Hannah Howe has 18 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 6 narrators. The most-rated is Operation Zigzag.
Sam's Song
Summary
Love hurts. For Derwena de Caro, songstress, female icon, and teenage dream, success brought drugs, alcohol, and a philandering boyfriend. It also brought wealth, fame, and a stalker, or so she claimed. And that's where I came in, to investigate the identity of the stalker, little realizing that the trail would lead to murder and a scandal that would make the newspaper headlines for months on end. Love hurts. For me, Samantha Smith, enquiry agent, love arrived at the end of a fist. First I had to contend with an alcoholic mother who took her frustrations out on me throughout my childhood then my husband, Dan, who regarded domestic violence as an integral part of marriage. But I survived. I obtained a divorce, kept my sense of humor, and retained an air of optimism. I established my business and gained the respect of my peers. However, I was not prepared for Dan when he reentered my life or for the affection showered on me by Dr. Alan Storey, a compassionate and rather handsome psychologist. Sam's Song. This is the story of a week that changed my life forever.
©2014 Hannah Howe (P)2015 Hannah Howe
Invasion: An Ann's War Mystery
Summary
With her husband, Emrys, still missing in action, Ann Morgan receives a personal offer from debonair Detective Inspector Max Deveraux. Should she decline or accept his offer? Meanwhile, in her professional life, Ann is faced with a dilemma. After Trevoir Bowman's murder, should she take up the reins at his detective agency? While Ann ponders the personal and professional aspects of her life, a friend asks her to search for her missing daughter. Apparently, Adeline Hopkins, the daughter, endured a fractious relationship with her father. However, what about her ex-boyfriend and an American soldier, a GI she briefly walked out with? As the GIs prepare to leave and embark upon the second wave of D-Day landings, Ann needs answers, only to find herself faced with a further dilemma, the dilemma of how best to serve justice.
©2018 Hannah Howe (P)2018 Hannah Howe
Betrayal: An Ann's War Mystery
Summary
With her husband away on a top secret mission, Ann Morgan prepares for another secretarial day at Trevor Bowman's detective agency. However, this day will be unlike any other. Over 24 hours, Ann will find her life turned upside-down as she discovers a murder, meets a handsome widower, Detective Inspector Max Deveraux, and confronts the murderer in a tale of temptation and duplicity.
©2017 Hannah Howe (P)2018 Hannah Howe
Escape: An Ann's War Mystery
Summary
March 1945. After six bloody, tear-stained years, the war was nearly over. However, for the German prisoners of war incarcerated in Island Farm Camp 198, the end could not arrive soon enough, so they decided to escape. As the German prisoners fled to all points of the compass, one of their members, Kurt Schneider, was left with blood on his fingers and a gun in his hand. Furthermore, a dead woman lay at his feet. Accused of murder, he seemed set to hang. However, Ann Morgan had encountered Kurt Schneider during his supervised laboring stints on the local farms. She had grown to like the young man and did not believe him capable of murder. Could Ann save Kurt and bring the true murderer to justice? Meanwhile, with her husband Emrys still missing in action, Ann found herself drawn to handsome widower detective inspector Max Deveraux. In the heat of the moment, could Ann hold her emotions in check, or would she cross a line into remorse and regret?
©2018 Hannah Howe (P)2019 Hannah Howe
Snow in August (A Sam Smith Mystery)
Summary
As a teenager, Ros McCarthy offered Mark, her baby son, up for adoption. Now, as an adult and a successful author, she wanted to reconnect. With Faye at my side, our task was to locate Mark. Along the way we learned about Ty Gwyn, a children’s home, and the people who lived and worked there. However, as we probed, some people became nervous and issued threats. Then, unexpectedly, a murder. Was the murder and our investigation into Mark’s whereabouts connected, or merely coincidence? I suspected the former, then had my doubts as the maze became more complex. Snow in August, the story of a village and its secrets, a tale of longing and regret, and the realization on my part that you should always cherish the people you love.
