James Bryce has narrated 37 audiobooks on Listento.it by 6 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.2★ across 32 ratings. The most-rated is A Little History of Religion.
A Little History of Religion
Summary
In an era of hardening religious attitudes and explosive religious violence, this book offers a welcome antidote. Richard Holloway retells the entire history of religion - from the dawn of religious belief to the 21st century - with deepest respect and a keen commitment to accuracy. Writing for those with faith and those without, and especially for young listeners, he encourages curiosity and tolerance, accentuates nuance and mystery and calmly restores a sense of the value of faith. Ranging far beyond the major world religions of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, Holloway also examines where religious belief comes from, the search for meaning throughout history, today's fascinations with Scientology and creationism, religiously motivated violence, hostilities between religious people and secularists and more. Holloway proves an empathic yet discerning guide to the enduring significance of faith and its power from ancient times to our own.
©2016 Richard Holloway (P)2016 Audible, Ltd
Skinner's Rules
Summary
As head of Edinburgh’s CID, Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Skinner has seen it all…but even he is shocked by the savagely mutilated corpse discovered in a dark alleyway. The victim is identified as a successful young lawyer, and the motive for the brutal death remains a mystery. Then further seemingly random killings in the city begin to suggest a vicious serial killer on the rampage. But when the lawyer’s fiancée is also murdered, Skinner realises that someone is in deadly earnest. What eventually emerges is an elaborate smokescreen shrouding a deep-rooted and intricate conspiracy. Now, whatever the danger to himself, Skinner is determined that in Edinburgh, at least, folk will abide by his rules.
©1993 Quintin Jardine (P)2013 Isis Publishing Ltd
Skinner's Trail
Summary
First the joyous birth of Skinner’s son… Then the grim reality of murder in ones of Edinburgh’s prosperous suburbs. A man has been found knifed in a luxury villa. The victim had run a chain of launderettes, saunas and pubs throughout the city, but for some time the police suspected these to be the front for a drug-distribution network. As the murder investigation continues without result, it seems the killer was particularly cunning in covering his tracks - leaving no clues or leads to pursue. But then another, seemingly minor, crime - involving property fraud - takes Assistant Chief Constable Bob Skinner in a new direction.
©1994 Quintin Jardine (P)2013 Isis Publishing Ltd
Skinner's Mission
Summary
When an Edinburgh car showroom is torched, leaving a charred body among the burnt-out luxury cars, Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner wonders if a life of crime has finally caught up with one of the city's most elusive villains. But the corpse turns out not to be that of Jackie Charles, the owner of the showroom, but his wife Carole. Skinner now finds himself on the same side as his old enemy. However, Skinner's number one priority is a murder much closer to home. Ever since memories of his first wife Myra's death resurfaced under hypnosis, the question of how she really died has become an obsession which could threaten his career, his marriage and even his sanity.
©1997 Quintin Jardine (P)2013 Isis Publishing Ltd
Private Investigations
Summary
Quintin Jardine's 26th Bob Skinner mystery sees the Edinburgh sleuth plunged into a gruelling new case in which no score will go unsettled. Former Chief Constable Bob Skinner has uncovered his fair share of crime scenes over his 30-year career. But few have affected him quite as much as the horrifying sight he finds stowed in the back of a stolen car that collides with his own on the outskirts of Edinburgh. As his former colleagues investigate the mystery, Skinner is left to take on the unusual challenge of tracing a million-pound yacht vanished from its mooring. From the outside the two events couldn't seem less connected. And yet, as the body count rises, a link surfaces that could provide the key to both. And as discord spreads within the newly unified Police Scotland, it will soon become clear whether Skinner is on the side of the angels...or working against them.
©2016 Portador Ltd (P)2016 Headline Digital
The Religions Book
Summary
This essential guide to religion, narrated by James Bryce, explains the key tenets and big ideas behind the world's five main religions - Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism - alongside newer faiths.
The Religions Book clearly explains the key concepts behind the earliest religious beliefs right up to the world's newest faiths, getting to the heart of what it means to believe with jargon-free descriptions that encapsulate every aspect of religious thinking. Examine major historical developments and ideas with a universal timeline, providing a global perspective on the origins and major events that have contributed to the growth and spread of religion and spirituality.
Along with the teaching highlights of pre-eminent figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Saint Paul, and Al-Ghazali, you'll also find a handy reference section featuring a road map to all the branches of the major faiths and the points of doctrine or tradition on which they differ. Modern alternative religions and spiritual beliefs from around the world are also explored and set into the context of the political, social, and cultural climates from which they emerged.
Compelling and accessible, The Religions Book audiobook is the perfect guide for students of religious studies or anyone interested in the ideas of ancient and present-day faiths and religious philosophies.
©2013 Dorling Kindersley Ltd (P)2019 DK Audio
Fatal Last Words
Summary
It's August and the Edinburgh International Book Festival is in full swing. The world of books is focused on Charlotte Square Gardens, so it's a considerable embarrassment when a successful crime writer and key member of the Scottish Parliament is found dead in the author tent. But is it natural causes? DCC Bob Skinner, on the edge of a career-defining moment, doesn't need this in his life. But the victim's phone was tapped, and a brother officer has a threatening visitor. A second victim begs the question: have the authors become targets themselves? Skinner is going to have to dig deep to solve it, even as his own world implodes and a famous friendship is shattered for ever...
©2009 Portador Ltd (P)2009 Isis Publishing Ltd
Murmuring the Judges
Summary
In Edinburgh's old Parliament House, an armed robbery trial is about to take a macabre turn. While the lawyers tussle over the evidence, the judge suddenly collapses in mortal agony--the victim of an apparent heart attack. For Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner, with his life finally back on track after the near-collapse of his marriage, the last thing he needs is to be faced with the most baffling case of his career. But as the wave of brutal robberies continues, it emerges that Lord Archergait's death may have been murder--and he's not the only judge whose life is in danger. With a gang of ruthless killers still at large, it's down to Skinner to piece together a puzzle of sinister complexity.
©2001 Quintin Jardin (P)2001 Isis Publishing Ltd
Lethal Intent
Summary
Four Albanian gangsters have infiltrated Edinburgh. They are smart guys, ruthless operators and deep undercover. MI5 are on their case and, unknown to DCC Bob Skinner and his men, they have set up a drug-dealing sting to flush the gangsters out. The resulting mayhem and violence throws everyone into confusion until the dust settles and they realise the gangsters are preparing a hit on a member of the Royal family - a certain prince who is attending St Andrew's University. Meanwhile, two high-ranking policemen mourn the loss of a son and a daughter in mysterious circumstances and another witnesses his son being abducted.
©2005 Portador Ltd (P)2005 Isis Publishing Ltd
Skinner's Ghosts
Summary
Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner could be forgiven for thinking that someone is out to get him. With his marriage already on the rocks, he suddenly finds his private life plastered across the pages of a tabloid. And then a woman already linked to Skinner by tragedy is found dead, with her young son a kidnap victim. Skinner finds himself at the centre of a deadly maze of conspiracy and unless he can clear his name he stands to lose everything.
©1998 Quintin Jardin (P)2000 Isis Publishing Ltd
Dead and Buried
Summary
DCC Bob Skinner has a failed marriage on his hands and a death on his conscience, but little time to deal with either as he faces the biggest challenge of his career within the secret corridors where dark power is wielded. But that isn't his only issue: he's also trying to protect his daughter from a stalker; a bookmaker has taken one gamble too many and paid his debt in a gruesome fashion; and a casual call to the chief constable sets him on a personal crusade, which quickly points to a bigamist at work. Or is it worse? Four crimes, four crises: can Skinner and his people solve them?
©2006 Portador Ltd (P)2006 Isis Publishing Ltd
Skinner's Festival
Summary
Every August thousands of tourists and performers flood into Edinburgh for its famous festival. But this year, on the very first day, an explosion rocks Princes Street, and a man is killed. A few hours later, a threatening letter is delivered to the Secretary of State – apparently from a freedom group – demanding political separation from England. Assistant Chief Constable Bob Skinner, head of CID, quickly assembles his team, with SAS backup. Yet, despite a huge security check, the escalating situation claims its second victim. Skinner begins to suspect that this is no ordinary group of bloodthristy fanatics, but skilled professionals with access to highly sophisticated weapons; a trained task force with an agenda that now threatens the ancient honour of Scotland…
©1994 Quintin Jardine (P)2013 Isis Publishing Ltd
Skinner's Round
Summary
The opening of an elite country club, marked by a prestigious golf tournament, turns to chaos when a man is found dead in the clubhouse jacuzzi – with his throat cut. When the murder is linked to a legendary witches’ curse, Assistant Chief Constable Bob Skinner thinks it’s fantasy. He’s more concerned with harsh reality than East Lothian’s past as a centre for witchcraft. But when another body is found, he must uncover the disturbing truth beneath a dark mythology…
©1995 Quintin Jardine (P)2013 Isis Publishing Ltd
Stay of Execution
Summary
As international terrorism stalks the city of Edinburgh, DCC Bob Skinner confronts his darkest demons. A small time crook stumbles upon a body hanging from a tree; a veteran from a Belgian marching band is killed in a hit and run incident and another dies of an apparent heart attack. Excitement on the streets is feverish as the city prepares for a rally to celebrate the return of Pope John the 25th to his home town. With the whole world watching, the security has to be bulletproof. But is there a chink in the armour and does Bob Skinner have the inner strength to find the answer to the biggest question of all?
©2004 Quintin Jardin (P)2004 Isis Publishing Ltd
Funeral Note
Summary
After a tip-off, a man's body is exhumed from a shallow grave in Edinburgh. Murder surely, yet he died from natural causes, so, case closed? Indeed was there ever a case? But Chief Constable Skinner and his people keep on digging. Who was the man, why was he buried so reverentially, and by whom? Meanwhile corruption is discovered within the force, and an investigation launched. Immersed in crises, his marriage heading for the rocks, Skinner finds his very career hanging in the balance, its fate beyond his control. Can he win out, or will his life implode?
©2012 Portador Ltd (P)2012 Isis Publishing Ltd
A Brush with Death
Summary
When millionaire Leo Speight is found poisoned at his Ayrshire mansion, Police Scotland has a tough case on its hands. The charismatic young Speight was a champion boxer with national hero status. A long list of lovers and friends stand to benefit from his estate. Did one of them decide to speed things up? Or was jealousy or rivalry the motive? Suspecting links to organised crime, the Security Service wants to stay close to the investigation. They have just the man to send in: ex-Chief Constable Bob Skinner. Skinner might have retired from the police force, but solving crimes is in his blood. Combining forces with DI Lottie Mann and DS Dan Provan of Serious Crimes, he's determined to see Speight's murderer put away for a long, long time. But there's a twist even Bob Skinner couldn't see coming....
©2018 Portador Ltd (P)2018 Headline Publishing Group Ltd.
Boxer and Doberman: The Complete Series 1 and 2
Summary
All six episodes of the gloriously gritty comedy crime drama. Taggart meets A Touch of Cloth in this parody police procedural featuring DI Bob Boxer and his sidekick DC Shona Doberman. They're an unlikely couple of cops - he's grizzled, old-school and wears a cardigan; she's young, instinctive and wields a Blackberry. But together they tackle cases so tough, they'd make Frost flinch and Rebus run away.... In Headless in Glasgow, a serial killer is targeting academics - can the duo track down the multiple murderer? The Killings in Kirkibrae sees them probing a link between some gruesome murders in Glasgow and some nasty deaths in an idyllic Highlands village. In The Big Cheese, Boxer falls into the clutches of a sadistic old enemy who exploits one of his deepest childhood terrors. Could a good cop really go bad? And in The Seat of Evil, Boxer and Doberman delve into a celebrity killing spree as the plot thickens like fog on the Clyde. Murder Is Child's Play finds two rival crime bosses competing for a coveted children's book award. With Glasgow campaigning to win 'European City of Kindness', can our detective duo prevent gang warfare? Finally, in The Black Widow, when Boxer and Doberman are called to investigate the brutal slaying of a popular Scottish actor, they become entangled (as you do) in a web of intrigue - one that gets even stickier when Boxer falls for the victim's seductive widow.... Written by Alastair Jessiman, this sparkling send-up of the dour detective genre stars Finlay Welsh as Bob Boxer and Anita Vettesse as Shona Doberman, with James Bryce as DCI Paton. WARNING: this recording contains strong language. Production credits Written by Alastair Jessiman Produced and directed by David Jackson Young BA: Carrie Gibbons Content Assistant: Patricia Hitchcock Studio Managers: Gregor Graham, Mic Calder, Ross Blackmore, Malcolm Torrie and Heather Andrews Starring Finlay Welsh as DI Bob Boxer, Anita Vettesse as DC Shona Doberman and James Bryce as DCI Paton Headless in Glasgow With Ralph Riach and Ann Scott-Jones First broadcast on BBC Radio 7, 23rd March 2009 The Killings in Kirkibrae With Sheila Donald, Carol Ann Crawford and Crawford Logan First broadcast on BBC Radio 7, 24th March 2009 The Big Cheese With Steven McNicoll, Eileen McCallum and Crawford Logan First broadcast on BBC Radio 7, 25th March 2009 The Seat of Evil With Steven McNicoll, Crawford Logan and Monica Gibb First broadcast on BBC Radio 7, 26th March 2009 Murder Is Child's Play Butcher Brawley - James Bryce Rosa Caputo - Ann Scott Jones "The Shadow" - Cameron McNee Joe Macnamarra - Alastair Jessiman First broadcast on BBC Radio 7, 6th December 2010 The Black Widow Marion Swann - Juliet Cadzow Mackenzie Baxter - Sean Scanlan Joe Macnamarra - Alastair Jessiman With James MacPherson First broadcast on BBC Radio 7, 7th December 2010
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Death's Door
Summary
When two young female artists are murdered in what looks like ritualistic killings, the pressure is on to find a highly professional murderer. The arrival of the father of one of the victims, millionaire businessman Davor Boras, brings in the big guns of the Home Office, MI5, and the CIA. It isn't long before Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner gets called back to the front line in a case that is as deadly as it is mysterious. There's too much at stake and there's going to be bloodshed - and Skinner's men are at risk of getting caught in the crossfire.
©2007 Portador Ltd (P)2007 Isis Publishing Ltd
Head Shot
Summary
Assistant Chief Constable Bob Skinner's legendary cool is shaken when he's faced with the bodies of his wife's parents, who have been brutally murdered. At the death scene in New York state, Skinner's out of his jurisdiction, but he's not going to let that stop him shaping the investigation. Soon it's clear that there's a killer hunting down a group of men with links that go back to the 1960s, and that he's acting on instructions from highly placed sources. But just how high? Meanwhile, back in Edinburgh, Detective Superintendent Maggie Rose and her husband, Mario, divisional CID commander, could soon bring their days in the police force crashing to a halt. And Skinner's not on hand to give advice.
©2002 Quintin Jardin (P)2002 Isis Publishing Ltd
Love and War in the Apennines
Summary
Hailed as Newby's 'masterpiece', Love and War in the Apennines is the gripping real-life story of Newby's imprisonment and escape from an Italian prison camp during World War II. After the Italian Armistice of 1943, Eric Newby escaped from the prison camp in which he'd been held for a year. He evaded the German army by hiding in the caves and forests of Fontanellato, in Italy's Po Valley. Against this picturesque backdrop, he was sheltered for three months by an informal network of Italian peasants who fed, supported and nursed him before his eventual recapture. Love and War in the Apennines is Newby's tribute to the selfless and courageous people who were to be his saviours and companions during this troubled time and of their bleak and unchanging way of life. Of the cast of idiosyncratic characters, most notable was the beautiful local girl on a bike who would teach him the language and eventually help him escape; two years later they were married and would spend the rest of their lives as co-adventurers. Part travelogue, part escape story and part romance, this is a mesmerising account of wisdom, courage, humour and adventure and tells the story of the early life of a man who would become one of Britain's best loved literary adventurers.
©2019 Eric Newby (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited