Showing results by narrator "Mark Meadows" in All Categories

In the early 1800s Lehmann Gluckstein and his family escaped the pogroms of Eastern Europe and made their way to Whitechapel in the East End of London. There, starting with nothing, they worked tirelessly to pull themselves out of poverty, creating a small tobacco factory that quickly grew to become the largest catering company in the world: J. Lyons. For over a century, Lyons was everywhere. Its restaurants and corner houses were on every high street, its coffee and tea in every cup, its products in every home. The company transformed the way we eat, drink and are entertained.

Galileo, Einstein, Curie, Darwin, Hawking - we know the names, but how much do we really know about these people? Galileo gained notoriety over his battle with the Vatican, but did you know that this father of modern science was also an accomplished lute player? And Darwin of course discovered the principle by which new species are formed, but his bold curiosity extended to the dinner table as well. Eureka! explains how these scientific geniuses have shaped our understanding - and how they spent their free time as well.

Germany, 1938: In Berlin, his owners christened him Levi. When they fled to America, he became Hercules - star of the silver screen in Hollywood's golden age. Then he caught the eye of Hitler, who called him Hansi. A pure-bred lapdog - privy to all the Führer's secrets. But he was known to the Resistance as Sirius. The insider who could bring peace to a world at war... Now it is time for his story to be told.

Haworth, West Yorkshire, 1848. Branwell Brontë - unexhibited artist, unacknowledged writer, sacked railwayman, disgraced tutor and spurned lover -finds himself unhappily back in Haworth Parsonage, to face the crushing disappointment of his father and his three sisters, whose own pseudonymous successes - allegedly kept secret from him - are only just becoming apparent.

The Duke of Canarn is dead, executed by the King's decree. The city lies in chaos, its people starving, sickening, and tyrannized by the ongoing presence of the King's mercenary army. But still hope remains: the Duke's children, the Lord Bromvy and Lady Bronwyn, have escaped their father's fate. Separated by enemy territory, hunted by the warrior clerics of the One God, Bromvy undertakes to win back the city with the help of the secretive outcasts of the Darkwald forest, the Dokkalfar.

Jamie is under pressure from his father to succeed. In the competitive world of squash, his dad is determined that where he failed, Jamie should succeed. The emotional and physical bullying that Jamie has to endure makes him recoil into himself until he feels backed into a corner and doesn't know where to turn. Then he discovers the girl hiding in his shed and sees an opportunity, not only to help her, but to get away from his own life, too. Together they go on the run - but danger is coming after the girl and it's surely only a matter of time before they're both discovered.

After a dramatic accident Kit and his parents find themselves washed up on a small island. But there is no sanctuary here. The local community is hostile and menacing. Soon Kit's life is in danger and he is forced to face not just the inhabitants but a disturbing new arrival whose presence on the island terrifies the community. In his struggle to stay alive and make sense of what is happening Kit is forced to confront good and evil in unexpected forms, even within himself, and face trials and dangers beyond anything he could have imagined.

What secrets lay buried in the heart of the forest? When Maya strays into the forest she also walks straight into a nightmare. It's not just the horrific discovery she makes among the trees, it's what's waiting for her at home. Something too terrifying to believe in. She's not even sure she believes it herself. Perhaps she's going mad, only imagining the sounds in the night and the feeling of being stalked.

Hetty's always been a bit of a loner, preferring to keep to the outer edges of the close-knit island community. But when a strange woman is washed up on the shore, Hetty finds herself under increasing scrutiny from the islanders. There's a connection between Hetty and the woman that makes people suspicious, so when death comes to the community the woman is branded a bad omen and Hetty has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. As she heads out to sea, a storm is breaking and the whispers that she's heard before are louder than ever.