©2020 Hannah Howe (P)2020 Hannah Howe
Secrets and Lies
Summary
Book Six in the Sam Smith Mystery Series. Secrets and lies - suicide or murder? Most of the people I encounter are hiding a secret and many of them are adept at telling lies. However, how do you learn the truth about someone who's no longer with us? Author Barclay Quinton wrote Fabringjay, the story of a man leading a secret life during the Second World War, which was well received by the critics, but was ignored by readers, and Illicit Lust, a book he hated and wrote purely to satisfy his agent and publisher. Illicit Lust became a best seller, a fact that annoyed Barclay. However, its success did open doors and he set about researching his next novel, the story of an ageing mobster. Barclay's research brought him into contact with many unsavory types, including villains, shady private eyes, and managers of strip clubs. The official report into Barclay's death stated that he committed suicide. However, a close friend insisted that Barclay was murdered and I was hired to investigate. Meanwhile, closer to home, I discovered a secret, and the truth, about my long-term partner. Was he the man of my dreams or was our relationship about to end? Secrets and Lies - a story of love, of deceit, of the many faces we all possess - the public face, the private face, and the deeply personal.
©2016 Hannah Howe (P)2017 Hannah Howe
Ripper
Summary
Someone was murdering prostitutes, placing their bodies in the Bay and covering them with roses. To the media, he was "Cardiff Jack", to the rest of us he was a man to avoid and fear. Meanwhile, I was searching for Faye Collister, a prostitute. Why was Faye, a beautiful woman from a privileged background, walking the streets? Why had she disappeared? And what was her connection to Cardiff Jack? As questions tumbled into answers, I made a shocking discovery, a discovery that would resonate with me for the rest of my days. Ripper - the story of a week in my life that reshaped the past, disturbed the present and brought the promise of an uncertain future.
©2015 Hannah Howe (P)2016 Hannah Howe
Sins of the Father
Summary
For the first 33 years of my life I had no knowledge of my father, no idea what he looked like, his name, whether he was dead or alive. Then fate brought us together. Then, a year later, he decided to hire me. Although we had talked for a year, my father was still Gawain Morgan to me, a stranger, not my dad. Would the task of locating Frankie Quinn bring us closer together, or drive us further apart? Frankie Quinn was a con-man, a life-long villain, a member of my father's old gang. That's right, my father was a villain too, with dodgy contacts, a shady past and sins he preferred to forget. The police wanted Frankie and, if arrested, he faced the prospect of spending his final years in prison. However, he had a trump card, evidence of my father's indiscretions. Frankie was looking to cut a deal with the police, my father was looking for Frankie. They knew that one of them would spend the winter of their days in prison; but who would it be? Meanwhile, the clock was ticking towards my wedding day. Would I enjoy the happiest day of my life, or be left crying into my champagne? Sins of the Father, 10 days that defined my relationship with my dad.
©2016 Hannah Howe (P)2018 Hannah Howe
Stardust
Summary
Hired by multimillionaire Jeremy Loudon, my task was simple - find his missing briefcase. Loudon claimed that his briefcase held 10,000 pounds, his winnings from a poker game. However, as the trail unravelled and led to Europe my suspicions deepened. What was in Loudon's briefcase, beyond the money? Why was he being so evasive? Why did he insist on no police involvement? My search for the missing briefcase took me to pimps, pornographers, radical feminists, gun runners, and the Red Light District of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, my investigation held a mirror to my own life. Loudon had everything - more money than he could spend, a successful business and a beautiful lover. My business was doing well and my marriage offered plenty of love and happiness. Yet, encounters with my Dutch colleagues raised the question - should I ask for more out of life? Stardust, the story of one woman's dream and my hopes for the future. Please note, this book runs to 50,000 words.
©2017 Hannah Howe (P)2021 Hannah Howe
Love and Bullets
Summary
It had been a week since the incident at the abandoned quarry, a week since I'd shot and killed someone, a week since my ex-husband had been murdered. It had been an emotional week. But life goes on. I'd been hired to discover who was sending death threats to Dr. Ruth Carey, a controversial psychiatrist. The trail led to two high-powered villains and soon the death threats were aimed at me, threats that increased following two murders. Meanwhile, after years of domestic violence, I was trying to make sense of my private life. Dr. Alan Storey, a prominent psychologist, claimed that he loved me, and I was strongly attracted to him. But the years of domestic abuse had scarred me emotionally and I was reluctant to commit to a relationship.
