Showing results by narrator "Mike Rogers" in All Categories

The rivalry between two of the dominant city states of Ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta, erupted into a war lasting nearly 30 years and was to have a dramatic effect on the balance of power in the area. Between 431 and 404 BCE, the two cities battled it out on land and sea, aided by their alliances with neighbouring states: Athens’ Delian League vigorously opposed Sparta’s Peloponnesian League in a conflict which effectively involved the whole region. 

A wave of apparently random homicides is sweeping through their idyllic seaside town of Helsingborg. The murders have no pattern, no order, no reason. The perpetrator is immune to psychological profiling; forensically untraceable; utterly invulnerable to modern police techniques. The body count is growing. But lead investigator Fabian Risk is distracted by his mission to expose a corrupt colleague, and his boss Astrid is spiralling back into addiction. As the hunt for the solution becomes ever more desperate, their tight-knit team begins to unravel.

X Ways to Die continues the tense, multi-stranded story which begun with Motive X. It is at once an explosive, high-voltage thriller and a fearless exploration of the darkest side of human nature. To enter Stefan Ahnhem's world, with its interwoven plot-lines and sprawling cast of characters, is to put yourself in the hands of a master storyteller.

The Chameleon Project - a Black Operations unit led by Bruce McQuillian whose existence is known only to a handful of men. When a corrupt politician with an appetite for preteen girls kidnapped and tortured while under his Unit's surveillance, McQuillian is left with a dilemma - what to do with the rogue commando responsible? As the stakes escalate, a sinister plot involving a triad of the Russian Bratva, an influential French arms dealer and one of the most powerful men within the British security services threatens to engulf the Isles.

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was already an established figure in the fields of philosophy, biology, sociology, anthropology and with an established interest in evolution, when Darwin produced his ground-breaking On the Origin of the Species (1859). But Spencer viewed evolution in wider terms—including ‘the social organism, ethical and metaphysical matters.' He was keen to offer a complete framework of the philosophy of evolution and, in 1862, published his First Principles.

Religion is at the heart of man’s societies. ‘For a long time,’ Durkheim writes early on in his book, ‘it has been known that the first systems of representations with which men have pictured to themselves the world and themselves were of religious origin.’  Durkheim decided to examine how and why this phenomenon functioned and evolved - by looking specifically at simple societies and their religions, rather than at religions in more complex or developed societies.

Keeping the peace in a West Texas town like Buffalo Peak should be easy for a legendary frontiersman like Marshal Elwood "Firestick" McQueen. He’s got his longtime buddies "Beartooth" Skinner and "Moosejaw" Hendricks as his deputies—not to mention the famous rifle that earned him his nickname. But when Firestick learns that their ornery old friend “Rip" Ripley just rode into town, all bets are off. It’s darn near impossible to keep the peace when Rip’s specialty is disturbing it. Firestick finds a decade-old wanted poster for Rip—the reward is one dollar.

Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval is the single most important Arthurian romance. It contains the very first mention of the mysterious grail, later to become the Holy Grail and the focal point of the spiritual quest of the knights of Arthur's court. Chrétien left the poem unfinished, but the extraordinary and intriguing theme of the Grail was too good to leave, and other poets continued and eventually completed it.

Two men have been murdered. Both of them were school bullies when they were younger. Plenty of people would have wanted them dead. A single clue has been found at the scene: a class photo from 1982, with two faces neatly crossed out. Fabian Risk is the lead detective on the case. He's also one of the children in the photograph. As more people die and more faces are crossed out, it becomes clear that a serial killer is targeting old classmates one by one. Fabian Risk thought he'd left his schooldays behind.... Now he must confront his past.

On a hot summer's day, a car speeds through the streets of Helsingborg. When it reaches the harbour, the driver keeps going, straight into the cold, dark sea. A body in the water. But it is not a suicide. The autopsy reveals that this man has been dead for some time. He was murdered two months ago, and his body has been in the deep freeze. As more bodies are discovered, Fabian Risk must hunt a killer with a mission: to preserve his victims and create the perfect death....

John Caudwell is one of Britain's wealthiest, most successful–and most colourful–businessmen. Love, Pain & Money: The Making of a Billionaire retraces the inspirational journey, from the very shaky beginnings of his phone empire to owning yachts, private planes, a fleet of top flight cars, a Jacobean mansion in the Midlands and London's most expensive home (featured in a Channel 4 documentary). It's a fascinating insight into the drive, ambition, focus and vision required to become a billionaire.

Probably written in the latter half of the 14th century in the South-West-Midlands dialect, Piers Plowman is a remarkable example of allegorical, alliterative verse that conveyed, for the first time ever, the authentic voice, spirit and character of the ordinary people of England. Very little is known about William Langland, the presumed author, but it is very much a product of the medieval mind combining Christian belief with dramatic poetry in a drama of identity.

Tom Novak is back. When a spate of deadly terrorist attacks hit the streets of London, Tom finds himself thrust into the middle of a fight for the survival of all he holds dear. When the attackers hit closer to home than he could ever imagine, Tom is forced to make a choice between his duty or his conscience. In doing so, he enters a series of increasingly dangerous worlds, in the darkest corners of humanity. Can Tom and his colleagues get to the bottom of a plot which threatens the very fabric of society? Will they stop the terrorists before it’s too late?

Seventy-year-old British ex-pat miserymonger George Pearly lives on the Costa del Sol, all alone except for his ancient, three-legged dog, Ambrose. George hates his life and everybody in it. These feelings are mutual. Everyone hates George, too. From this unhappy equilibrium the situation quickly deteriorates. First, George discovers he is dying of a mystery illness. 

Two countries in the grip of winter. On the coldest day of the year, Sweden's Minister for Justice steps into a blizzard - and disappears. Who has taken him? That same night, across the Baltic Sea, a Danish celebrity is at her home, locked in and cut off from the snow. Then she hears footsteps in her living room. Who is in her house? 

Nick Miller and his team provide a unique and highly illegal service, relocating at-risk individuals across Europe with new identities and new lives. Nick excels at what he does for a reason: he's spent years living in the shadows under an assumed name. But when Nick steps in to prevent the attempted murder of witness-in-hiding Kate Sutherland on the Isle of Man, he triggers a chain of events with devastating consequences for everyone he protects.

Vince stops taking his lithium when he finds out about his partner's pregnancy. As withdrawal kicks in, he can barely hold his life together. Somewhere between making friends with a blackbird in the back garden and hearing his dead son's footsteps in the attic, he finds himself lost and alone, journeying through a world of chaos and darkness, completely unaware of the miracle that lies ahead.

Autumn 1191, and Robert, earl of Locksley, also known as the notorious outlaw Robin Hood, and his loyal lieutenant, Alan Dale, are returning home fresh from victory in the Third Crusade. They decide to travel via the Mediterranean sea-route, despite the dangers of the imminent stormy season. Disaster strikes, and Robin and his men are shipwrecked on the rocky coast of Crete. 

Spring, 1192. Robin Hood and his band of men, travelling home from the Third Crusade, find themselves in the lush, wine-rich Duchy of Burgundy. When they are captured by a renegade knight and taken across the River Saone to the rival County of Burgundy, they are plunged into a nightmarish world of treachery, deceit and cold-blooded murder.

The Earth's resources are dwindling. The solution is The Sleep: periods of hibernation imposed on those who remain with only a Janitor to watch over the sleepers. In the sleeping city, elderly Ben struggles with his limited waking time and the disease that is stealing his wife from him. Outside, lonely Janitor Peruzzi craves the family he never knew. Around them both, dissatisfaction is growing. The city is about to wake.