Showing results by narrator "Deirdra Whelan" in All Categories

A broken family. Skeletons in the closet. Lives in danger. When Eva’s brother Ben announces he has found their mother, Eva is determined to have nothing to do with the woman who abandoned them 18 years ago to a traumatic childhood in foster care. Eva is happy now, in a loving relationship with rich and dependable Jim, and she is pregnant. Nothing can change Eva’s mind. Her eyes are firmly on the future. But when her baby is born with a serious hereditary illness, she is forced to confront both her mother and her past.

Obsession, jealousy, lust, revenge.... There is nothing more dangerous than a passion that curdles and spills into murder. Love, when it goes wrong and spirals into violence, leads to the most chilling and tragic consequences. Death at the hands of a partner or ex-partner is the most common form of murder for women, far outnumbering the risk of death from a stranger. Obsessional sexual desire is the common thread through the stories in this book, tragic examples of how death can come at the hands of a once trusted and loved partner.

Just four months after Emma Hogan was born, her father was convicted of a heinous crime and sent to prison for life. Forty-six years later, and now a London-based journalist, Emma discovers an old notebook she suspects might be connected to her father. Embossed on the front of that notebook is a single word - Clawthorn. Unbeknownst to Emma, the innocent-looking notebook is anything but, and it takes a stranger with an uncanny knowledge of the past to warn her of that - an intriguing stranger named Clement.

Sasha begs Eva to help her find Marc. But he has given a written statement at the police station where Eva works. It’s on record - when his family report him missing, Marc does not want to be found. But why? Ultimately, friendship and loyalty override Eva’s professional integrity, and she is compelled to use her resources to delve into Marc’s life, even if it means breaking the police Code of Conduct and jeopardising her career.

For centuries mankind has waged war against the infections that, left untreated, would have the power to wipe out communities, or even entire populations. Yet for all our advanced scientific knowledge, only one human disease - smallpox - has ever been eradicated globally. In recent years, outbreaks of Ebola and Zika have provided vivid examples of how difficult it is to contain an infection once it strikes and the panic that a rapidly spreading epidemic can ignite.

Meet Elsa Zero: Bad neighbour. Single mother. Ex-deep cover agent. And right now, the most dangerous person on Earth. When Elsa's dull but dedicated boyfriend proposes in a packed restaurant, she doesn't think her evening can get any worse. But as the clock strikes midnight, her world is turned upside down. Suddenly Elsa is running for her life, trying to keep her children safe, and desperate to discover what the hell is going on.

Sally Coulthard explores the miraculous world of the earthworm, the modest little creature without whom life as we know it would not be possible. For Charles Darwin - who estimated every acre of land contained 53,000 earthworms - the humble earthworm was the most important creature on the planet. And yet, most people know almost nothing about these little engineers of the earth. We take them for granted but, without the earthworm, the world's soil would be barren and our gardens, fields and farms wouldn't be able to grow the food and support the animals we need to survive.

Britain has a single pod of orca, also known as killer whales, native to its home waters, although other orca visit from more northern regions. In 2014, Dr. Natalie Sanders joined the crew of the HV Silurian to seek them out and study them before we lose them forever. In The Last Sunset in the West, she discusses them one by one, and the many issues surrounding their lives in a captivating account that will take the listener deep into the history of our relations with the sentient and beautiful creatures.

Maximise your happiness in the workplace. Stop negative thinking and tackle your problems at work using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Learn to control anger and frustration, reduce workplace anxiety and take control of your work-life balance by introducing CBT’s insights into your working day. Full of real-life examples and useful exercises, this practical guide will help you to replace feelings of inadequacy and a lack of motivation with new ways of thinking, to help you work better with others and make you happier and more effective in the workplace.

With its heart-shaped face and silent, graceful flight, the barn owl regularly tops the nation's list of favourite birds. But how much do we really know about this sublime tenant of the night? Here, bestselling author Sally Coulthard shines a light on the barn owl. Full of fascinating insights, conservation advice and the latest research, this affectionate and timely guide also tells the story of a barn owl's early life–from first pip of the shell to leaving the nest–a fascinating time in this captivating creature's journey.

