Davina Porter has narrated 132 audiobooks on Listento.it by 46 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 8,179 ratings. The most-rated is Outlander.
The Outlandish Companion (Revised and Updated)
Summary
Number-one New York Times best-selling author Diana Gabaldon has captivated millions with her critically acclaimed Outlander novels, the inspiration for the Starz original series. From the moment Claire Randall stepped through a standing stone circle and was thrown back in time to the year 1743 - and into a world that threatens life, limb, loyalty, heart, soul, and everything else Claire has - fans have been hungry to know everything about this world and its inhabitants, particularly a Scottish soldier named Jamie Fraser. In this beautifully written compendium of all things Outlandish, Gabaldon covers the first four novels of the main series. Including: Full synopses of Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, and Drums of Autumn A complete listing of the characters (fictional and historical) in the first four novels in the series as well as family trees and genealogical notes A comprehensive glossary and pronunciation guide to Gaelic terms and usage The Gabaldon Theory of Time Travel, explained Frequently asked questions to the author and her (sometimes surprising) answers An annotated bibliography Essays about medicine and magic in the 18th century, researching historical fiction, creating characters, and more Professionally cast horoscopes for Jamie and Claire The making of the TV series: how we got there from here and what happened next (including "My Brief Career as a TV Actor") Behind-the-scenes stories from the Outlander TV series set. For anyone who wants to spend more time with the Outlander characters and the world they inhabit, Diana Gabaldon here opens a door through the standing stones and offers a guided tour of what lies within.
©1999 Diana Gabaldon (P)2015 Recorded Books
Innocent Traitor
Summary
New York Times best-selling author Alison Weir has earned her reputation as the preeminent historian of British royalty. Now with Innocent Traitor, Weir utilizes her vast knowledge and captivating narrative style to craft her first historical novel, choosing Lady Jane Grey, the most sympathetic heroine of Tudor England, as her enthralling subject. The child of a scheming father and ruthless mother, Jane is born during a time when ambition dictates action. Cousin to Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I, she is merely a pawn in a political and religious game in which one false step means a certain demise. But Lady Jane has remarkable qualities that help her to withstand the constant pressures of the royal machinery far better than most expect. Weir's striking novel sweeps readers back through the centuries to witness firsthand one of the most poignant tales from a time of constant scheming and power brokering.
©2007 Alison Weir (P)2007 Recorded Books, LLC
Wolf of Wessex
Summary
AD 838. Deep in the forests of Wessex, Dunston's solitary existence is shattered when he stumbles on a mutilated corpse. Accused of the murder, Dunston must clear his name and keep the dead man's daughter alive in the face of savage pursuers desperate to prevent a terrible secret from being revealed. Rushing through Wessex, Dunston will need to use all the skills of survival garnered from a lifetime in the wilderness. And if he has any hope of victory against the implacable enemies on their trail, he must confront his past - becoming the man he once was and embracing traits he had promised he would never return to. The Wolf of Wessex must hunt again; honour and duty demand it.
©2019 Matthew Harffy (P)2020 Head of Zeus
Lady Fortescue Steps Out
Summary
Life is not easy for the poor relations of England’s upper crust, but fate and clever schemes bring them together. Lady Fortescue and Colonel Sandhurst hatch a plan: What if they were to transform her decrepit Bond Street home into a posh hotel, offering their guests the pleasure of being waited upon by nobility? With the help of other down-and-out aristocrats, they do just that, and London’s newest hotel, The Poor Relation, is born. The establishment is an immediate hit with London’s most illustrious citizens, save the Duke of Rowcester, Lady Fortescue’s nephew. Rowcester believes that his aunt’s entry into the trade will denigrate their family name and is determined to shut the hotel down - until he meets Miss Harriett James, the lovely young woman who accepts Lady Fortescue’s offer to become The Poor Relation’s chef after the death of her parents and the loss of her fortune. Rowcester moves into The Poor Relation for the season - ostensibly to keep an eye on his aunt’s business.
©1992 Marion Chesney (P)2012 AudioGO
The Cater Street Hangman
Summary
The Cater Street Hangman is the first of Anne Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries. Set in the Victorian era, it is an elegant and complex mystery full of well-drawn characters and rich period detail. When a maid in the upper class Ellison household is strangled, Inspector Pitt is called in to investigate. He finds a world ruled by strict manners and social customs, where the inhabitants of the Ellison's neighborhood appear to be more outraged by the thought of scandal than they are by murder. Inspector Pitt finds a most unlikely ally in Charlotte, the Ellison's spirited daughter. But as the murders continue, Charlotte and Pitt find themselves drawn together by more than the investigation.
