senior international cap. At 21, he won his first Man of Steel Award for the Super League player of the...

Guy Martin can't sit still. He has to keep pushing - both himself and whatever machine he is piloting - to the extreme. He's a doer, not a talker. That applies whether Guy's competing in a self-supported 750-mile mountain bike race across Arizona or trying to reach 300 mph in a standing mile on the 800-horsepower motorbike he built in his shed

From its early beginnings in World War II, the Special Air Service (SAS) has won renown in some of the most dramatic, dangerous and controversial military special operations of the 20th century. It is a secretive and mysterious unit, whose operations and internal structures are hidden from the public eye. Now, one of its longest-serving veterans offers a glimpse into the shadowy world of the SAS. Rusty Firmin spent an incredible 15 years with 'The Regiment' and was a key figure in the assault of the Iranian Embassy in London in May 1980.

In August 2015 Guy Martin crashed out of the lead of an Ulster Grand Prix superbike race held on the world’s fastest racetrack. He had invasive surgery to bolt his broken spine and hand back together, and within days he decided he needed some time away from road racing. But he wasn’t about to take it easy.

'The Butcher of Belle Vue' has struck again. Like the first two victims, the third has been partially skinned and dumped on waste ground. Only this time, her face has also been removed. Jon Spicer and his new partner, Rick Saville, are approached by a woman who insists she heard 'The Butcher' claiming his latest victim in the next-door room of a run-down hotel in Belle Vue. But all she has to back up her story is an Escort’s business card recovered from the empty room the following morning.

Since we last heard from him, Guy Martin has restored a 1983 Williams F1 car then raced Jenson Button in it; helped to build a WWI tank; ridden with Putin's favourite biker gang the Night Wolves; competed on the classic endurance circuit; stood on top of one of Chernobyl's nuclear reactors and taken part in his last ever Isle of Man TT. Then there's the stuff he really can't wait to get out of bed for: 12-hour shifts for a local haulage firm and taytie farming in his new John Deere tractor. Besides all this, he's saved his local pub from closure and become a dad.

The full story of the man who brought unprecedented - and since unmatched - success to Liverpool FC. Bob Paisley was the quiet man in the flat cap who swept all domestic and European opposition aside and produced arguably the greatest club team that Britain has ever known. The man whose Liverpool team won trophies at a rate-per-season that dwarfs Sir Alex Ferguson’s achievements at Manchester United and who remains the only Briton to lead a team to three European Cups.

The Phenomenal Sunday Times Number-One Best Seller. It was the start of the third lap of the 2010 Senior TT, the last race of the fortnight. The last chance to get a TT win for another year, and I was pushing hard. Ballagarey. The kind of corner that makes me continue road racing. A proper man’s corner. You go through the right-hander at something like 170 miles per hour, leant right over, eyes fixed as far down the road as I can see. But this time something happened. This time the front end tucked....

Over a prolific 40-year career, The Fall created a world that was influential, idiosyncratic and fiercely original - and defied simple categorisation. Their front man and lyricist, Mark E Smith, spun opaque tales that resisted conventional understanding; The Fall's worldview was an education in its own right. Who wouldn't want to be armed with a working knowledge of M R James, shipping-dock procedures, contemporary dance, Manchester City and Can? The group inspired and shaped the lives of those who listened to and tried to make sense of their work.

Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas...what could possibly go wrong? Ricky Hatton's brilliance as a boxer, his down-to-earth demeanour and his live-wire sense of humour have made him a national treasure. Five of Ricky's biggest and most explosive fights took place in the boxing Mecca of Las Vegas. Tens of thousands of British fans followed him there to watch these monumental bouts and to soak up the unique atmosphere in Sin City.

The '90s was the decade when British culture reclaimed its position at the artistic centre of the world. Not since the 'Swinging Sixties' had art, comedy, fashion, film, football, literature and music interwoven into a blooming of national self-confidence. It was the decade of Lad Culture and Girl Power, of Blur vs Oasis. When fashion runways shone with British talent, Young British Artists became household names, football was 'coming home' and British film went worldwide.

The body of a woman with her throat ripped out is found on Saddleworth Moor, near Manchester. She is discovered in an area where sightings of a large black cat have been made. When analysis shows that hairs caught under the victim's nails are those of a panther, it’s assumed the animal has killed its first human prey. Then a man DI Jon Spicer is investigating is murdered in exactly the same way. Only this time the body is found in a secluded car park far closer to the city centre.

Isolated on the moors of northern England, the town of Moonwell has remained faithful to their Druid traditions and kept their old rituals alive. Right-wing evangelist Godwin Mann isn’t about to let that continue, and his intolerant brand of fundamentalism has struck a chord with the residents.

'Noon's storytelling is assured and compelling ... it's a belter' Guardian ‘Constantly surprising’ Spectator A viciously occult murder. A curious clue left on the body. The soundtrack to the murder still playing... _____________ It is 1981 and Detective Inspector Henry Hobbes is still...

Eight-year-old Grace is last seen in a sweetshop. Her mother, Emma, is living a nightmare. But as her loved ones rally around her, cracks begin to emerge. What are the emails sent between her husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is there more to the disappearance of her daughter than meets the eye?

This practical and motivational new book is full of Povey’s personal models that have successfully coached a range of different sectors, including elite sports teams, businesses, the NHS, the police and educators. In a time when people need as much support as they can get, this book will serve as an essential life manual for now and for years to come.

Out walking with his family in the local park, Jon Spicer’s life is shattered forever. The dog - aggressive and huge - appears from nowhere. At first, Jon assumes the attack was random. Soon, other events force him to think again. With his family under threat, Jon can do only one thing: fight back. The pursuit leads him to a remote Irish village where his family are originally from...

Graham Carpenter has big dreams of being a serious journalist, but he doesn’t quite have the skills to match. Starting a new job as local cub reporter for the Butterthwaite newspaper is Graham’s big chance. With pad and pencil in hand, he’s willing and ready - what could possibly go wrong? Follow Graham’s (mis)adventures as he tries to land the ultimate scoop. In the first week of the job he gets a lucky break and an unexpected story lead when there’s whispers of royalty coming to town, but can he get the front page?

Eighteen-year-old Malcolm Castle became a fireman so he could rush into burning buildings to save fair damsels in distress. He didn't realise he would also be jumping into slurry pits to rescue cows, horses and any number of other unfortunate animals. Nothing about the country fire service was quite what Malcolm expected when he joined the watch in Shrewsbury. Yes, he had to face the heart-stopping dramas and tragedies of farm and house fires.