Showing results by narrator "Dean Williamson" in All Categories

A hilarious and moving true story by Man Booker Prize-winning novelist Howard Jacobson about the greatest “swag man” in the history of Manchester. A charming, brazen salesman of genius, Frankie Cohen rises from selling cheap gewgaws, known as swag, for Jacobson's father in the rough market streets of the Northern English city, to buying and selling some of the world's greatest artworks.

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.

Born into a family of Irish traveller heritage, Big John Fury descends from a long line of bare-knuckle fighters, including King of the Gypsies. So it’s no surprise that he too found himself fighting outside the ring at a young age. From his early years in Manchester, John learned to box by practising bare-knuckle fighting within the travelling community, before graduating into the sport professionally. The ring has never been far from his sights, and John has played a crucial role in coaching and being a cornerman for his two-time British heavyweight champion son, Tyson Fury.

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.

74-year-old Derbyshire man Ken Smith has spent the past four decades in the Scottish Highlands, living alone in a log cabin nestled near Loch Treig, known as 'the lonely loch'. He has no electricity or running water. He lives off the land, fishing for his supper, chopping wood, and even brewing his own tipple. For the first time, Ken shares the story of his life.

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.

DI Jon Spicer's investigation into the vicious slaying of a Russian asylum-seeker grinds to a halt when the man's identity turns out to be false. It seems the only truth to his story was the fact he was found drifting off the British coast in a small boat. But before the man's true identity can be discovered, more asylum-seekers start to die - each murdered in the same horrific way.

In this audiobook on Lancashire, you'll find two unique tales: an arresting portrait of a couple coming home to Lancashire, set over a pub crawl one night in Preston, written by award-winning novelist Jenn Ashworth; and, from new voice Benjamin Webster, a vivid coming-of-age story that traces the political and cultural history of Manchester, from its industrial past to its eventual separation from the county.