©2015 Hannah Howe (P)2015 Hannah Howe
Family Honour
Summary
When the biggest villain in the country makes you an offer you can't refuse, what should you do? In my case, I decided to accept that offer, made by Mr. Vincent Vanzetti. Vanzetti hired me to find his missing daughter, Vittoria, while threatening reprisals should I fail in my task. While searching for Vittoria, I had to deal with the other members of the Vanzetti clan: Sherri, Vanzetti's second wife, at 22, the same age as Vittoria. Sherri was an "actress", a porn star with ambitions to appear on reality TV; Catrin, Vanzetti's granite-hard ex-wife, the power behind his criminal empire; and V.J. Parks, Vittoria's boyfriend, a boxer, a young man in his prime, in training for a shot at the world title. Meanwhile, closer to home, it was decision time for yours truly and my lover, Dr. Alan Storey. Alan was keen on marriage while I was still coming to terms with my past and years of physical abuse. Could I find the courage to finally lay the ghosts of my past and pledge my future to Alan? Family Honour, the story of a villain and his family, the story of a moral dilemma. Should I kill in the name of justice, or should I allow a villain to walk free? In answering that question I discovered a lot about myself and the person I longed to be.
©2016 Hannah Howe (P)2017 Hannah Howe
The Big Chill
Summary
Book Three in the Sam Smith Mystery Series. "Emergency!" "Christ! Who shot her?" "Don't know." "What a mess." "Better call Dr. Warburton." Bright lights. A sharp, antiseptic smell. Pain. Nausea. Feel so weak. The cat, who'll feed the cat? "Marlowe." "She's babbling." "She's lost a lot of blood." Blackness. "Have we lost her?" I don't want to die! A jumble of images, my mother, my father, but his face is so vague. "Daddy!" Nothing. A man scowling, with a needle. "I'm going to put you to sleep. You won't feel a thing. Just count backwards from ten...." "Ten, nine, eight...." Nightmares, very vivid, all too real. So confused. So weak. Distant voices. Laughter. A nurse, smiling, reassuring. Alan, tears in his eyes. "Don't cry, Alan, don't cry...." Aching all over. Can't move my shoulder or arm. Very tired. More nightmares, too black to dwell on; make them go away.... Sweating. Drowning. I catch my breath, like breathing for the first time. Eyes blink awake. Gasping. Try to rise, but head hurts too much. Fall back on to the pillow. I ache all over, but I'm alive! I was alive. But with a snowstorm gripping the city and with an unknown assassin closing in, I faced the most dangerous moment of my life and the very real prospect of feeling the big chill.
©2015 Hannah Howe (P)2016 Hannah Howe
Smoke and Mirrors (A Sam Smith Mystery)
Summary
The man in my office held a dark secret, a secret to kill for. That man was Tony Ryland, husband of local madam, Maria de Costa. Unfortunately for me, truth and justice, Tony Ryland was dead. What was Ryland doing in my office? Who had murdered him? What was the nature of his dark secret? The trail led to Ryland's wife, Maria de Costa, to her network of prostitutes and clients. Questions led to evasive answers, and more deaths. Someone was out to muddy the waters, to distort the truth, to bury the secret along with Tony Ryland. As I probed and prodded, I placed myself, family, and friends in danger. Ultimately, Ryland's murder left me with a question: What is of greater value, love, or the truth? Smoke and Mirrors, a tale of treachery, of duplicity and cover-ups, the story of a scandal that simmers within our society.
©2016 Hannah Howe (P)2020 Hannah Howe
Victory
Summary
Based on sensational true events, the concluding story in the Ann’s War Mystery series. The war is over and Ann’s community is preparing for the VE Day celebrations. However, not everyone is in a celebratory mood. Ann’s husband, Emrys, has returned from France, a shadow of the man who left to serve his country. What happened in France? What thoughts are weighing heavily on Emrys’ mind? Meanwhile, Doris Michael hires Ann to find her brother, Glyn, a man she hasn’t seen for two years. What has happened to Glyn? And what crucial part did he play in determining the outcome of the war? As Ann seeks answers, she realizes that even though the war is over, the true battle has only just begun, the battle to win the peace.
©2019 Hannah Howe (P)2020 Hannah Howe
The Hermit of Hisarya
Summary
Some people will stop at nothing in their pursuit of wealth and power. Indeed, the greedy will often resort to murder. "You've been through a stressful time recently," my fiancé, Dr. Alan Storey said. "I'm off to Bulgaria to attend a psychology conference so why don't you accompany me and we'll throw in a holiday as well." Great idea, I thought. However, when I arrived in Bulgaria my inquisitive nature impelled me towards a mystery dating back to the Second World War. That mystery involved Emil Angelov, the Hermit of Hisarya. As I delved into the past I stirred up some ghosts, which led to murder and the prospect of spending the rest of my days in a Bulgarian jail. The Hermit of Hisarya is a story of corruption, of murder, and a woman and her 70-year-old dream, offering proof that the past, the present and the future are all intrinsically entwined.