©2005 Linda Lael Miller (P)2007 Recorded Books,LLC
Blind Justice
Summary
New York Times best-selling author Anne Perry transports listeners back to the Victorian era with her William Monk novels. In Blind Justice, mystery abounds in London as Hester Monk, wife of Thames River Police Commander William Monk, questions Abel Taft - a charismatic preacher accused of extortion. Taft appears guilty as sin, but his trial explodes when a star witness drops a bombshell that has the Monks scrambling to save their dear friend Oliver Rathbone.
©2013 Anne Perry (P)2013 Recorded Books
A Sudden, Fearful Death
Summary
Anne Perry's Victorian murder mysteries have enthralled millions with their evocative atmosphere and finely-crafted suspense. Now, in this mesmerizing best seller, the star of these mysteries, Inspector William Monk, returns to solve the most heartbreaking case of his career. Prudence Barrymore braved the horrors of war to nurse the wounded on the battlefronts of the Crimea. Shortly after she returned to England, she was strangled to death in a hospital. Inspector Monk is instantly convinced that her death was not a random act of violence, but a deliberately-plotted murder. Who would murder the courageous young nurse? And why? With the help of Prudence's friend, Nurse Hester Latterly, Inspector Monk works feverishly to find the answers. In an explosive courtroom confrontation, he will expose a cunning murderer, and a horrifying evil that threatens every woman in England. For all Inspector Monk fans, and for all listeners encountering this extraordinary mystery series for the first time, A Sudden, Fearful Death is an unforgettable listening experience.
©1993 Anne Perry (P)1996 Recorded Books, Inc.
The Outlandish Companion Volume Two
Summary
More than a decade ago, number-one New York Times best-selling author Diana Gabaldon delighted her legions of fans with The Outlandish Companion, an indispensable guide to all the Outlander books at the time. But that edition was just a taste of things to come. Since that publication, there have been four more Outlander novels, a side series, assorted novellas, and one smash-hit Starz original television series. Now Gabaldon serves up The Outlandish Companion, Volume Two, an all-new guide to the latest books in the series. Written with Gabaldon's signature wit and intelligence, this compendium is bursting with generous commentary and juicy insider details, including - a complete chronology of the series thus far - full synopses of A Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, An Echo in the Bone, and Written in My Own Heart's Blood - recaps of the Lord John Grey novels: Lord John and the Private Matter, Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, Lord John and the Hand of Devils, and The Scottish Prisoner - a who's who of the cast of Outlander characters, cross-referenced by book - detailed maps and floor plans - an annotated bibliography - essays on subjects as wide ranging as Outlandish controversies regarding sex and violence, the unique responsibilities of a writer of historical fiction, and Gabaldon's writing process - a guided tour of the clothes, food, and music of the 18th century - a Gaelic glossary and pronunciation guide - personal photos from the author taken on the set of the Starz Outlander series As entertaining, sweeping, and addictive as the series itself, this second volume of The Outlandish Companion is a one (or two)-of-a-kind gift from an incomparable author.
©2015 Diana Gabaldon (P)2015 Recorded Books
The Quiet Side of Passion
Summary
Isabel Dalhousie grapples with complex matters of the heart as she tries to juggle her responsibilities to friends, family, and the philosophical community. With two small boys to raise, a mountain or articles to edit for the Review of Applied Ethics, and the ever-increasing demands of her niece, Cat, who always seems to need a helping hand at the deli, Isabel barely has any time for herself. Her husband, Jamie, suggests acquiring extra help, and she reluctantly agrees. In no time at all, Isabel and Jamie have a new au pair, and Isabel hires an intelligent assistant editor to share her workload.
©2018 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2018 Recorded Books
An Expert in Murder
Summary
March 1934. Revered mystery writer Josephine Tey is traveling from Scotland to London for the final week of her play Richard of Bordeaux, the surprise hit of the season, with pacifist themes that resonate in a world still haunted by war. But joy turns to horror when her arrival coincides with the murder of a young woman she had befriended on the train ride - and Tey is plunged into a mystery as puzzling as any in her own works. Detective Inspector Archie Penrose is convinced that the killing is connected to the play, and that Tey herself is in danger of becoming a victim of her own success. In the aftermath of a second murder, the writer and the policeman must join together to stop a ruthless killer who will apparently stop at nothing.