The year is 1348, and the plague is set to sweep through England, leaving tragedy in its wake. Unaware of what awaits her, Agnes is in love and betrothed to Ted. But her life is about to be torn apart, and nothing will ever be the same again. Jennifer’s life has changed for the better since she arrived in Italy. She’s put her past behind her and can finally look forward to a brighter future with boyfriend, Francesco, and her Italian relatives, if it wasn’t for the disturbing visions she keeps having of a pregnant young girl. Who is she? And what is her connection to Jennifer?

London, 1870: The body of a Hungarian immigrant is found dead in what appears to be a ritualistic killing, with a bayonet through his heart, his fingers broken and his body surrounded by 17 blood-dipped candles. At first Commander William Monk of the Thames River Police suspects the killer is from within the community, but when another murder takes place, Monk fears the immigrants are being targeted by an outsider.... Meanwhile, Hester is reunited with a doctor who had been left for dead on a Crimean battlefield.

The new historical thriller featuring William Monk from The New York Times bestselling author. London, 1856. A deadly act of terror on the Thames leads William Monk into a treacherous world where the powerful seek to buy justice, and no one is safe. It is a time of progress, with the Empire's interests expanding and the Suez Canal nearing completion. Many people stand to gain - and to lose - as the world rapidly changes. When a Thames pleasure boat is blown up with the loss of many lives, an Egyptian man is quickly sentenced to hang for the crime.

Callie’s life is spent caring for others - for Frey, her client, and for Noah, her brother. When a tragic car accident shatters her family, she’s left alone with her mother, Vanessa. Vanessa's favourite child was Noah; Callie's favourite parent was her dad. Now they're stuck with each other - the leftovers of their family - and they'll have to confront the ways they've been hurt and the ways they've passed that hurt on to others.

Since Ginevra Innocenti’s death, the cottage has lain empty and abandoned in the woods. Until the day Ginevra’s granddaughter, Sara, sees a dragonfly in the depths of winter. Intrigued, she follows it and discovers the forgotten cottage. When Sara learns that her grandmother was once a healer, a series of events is set in motion which could lead to the end of the family legacy. As long-hidden secrets are revealed, Sara starts to doubt everything she once believed in. Her mind in turmoil, she no longer knows whether she can follow in the footsteps of her ancestors.

Glamorous Cara De Rosa has it all: a successful and rapidly expanding chain of family-run Italian restaurants, friends aplenty and an imminent marriage to a much younger man. When she collapses during a family party, all signs point to a heart attack. But Cara knows better. Someone wants her dead. Granddaughter Sienna already knows what it's like to want answers. This time she's determined to get them. Because at De Rosa's, someone needs to pay.

Jennifer’s life isn’t going as she planned. Fired from her job and on the brink of divorce, her only salvation lies at the bottom of a wine bottle. When her mother insists she get away from everything, she reluctantly agrees to explore her Italian roots in Tuscany. Staying in her family’s centuries-old cottage, she becomes embroiled in a mysterious tragedy involving her great-grandmother.

After the year Aidan and I have had, we needed some respite. My husband is overworked, whilst I'm anxious about the past, so renting a night at this converted barn house in the countryside seems like the perfect place for the pair of us to relax and unwind. It might be situated at the bottom of a large garden, but it's private enough that we don't have to mingle with the homeowners who live nearby. Or at least that's what I thought...

As soon as 41-year-old Sheila hears the news, she knows the police will be calling. One of the country's preeminent feminist scholars - and one of Sheila's oldest friends - has been found murdered, a baby doll fixed to her hands. Twenty years before, these women had made a pact, swearing to follow the example of The Others, women the Torah considered childless, but they saw as willingly child-free.

Emma Bowen has never had a close relationship with her mother, barely speaking with her in the last years of her life. But after her mother’s death, Emma finds something that might just explain the distance between them. Discovering letters between her mother and grandmother, it seems to Emma that her mother has always been difficult. As she searches for answers about her own childhood, Emma is drawn into the mystery of her mother’s enigmatic life.