Showing results by narrator "Naomi Frederick" in All Categories

1937. On the eve of her debutante season in London, Lucia Blake rebels against her domineering father and his fascist politics and runs away to France. Breaking the promise to always look after her, she leaves behind her adored younger sister, Della. Seeking freedom Lucia finds unexpected passion in the arms of a charming French archaeologist. But as war looms over Europe, their idyllic love is shattered by an unspeakable tragedy.

Our new home was meant to be a chance for us to start again; to make new friends and forget the past. And as I look around the barbeque we’ve thrown for our neighbors, I dare to dream that things will be all right. I watch my husband joking as he flips burgers and my daughter turning cartwheels on our sun-bleached lawn. And then my gaze falls on my son, Jacob, and his new girlfriend, Rose, in her light blue jeans and her green crop top. There is a worried expression clouding her beautiful eyes.... The next day I get a call from Rose’s mother that chills me to the bone.

London, 1921: Mabel Canning is proud to be a modern woman working for the Useful Women’s Agency, carrying out tasks for gentlewomen from flower arranging to washing muddy dogs. But when she answers the door for wealthy widow Rosalind Despard, she almost chokes on her cucumber sandwich when she finds a soldier’s body on the doorstep. As she offers tea to the policemen of Scotland Yard, Mabel can’t resist getting drawn into the investigation.

As the eldest son of the Duke of Langford, Nathaniel Gresham sees his arranged marriage to Lady Violet Devere as just another obligation to fulfil – highly suitable, if unexciting. But as Violet sets out to transform herself from dowdy wallflower to dazzling young duchess-to-be, proper Nathaniel sets out to prove he's a match for his new bride's vivacity and daring.

This moving tale is for anyone who has ever felt the pang of loneliness, or worried that their broken heart might never be the same again. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, The Keeper of Lost Things and The Library of Lost and Found will fall head over heels for this life-affirming novel that shows us that if you’re willing to take a risk, happiness is only ever a heartbeat away.

When I reach my husband, we kiss against the perfect backdrop of the shimmering turquoise sea. The congregation claps, and I turn to smile at them. Then my smile freezes. I see him. Sitting there among my loved ones. An uninvited guest who knows the truth about me and the terrible thing that happened 10 years ago. The man who won’t ever let me be happy. And as he steps forward, asking for everyone’s attention, my legs buckle. I know he wants to destroy my perfect new life.

Fellbridge Hall, England: Mabel Canning is thrilled to be organising a suffragette conference. But when all the women are settled in the sprawling country mansion, she barely has time for a sip of gin before chaos ensues. Leading suffragette Annie Harkin has been found murdered in her bed, clutching a white feather in her outstretched hand… As the guests clamour for justice for Annie, young police officers Ned and Ted arrive in time to trip over the banners and be roundly ignored. And with a killer on the loose, the suffragettes swiftly vote for Mabel and her pals to take control.

The five of us have been friends since we were children. We think we know every scar, every secret, every story. But by the third night, one of us will be dead. How far will we go to keep our secrets hidden? And when does being close to someone start becoming dangerous?

Rajputana, India, 1930. Since her husband's death, 28-year-old photojournalist Eliza's only companion has been her camera. When the British government sends her to an Indian princely state to photograph the royal family, she's determined to make a name for herself. But when Eliza arrives at the palace, she meets Jay, the Prince's handsome, brooding younger brother. Brought together by their desire to improve conditions for local people, Jay and Eliza find they have more in common than they think. But their families - and society - think otherwise.

Everything I thought I knew about my life is a lie. My mother revealed a terrible, dangerous secret in her last letter to me. But with her death, any chance of knowing the truth has disappeared. I’ll have to do whatever it takes to find out for myself.

Lord Sebastian Gresham is a battle-tested soldier and brilliant strategist. Yet all his life he’s had to hide his complete failure to decipher letters. In his own mind, he’s just stupid. Lady Georgina Stane is beautiful, witty, and brilliantly intelligent. Sebastian thinks it's a miracle that he’s found the perfect bride. He's head over heels in love, proud as a peacock and terrified. If she finds out his secret, will he lose her love forever?

1922. Ladies’ assistant Mabel Canning is delighted to accompany young heiress Roxy to a glamorous ballroom event. When she arrives, Mabel can’t wait to practice her foxtrot skills. But a mysterious man warns her that Roxy is in danger. And he’s dead before the music stops... After a narrow escape, Roxy stumbles into Mabel’s arms with her daffodil-yellow dress splashed with blood. Never one to rely on the police, Mabel swiftly gathers the murder club ladies on a hunt for clues. Can they catch the killer before they strike again?

The morning of the anniversary of Jess’s disappearance starts like every other for her sister Kate—a rushed school run, a cold cup of coffee, and a quick scan of the news for updates. But when her phone beeps with a message from an unknown number, everything changes. I know what happened to Jess. Finally, Kate’s a step closer to getting answers to the questions that have tormented her for so long. Why was her mother so angry that day? How did her father sleep through his own daughter’s abduction?

I tell myself that Max couldn’t kill anyone. He’s a family man now, different to who he was before. Even so, I should go to the police right away. But I can’t. Because if I do, I’m scared they’ll start to suspect me. How much do I really know about the girl in room 12? And if the truth comes out, how far will I go to protect my precious family?

Four-and-a-half billion years ago, Planet Earth was formed from a vast spinning nebula of cosmic dust, the detritus left over from the birth of the sun. Within the next 100 years, human life on swathes of the Earth's surface will end in a haze of heat, drought, and, again, dust. Dust is a legacy of 20th-century progress and a profound threat to life in the 21st century. And yet dust is something we hardly ever consider--it is so small and so mundane as to be beyond the threshold of thought. Jay Owen's Dust sparks curiosity and corrects that oversight.

Your lost love never came home after the war. Would you risk everything to find out what happened to him?

The White Lady introduces yet another extraordinary heroine from Jacqueline Winspear, creator of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series. This heart-stopping novel, set in Post WWII Britain in 1947, follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor White—veteran of two wars, trained killer, protective of her anonymity—when she is drawn back into the world of menace she has been desperate to leave behind.

Poland, 1943: Please don't do this! Her shrill cry pierces the night air, the screams breaking the silence of the falling snow. But the man she calls to does not turn, vanishing into the darkness with a child clasped in his arms.

1945. Fen Churche follows her dreams and sails for New York. She books passage on a steam ship from France to America, excited to dance the night away in the glamorous ballroom and play games on deck. Nothing will stand in the way of her trip, not even when an eccentric heiress’s diamond tiara goes missing....

Lord James Gresham, the fifth son of the Duke of Langford, is at a loss over what to do next. He’s made his fortune as a captain in the Royal Navy. Perhaps now he should find a proper wife and set up his nursery, but the sea calls to him. His search for a wife leaves him uninspired, until a dark beauty with a heart for revenge sweeps into his life.