©2008 Nicola Upson. All rights reserved. (P)2011 AudioGo
A Suitable Vengeance
Summary
Award-winning author Elizabeth George gives us an early glimpse into the lives of Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, forensic scientist Simon Allcourt-St. James, and Lady Helen Clyde in a superlative mystery that is also a fascinating inquiry into the crimes of the heart. Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton, has brought to Howenstow, his family home, the young woman he has asked to be his bride. But the savage murder of a local journalist is the catalyst for a lethal series of events that shatters the calm of a picturesque Cornwall village and embroils Lynley and St. James in a case far outside their jurisdiction - and a little too close to home. When a second death follows closely on the heels of the first, Lynley finds he can't help taking the investigation personally - because the evidence points to a killer within his own family.
©1991 Susan Elizabeth George (P)1993 Recorded Books
Shadow Music
Summary
Throughout her acclaimed writing career, Julie Garwood has captivated readers with characters who are compelling, daring, and bursting with life. Now one of the most popular novelists of our time proudly returns to her beloved historical romance roots in a thrilling tale of love, murder, adventure, and mystery set against the haunting landscape of medieval Scotland. For Princess Gabrielle of St. Biel, Scotland is a land of stunning vistas, wild chieftains, treacherous glens, and steep shadows - skullduggery, betrayal, and now murder. Prized for her exquisite beauty, the daughter of one of England's most influential barons, Gabrielle is also a perfect bargaining chip for a king who needs peace in the Highlands: King John has arranged Gabrielle's marriage to a good and gentle laird. But this marriage will never take place. For Gabrielle, everything changes in one last burst of freedom - when she and her guards come upon a scene of unimaginable cruelty. With one shot from her bow and arrow, Gabrielle takes a life, saves a life, and begins a war. Within days, the Highlands are aflame with passions as a battle royal flares between enemies old and new. Having come to Scotland to be married, Gabrielle is instead entangled in Highland intrigue. For two sadistic noblemen, underestimating Gabrielle's bravery and prowess may prove fatal. But thanks to a secret Gabrielle possesses, Colm MacHugh, the most feared man in Scotland, finds a new cause for courage. Under his penetrating gaze, neither Gabrielle's body nor heart is safe. A gripping novel that delves into the heart of emotion - unyielding passions of love, hate, revenge, and raw desire - Shadow Music is magnificent gift from Julie Garwood and a crowning achievement in her amazing career.
©2007 Julie Garwood (P)2007 Random House, Inc.
Resurrection Row
Summary
Fourth in the series of Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries, Anne Perry's Resurrection Row explores the dark undercurrents that run through the lives of the idle rich in Victorian England. After a wonderful night at the theatre, Thomas and Charlotte find themselves confronted with a corpse in the driver's seat of a cab. Even more shocking, it is the body of a peer who had been decently buried the week before. While the doctor insists Lord Fitzroy-Hammond died a natural death, the Pitts find the situation anything but natural. Determined to get to the bottom of things, Inspector Pitt begins his investigation within the proper channels while his intrepid wife, Charlotte, renews a tie from her past to get inside Lord Fitzroy-Hammond's world. But as they dig their way closer the truth, they find themselves in danger from forces who will do anything to keep it buried.
©2001 Anne Perry (P)2001 Recorded Books, Inc.
Paragon Walk
Summary
In the posh London street of Paragon Walk, a young woman is brutally raped and murdered. Once again the incomparable team of sleuths, Inspector Thomas Pitt and his young wife, Charlotte, peer beneath the elegant masks of the well-born suspects and reveal that something ugly lurks behind the handsome facades of Paragon Walk, something that could lead to more scandal, and more murder.