©2015 Hannah Howe (P)2016 Hannah Howe
Digging in the Dirt
Summary
Digging in the Dirt is book 12 in the Amazon number one Sam Smith Mystery series. Each book in the series contains a complete story and can be listened to as a stand-alone. Someone had posted a dead rat through Jana Jakubowska’s letterbox and scrawled obscene graffiti on her garden wall. Harmless pranks or something more sinister? Her boyfriend Tom Renwick hired me to find out. During my investigation, I met Jana’s charming four-year-old daughter Krystyna, her estranged former lover Matt Taylor, and a local hoodlum called Naz. As the case unfolded, the trail led to murder...and a situation that placed Krystyna in danger. The Rat Man had revealed his ruthless streak, but surely he wouldn’t harm a child? Meanwhile, my friend and colleague Faye Collister was trying to reconcile her troubled past with her feelings for Blake the Bodyguard, a handsome hunk. Digging in the Dirt is a story of passionate love and extreme hate.
©2017 Hannah Howe (P)2020 Hannah Howe
The Olive Tree: Roots
Summary
The Olive Tree - A Spanish Civil War Saga Set between April 1937 and December 1938, The Olive Tree is a mini-series of five novellas based on true events. The stories in The Olive Tree - Roots, Branches, Leaves, Fruit, and Flowers chronicle the lives of Heini Hopkins, a young nurse from an impoverished part of South Wales, and Naomi Parker, a wealthy author from a privileged background. In Roots, Heini is home in Wales nursing her sick mother while Naomi is attending launch parties for her latest novel. The civil war in Spain seems a world away, until the fascists bomb and destroy Guernica, murdering hundreds of men, women, and children. Heini’s boyfriend, Deiniol Price, a coal miner, feels he must rally to the Spanish Republic’s cause and volunteer for the International Brigades while Naomi’s paramour, Count Nicolas Esteban, a pilot, dreams of glory, fighting for the fascists. Should the women leave the safety of Wales for the bloody battlefields of Spain? And if they decide to follow their men, what fate awaits them? Please note: Each story contains approximately 15,000 words.
©2020 Hannah Howe (P)2021 Hannah Howe
Operation Zigzag
Summary
Eve’s War is a series of 12 novellas. Each book contains approximately 20,000 words and a complete story. Kindly note that Eve’s story arc will be concluded at the end of the series. Marseille, December 1942 “We’re in a fix,” Vincent said. “The Gestapo have captured a British agent, code name Zigzag. They picked him up through his false identity papers, only the thing is they haven’t discovered his true identity, yet. But they will. And he will talk. They all do in the end. And when he talks he will reveal secrets that will destroy the local resistance networks, including our own. But there’s a way out, through a guard. He’s open to bribes. We’d like you to meet the guard, bribe him, spring Zigzag from the Gestapo prison, then escort him over the mountain pass into Spain.” “Why me?” I asked. “Because you helped to establish the escape network. And you know the mountain trails like the back of your hand. Furthermore, as the wife of respected industrialist Michel Beringar, you are above suspicion.” I glanced at Michel. From the stern look on his face, I could tell that he wasn’t pleased. Was this one risk too many? And as for me being above suspicion...the Gestapo were following me and they were tapping my phone. As a child, I’d run away from home. As a teenager, I’d travelled the world, living on my wits. As a journalist, I’d witnessed atrocities inflicted in the name of fascism. As a member of the Resistance, I’d eyeballed fear and stared it down. For the past 30 years, I’d lived a full life. I could do this. However, even as I voiced my agreement I knew that my life in Marseille, my life with Michel, would never be the same. The books in series order: Operation Zigzag Operation Locksmith Operation Broadsword Operation Treasure Operation Sherlock Operation Cameo Operation Rose Operation Watchmaker Operation Overlord Operation Jedburgh Operation Butterfly Operation Liberty
©2020 Hannah Howe (P)2020 Hannah Howe