British Trains

Christmas at a snowed in country house. You know what happens next… Not necessarily. Agatha Aston is invited to spend the weekend before Christmas with some old friends. Accompanied by her Machiavellian Basset hound, Talleyrand, Agatha encounters murder, ghosts and romance at a country house where nothing is as it seems. While Agatha has her hands full solving a murder, Talleyrand has his own problems in the shape of Bismarck, the hosts’ unfriendly German Shepherd. Expect fireworks. Containing a short ghost story within a story, The Christmas Murder Mystery is a twisty box of delights, ...

Eric Stathers knew the Pacific Great Eastern Railway all too well. In the 1920s and 30s, the PGE was a struggling, backwoods railway if ever there was one, and it presented endless challenges to those whose job it was to keep it running. Eric was Car Foreman at the railway's Squamish shops and he was often called out with his crew to recover wrecked locomotives, cars and equipment all along the tough and mountainous line between Squamish and Lillooet, British Columbia. Heavy rain, snow, rock slides, collapsed bridges, washouts and floods were all too frequent occurrences. Not only that, but...

In the early hours of Thursday 8th August 1963 at rural Cheddington in Buckinghamshire, a Travelling Post Office train was on the final leg of its journey from Glasgow to London. Complying with a red signal light, the train was brought to a stop on a remote section of track. Suddenly, and without warning, the engine was boarded and taken over by masked men. So began legend of the ‘Great Train Robbery’…. Dan Shaw, author of ‘The Krays: Their Life and Crimes’ recounts the dramatic true story of that most audacious of crimes. Presented succinctly, from the start this book places the ...

“Watson, there is not a moment to lose. If you care to join the chase, pack your bag at once!” Likewise, enthusiasts of the greatest detective will not want to miss this opportunity to join Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in a whirlwind of exciting new adventures… A daring thief penetrates the defenses of the Tower of London in search of a secret treasure. A profligate young actor is accused of murdering his exemplary sibling. From the safe of a prominent London banker, a priceless heirloom is stolen. Upon a high cliff, a ghostly assassin commits an impossible murder. A kingpin of ...

In the 1920s, a group of young revolutionaries under the leadership of Ram Prasad Bismil took matters into their own hands to achieve freedom from the tyrannical rule of the British. Bismil and his team set the stage for a defining moment in the Indian freedom struggle by executing the audacious Kakori robbery. This was a direct attack on the British government after a long time, and it rattled them. Revisit the robbery from the eyes of Bismil as he narrates the tale of bravery, patriotism, and brotherhood.

When the luxurious overnight passenger train from Calais to the Riviera, known as the Blue Train, arrives in Nice, a guard goes into the compartment of American heiress, Ruth Kettering and attempts to wake her. Unfortunately, she will never wake up, as she is dead, having been killed by a heavy blow to her head, disfiguring her almost beyond recognition. What is more, her precious ruby, known as the 'Heart of Fire', is missing. The prime suspect is Ruth’s estranged husband, but detective Hercule Poirot, who also just happens to be a passenger on the train, is not convinced.

‘When you hide the truth from yourself, you keep the Devil’s secret...’ Sarah Kingsmoor has built a successful career as a family doctor in an idyllic market town. She lives in the cottage of her dreams, enjoys rewarding friendships, and leads the life she’s always wanted for herself. She’s convinced of this. One spring evening, Sarah stumbles upon a brutal mugging. Her intervention saves the victim’s life. And a series of events is set in motion which will jar Sarah loose from her comfortable existence, and change her forever. As she finds herself drawn increasingly closer to ...

This audiobook will take the listener on the slow train to another era when travel meant more than hurrying from one place to the next, the journey meaning nothing but time lost in crowded carriages, condemned by broken timetables. On the Slow Train will reconnect with that long-missed need to lift our heads from the daily grind and reflect that there are still places in Britain where we can stop and stare. It will tap into many things: a love of railways, a love of history, a love of nostalgia.

In the heart of the culinary world, where sumptuous feasts meet shadows of danger, Chef Dani Rosetti and her resourceful sous-chef, Arthur, find themselves in the midst of a deadly mystery. A chilling call sets the stage: Willow and Isla, women from starkly different worlds, are ensnared in a web of threats and coercion. Their tasks? For Willow, it's persuading the influential Jackson Steel. For Isla, a ransom of a million dollars. But as Dani and Arthur delve deeper, they realize the enigma is more intricate and perilous than it appears. With time ticking, and with the ferocious mastiff, ...

He survived Sword Beach. He’s taught Britain’s best. But nothing prepared him for this. Major Allan Quatermain is bored. A decorated WWII veteran, sharpshooter, and descendant of the legendary explorer, he’s now reduced to teaching military history to distracted cadets at Sandhurst. Until MI2 shows up at his door. A notorious Nazi war criminal may have faked his death and is on the hunt for the Holy Lance—the fabled Spear of Destiny said to grant invincibility to whoever wields it. British intelligence wants Quatermain’s help to find the relic first. Destroy it if necessary. ...

Forget Westminster bust-ups and PMQs, some of the key events that have shaped modern British politics happened not in the cloisters of parliament or Downing Street’s many corridors of power, but in car parks, village halls and seaside resorts where the mundane have played host to the mighty. Planes, Trains and Toilet Doors is an entertaining and original romp through the highs and lows of British political history and the unlikely locations that have decided our national fate.

Three children, one railway, endless adventures. When Bobbie, Peter, and Phyllis's father mysteriously vanishes one night, their comfortable London life is turned upside down. Suddenly forced to move to a tiny cottage in the countryside, the children must face a world that feels scary and unfamiliar. But then they hear the thunderous roar of steam engines! Right behind their new home runs a magnificent railway line where massive trains thunder past every day. What starts as curiosity quickly becomes the adventure of a lifetime as the children discover that the railway holds the key to ...

Gary Nelson has a routine for the commute to his rather dull job in the city. Each day, he watches as a woman on the train applies her make up in a ritual he now knows by heart. He's never dared to strike up a conversation...but maybe one day. Then one evening, on the late train to Gipsy Hill, the woman invites him to take the empty seat beside her. Fiddling with her mascara, she holds up her mirror and Gary reads the words 'HELP ME' scrawled in sticky black letters on the glass.

Brains don't look like much, do they? A touch of slime here, some squishy grey stuff there. But in fact, your brain is more powerful than any supercomputer, and it is completely fascinating. Have you ever wondered why you're left-handed? Or why you have dreams? Or what causes pins and needles? I'll tell you what else: your brain is completely unique. That's right: no one else has a brain quite like yours. So if you want to learn how to make the most of your brain, this is the book for you.