Doc Martin’s idea of a perfect Christmas Day is to remain steadfastly alone and catch up with back issues of T The Lancet. However, Portwenn is fighting off the cold and frost with a period of determined revelry before it heads into its deep winter sleep, and his patients are even more exasperating than usual. It will take all of Doc Martin's willpower to fend off the attentions of the Christmas spirit…

Doc Martin arrives in the picture-postcard fishing village of Portwenn, Cornwall. Once a high-flying London surgeon, his suddenly developed blood phobia means he has to take a job in a local practice. But while the Doc's medical skills are second to none, his bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired. He immediately starts infuriating the locals, none more so than school teacher Louisa Glasson....

Rufus is an apprentice in his father's goldsmith workshop in Cologne, Gemany. One day he hears a boy, Nick, preach in the city Centre. Nick's message and words are mesmerizing and Rufus is spellbound. He is overcome with the desire to follow the flawed yet charismatic young Crusade leader on his journey to the Holy Land. And Rufus is not alone. Many children are captivated just as Rufus is, and leave their homes and families having fallen under Nick's spell.

Aged seventeen, Lee is inside for a crime he has committed. And he soon finds out that prison is not the holiday camp he’s heard about. Warned to ‘play by the rules’, he has to decide whose rules - the screws’ or the other cons’. Life in a Young Offenders Institution is about survival. But the real struggle is inside Lee himself. Is he destined to be a ‘career con’ or can he choose to change his life? A powerful, compelling story for older children about one boy’s experience of prison, from acclaimed author J.A. Jarman.

Jonathan is a private investigator in a decaying Eastern European city, consumed by his work and his failing marriage. Approached one day by an elderly couple, he is presented with a faded photograph of their daughter, missing for nearly two decades. Troubled by the image of the little girl, who was the same age when she vanished as his own daughter is now - he is compelled to find her.

DCI Mark Lapslie suffers from a rare neurological condition that ‘cross-wires’ his senses. The sickening clamour of sounds he can taste has smothered his marriage and stifled his career...and it’s getting worse. His colleagues have written him off as a drunk – or worse – and Lapslie has quarantined himself in an isolated Essex cottage. Carl Whittley has got his own problems to deal with too: he’s just tortured a minor TV celebrity to death and blown an apparently anonymous commuter to pieces.

Bibi feels out of place everywhere - except for Tyme’s End, the deserted house that she breaks into when she thinks nobody is around. There she unexpectedly meets Oliver Gardner, the owner of the house, who has just returned after ten years away. Their stories and the story of Oliver’s grandfather becomes entwined - for Tyme’s End is more than just a deserted house. It is a house that can be romantic, beguiling, sinister and malevolent. A house that had a cruel and manipulative owner.

It all starts when a mysterious train appears in the park. Before they know what’s happening, Joe and Scarlett are whisked away on a journey back in time. Magically transported to World War II, they’re given a mission: to save a young boy’s life.But with bombs falling on London they find they are counting down to disaster...An exciting time-slip story from award-winning author Sophie McKenzie.

A story of romance, humor, and true detective fiction, this novel begins with Arsène Lupin, a gentleman thief known for his strict moral code, forcing the French authorities to find an investigator who can put a stop to his dealings. In order to find a competitor keen enough, they must traverse the English Channel, where they find Herlock Sholmes and his assistant, Wilson - two of the most inquisitive and successful detectives in the world. Does Lupin stand a chance?

An eclectic mix of exciting stories every surfer will love. This eclectic mix has something for everyone, from classic tales of monster waves and epic battles to stories of when life among the breakers goes wrong. There are accounts of death and disaster, as well as bravery and triumph. The bizarre and the extreme rub shoulders with perfect breaks and beautiful beaches. Be thrilled by legendary surfers like Laird Hamilton and Shane Dorian as well as learning about local heroes who never made the headlines.

Several years ago, Julia Jones was searching through long-forgotten items stored at her house and discovered some suitcases of old written material, which turned out to be accounts by her father of his experiences in the RNVSR (Royal Naval Volunteer Supplementary Reserve). She realised that as a child she’d met some of the people mentioned, and although she was too young to truly know them, these youthful impressions spurred her on to rediscovery and understanding. In this absorbing book, Julia tells the compelling stories of the yachtsmen.