©1981 Anne Perry (P)2001 Recorded Books
Hiss and Hers
Summary
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of everyone's favorite sleuth, M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin is as feisty as ever - armed with her famous wit and biting sense of humor. This time, though, there's some biting of a whole other sort going on. Agatha has fallen head over heels in love - again. This time, she has her eye on the local gardener, George Marston, but so do other women in their little Cotswold village. Shamelessly determined, Agatha will do anything to get her man - including footing the bill for a charity ball just for the chance to dance with him. And then George doesn't even show up. Only partly deterred, Agatha goes looking for him, and finds his dead body in a compost heap. Murder is definitely afoot, but this killer chose no ordinary weapon: A poisonous snake delivered the fatal strike. Rising to the occasion, Agatha rallies her little detective agency to find the killer, only to learn that George had quite a complicated love life. But murderously complicated? Well, if she can't have George, at least Agatha can have the satisfaction of confronting the other women and solving the crime.
©2012 M. C. Beaton (P)2012 AudioGO
Death on Blackheath
Summary
Anne Perry's superb New York Times best-selling novels set in the glorious reign of Victoria are loved by listeners far and wide. Now, with this new Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery, Perry returns us to that charmed era, when wealth and power rule - but where, alas, poisonous corruption lies coiled in the heart of empire. As commander of the powerful Special Branch, Thomas Pitt has the job of keeping Britain safe from spies and traitors. So there' s no obvious reason why he is suddenly ordered to investigate two minor incidents: the blood, hair, and shards of glass discovered outside the home of naval weapons expert Dudley Kynaston, and the simultaneous disappearance of Mrs. Kynaston' s beautiful lady's maid. But weeks later, when the mutilated body of an unidentified young woman is found near Kynaston' s home, Pitt realizes that this is no ordinary police investigation. Far from it. Is Kynaston - one of Britain's most valuable scientists - leading a double life? Is Pitt saddled with a conspiracy so devilishly clever that it will ruin him? A baffled Pitt has never needed his friends more desperately, including his indomitable wife, Charlotte; his canny old colleague Victor Narraway; and his personal drawing-room spy, Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. But even these allies may not be able to save Pitt - or Britain. Only Anne Perry could have created the tense unfolding of plot and counterplot, love and betrayal, scandal and murder that follows. Death on Blackheath is rich with fascinating characters, authentic period flavor, knife' s-edge suspense, and a haunting, unforgettable denouement.
©2014 Anne Perry (P)2014 Recorded Books
The Apothecary's Daughter
Summary
In this poignant Regency gem by Christy Award finalist Julie Klassen, Lillian longs to soar beyond her provincial limits. After enjoying London's sophisticated society and the attentions of wealthy suitors, Lilly returns home to help her ailing dad. Determined to resurrect his apothecary business, Lilly labors tirelessly - praying her family's secrets and her rivals' schemes won't cloud her future.
©2008 Julie Klassen (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC
Prime Suspect #1
Summary
In the dark night of the soul… If Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison hadn't been a woman, she might not have noticed the victim's shoes…and that they didn't match the size given on the info sheet now so obviously misidentifying the dead blonde as a hooker named Della Mornay. Being so thorough, so good at the details, made Jane a top investigator; being a woman made the boys in the squadron want to see her fall on her face. But Jane Tennison was determined to catch the madman stalking women in London's street shadows. She had a prime suspect, and she needed to make the charges against him stick. She also needed to keep her own secret in check: she couldn't let anyone see that she was falling apart inside, as her obsession with cracking this case and breaking out from under the heel of the station house boy's club took over life, destroying her relationship with the man she loved, pushing her closer and closer to the dark urges of a killer…
©2012 AudioGO (P)1991 Lynda La Plante
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Summary
Tess Durbeyfield, a peasant girl and cast-off descendant of English aristocracy, has become one of the most famous female protagonists in 19th-century British literature. Betrayed by the two men in her life - Alec D’Urberville, her seducer/rapist and father of her fated child; and Angel, her intellectual and pious husband - Tess takes justice, and her own destiny, into her delicate hands. In telling her desperate and passionate story, Hardy brings Tess to life with an extraordinary vividness that makes her live in the heart of the reader long after the novel is concluded.
Public Domain (P)1994 Recorded Books, LLC
The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling
Summary
Author Peter Ackroyd has won the Somerset Maugham Award, the Whitbread Novel of the Year, and the Guardian Fiction Prize, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s immortal work, this retelling of The Canterbury Tales follows a party of travelers as they tell stories amongst themselves about love and chivalry, saints and legends, travel and adventure. Through allegory, satire, and humor, the tales help pass the time during their journey.
©2009 Peter Ackroyd (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC