Janine Birkett has narrated 38 audiobooks on Listento.it by 16 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 421 ratings. The most-rated is The Darkest Evening.
The Darkest Evening
Summary
DCI Vera Stanhope returns in The Darkest Evening, the ninth novel in Sunday Times best seller Ann Cleeves' enduringly popular series. Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope's only thought is to get there quickly. But the snow is so heavy that she becomes disorientated and loses her way. Ploughing on, she sees a car slewed off the road ahead of her. With the driver's door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter, but when she inspects the car she is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat. Afraid they will freeze, Vera takes the child and drives on, arriving at Brockburn, a run-down stately home she immediately recognises as the house her father, Hector, grew up in. Inside Brockburn a party is in full swing, with music and laughter to herald the coming Christmas. But outside in the snow, a young woman lies dead, and Vera knows immediately she has a new case. Could this woman be the child's mother, and if so, what happened to her? A classic country house mystery with a contemporary twist, Ann Cleeves returns with a brilliant Vera novel to savour.
©2020 Ann Cleeves (P)2020 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd
The Crow Trap
Summary
Three very different women come together at isolated Baikie’s Cottage on the North Pennines to complete an environmental survey. Rachael, the team leader, is still reeling after a double betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Anne, a botanist, sees the survey as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace, a strange, uncommunicative young woman hiding plenty of her own secrets. Rachael is the first to arrive at the cottage, where she discovers the body of her friend, Bella Furness. Bella, it appears, has committed suicide - a verdict Rachael refuses to accept. When another death occurs, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope enters the picture....
©1999 Ann Cleeves (P)2018 Isis Publishing Ltd
Telling Tales
Summary
It has been 10 years since Jeanie Long was charged with the murder of 15-year-old Abigail Mantel. Now residents of the East Yorkshire village of Elvet are disturbed to hear of new evidence proving Jeanie’s innocence. Abigail’s killer is still at large. For one young woman, Emma Bennett, the revelation brings back haunting memories of her vibrant best friend - and of that fearful winter's day when she had discovered her body lying cold in a ditch. As Inspector Vera Stanhope makes fresh enquiries on the peninsula and villagers are hauled back to a time they hoped to forget, tensions begin to mount. But are people afraid of the killer or of their own guilty pasts?
©2005 Ann Cleeves (P)2019 Isis Publishing Ltd
The Seagull
Summary
A visit to her local prison brings DI Vera Stanhope face to face with an old enemy: former detective superintendent John Brace. Brace was convicted of corruption and involvement in the death of a gamekeeper - and Vera played a part in his downfall. Brace promises Vera information about the disappearance of Robbie Marshall, a notorious wheeler-dealer, if she will look out for his family. He tells her that Marshall is dead, his body buried close to St Mary's Island in Whitley Bay. However, officers find two skeletons. This cold case takes Vera back in time, and very close to home, as Brace and Marshall, along with a mysterious stranger known only as 'the Prof', were close friends of Hector, her father.
©2017 Ann Cleeves (P)2017 Isis Publishing Ltd
The Moth Catcher
Summary
Life seems perfect in Valley Farm, a quiet community in Northumberland. Until a shocking discovery. The owners of a big country house have employed a young ecologist named Patrick to look after the place while they're away. But Patrick is found dead by the side of the lane into the valley. DI Vera Stanhope arrives on the scene with her colleagues. When they look round the attic of the house - where Patrick has a flat - she finds a second body. All the two victims have in common is a fascination with moths. As Vera is drawn into the claustrophobic world of this increasingly strange community, she realises that there may be deadly secrets trapped here....
©2015 Ann Cleeves (P)2015 Isis Publishing Ltd
Hidden Depths
Summary
A hot summer on the Northumberland coast and Julie Armstrong arrives home from a night out to find her son strangled, laid out in a bath of water and covered with wildflowers. This stylised murder scene has Inspector Vera Stanhope intrigued. But then another body is discovered in a rock pool, the corpse again strewn with flowers. Vera must work quickly to find this killer who is making art out of death. As local residents are forced to share their deepest, darkest secrets, the killer watches, waits and plans to prepare another beautiful, watery grave....
©2007 Ann Cleeves (P)2019 Isis Publishing Ltd
The Glass Room
Summary
DI Vera Stanhope is not one to make friends easily, but when one of her neighbours goes missing, she feels duty-bound to find out what happened. It’s an easy job to track the young woman down to the Writers’ House, a country retreat where aspiring authors gather to work on their novels. But things get complicated when a body is discovered and Vera’s neighbour is found with a knife in her hand. Vera knows that she should hand the case over to someone else. But the investigation is too tempting and she’s never been one to follow the rules. Working with Sergeant Joe Ashworth, she starts the hunt for a murderer who has turned killing into an art form.
©2012 Ann Cleeves (P)2020 Isis Publishing Ltd
Silent Voices
Summary
When DI Vera Stanhope finds the body of a woman in the sauna room of her local gym, she wonders briefly if, for once in her life, she’s uncovered a simple death from natural causes. Then Vera spots ligature marks around the victim’s throat.... Vera revels being back in charge of an investigation again, working with Sergeant Joe Ashworth to find a motive. While Joe struggles to reconcile his home life with the demands of the case, death has never made Vera feel so alive. The duo investigates the victim’s past and discovers a shocking case, involving a young child. Probing the secretive community, they try to stop a killer in the present who can’t seem to let go of the past.
©2011 Ann Cleeves (P)2019 Isis Publishing Ltd
Harbour Street
Summary
As the snow falls thickly, Detective Joe Ashworth and his daughter, Jessie, are swept along in the crowd onto the Metro. But when the train is stopped, Jessie notices that an old lady hasn’t left the train: Margaret Krukowski has been fatally stabbed as she sat on the crowded train. Arriving at the scene, DI Vera Stanhope is relieved to have an excuse to escape the festivities. Soon Vera and Joe are on their way to the south Northumberland town of Mardle, where Margaret lived. Then a second woman is murdered. Retracing Margaret’s final steps, Vera finds herself searching deep into the hidden past of this seemingly innocent neighbourhood. Why are the residents of Harbour Street so reluctant to speak?
©2014 Ann Cleeves (P)2014 Isis Publishing Ltd
The Mallen Girl
Summary
Even as a child Barbara was beautiful, but as her beauty grew so did the affliction which shadowed it. She was becoming deaf. Yet living in an almost silent world protected her from what could be a worse affliction - to know the truth of her own origins. Barbara had another protector in Anna Brigmore, who knew that truth and was haunted by the thought it must one day be revealed to this girl she cherished like her own child. And among the surrounding hills and valleys of Northumberland, it was a long-relished scandal....
©1978 The Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust 1978 (P)2018 Story Sound
The Shipyard Girls
Summary
Sunderland, 1940, and the women go to the shipyards to do their bit for the war effort. Polly never dreamed she would be able to work in the shipyards like the men in her family but times are tough and her new job ends up giving her more than she ever expected when she meets enigmatic dock diver Tommy Watts. During the day, head welder Rosie teaches her fledgling flock of trainees their new trade, but at night she hides a secret life. And mother hen Gloria signs up to escape her brutal husband, but finds she cannot run from her problems. The Shipyard Girls start off as strangers - but end up forging an unbreakable bond of friendship in the most difficult times.
©2016 Nancy Revell (P)2017 Random House AudioBooks
The Land Girls at Christmas
Summary
'Calling all women!' It’s 1941, and as the Second World War rages on, girls from all over the country are signing up to the Women’s Land Army. Renowned for their camaraderie and spirit, it is these brave women who step in to take on the gruelling farm work from the men conscripted into the armed forces. When Yorkshire mill girl Una joins the cause, she wonders how she’ll adapt to country life. Luckily she’s quickly befriended by more experienced Land Girls Brenda and Grace. But as Christmas draws ever near, the girls’ resolve is tested as scandals and secrets are revealed, lovers risk being torn apart and even patriotic loyalties are called into question.... With only a week to go until the festivities, can the strain of wartime still allow for the magic of Christmas? A wonderful, festive tale of friendship, romance and triumph over adversity that fans of Daisy Styles, Donna Douglas and Call the Midwife will adore.
©2019 Jenny Holmes (P)2019 Penguin Audio
Courage of the Shipyard Girls
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
The sixth novel in the compelling Shipyard Girls series from Sunday Times best-selling author Nancy Revell.
Sunderland, 1942: Polly's heart and her future are hanging in the balance….
Polly’s sweetheart Tommy has been declared missing while serving overseas, and although there is no certainty that he is dead, there is no guarantee that he will return home. Now Polly needs her friends more than ever, and the other women welders are ready to rally around her while she waits for news.
The only one not showing support is shipyard manager Helen. But looks can be deceiving, and beneath her cold exterior, Helen is wrestling with demons of her own, including one life-changing decision that could lead to potential ruin.
As the war continues, the shipyard girls must support one another as they bravely soldier on.
©2019 Nancy Revell (P)2019 Random House Audiobooks
A Christmas Wish for the Shipyard Girls
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin. The ninth novel in the best-selling Shipyard Girls series. Sunderland, 1943: as Christmas approaches in the shipyards, everyone is hoping for a little magic.... Helen would love to find the courage to tell the dashing Dr Parker of her true feelings for him. But how can she when he clearly has eyes for someone else? More than a year has passed since Bel's wedding to sweetheart Joe. She knows she has much to feel thankful for and yet there is still one burning desire which she cannot ignore. And as Polly grows with child, she hopes against hope for a safe delivery - and that her husband, Tommy, can soon return from the front line to meet their new arrival. There will be storms to weather, but guided by their strength and friendship, there is still hope for each of the shipyard girls that their Christmas wishes will come true.
©2020 Nancy Revell (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Triumph of the Shipyard Girls
Summary
Sunderland, 1943: With the future of Britain so uncertain, the women are trying to keep their lives at home on an even keel. Head-welder Rosie is just about managing to keep her double life hidden from little sister Charlotte’s prying eyes. But Charlotte is nothing if not determined and, with a secret this big, something is bound to leak. And there is something odd about yard manager Helen’s newest recruit Bel. But in resolving to uncover the truth, Helen might discover more than she bargained for.... Only by rallying together will the shipyard girls finally triumph.
©2020 Nancy Revell (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Dead in the Dining Room
Summary
When the patriarch of Moorecliff Manor drops dead at dinner, it’s up to Aunt Araminta and her Siamese cats Arun and Sasha to uncover the identity of the killer. It will be no easy task as there is no shortage of suspects...including the butler. But Araminta soon finds herself with more questions than answers. What was the mysterious phone call about? Who has been removing heirlooms and why? How did they manage to get poison into Archie’s dinner and not poison everyone at the table? Who was the mystery man that Daisy met in the garden? And why does Harold, the butler, never answer the door? As Araminta and the cats follow the clues, it becomes clear that she will have a hard decision to make because the clues are pointing in one unmistakable direction - someone in the Moorecliff family is a cold-blooded killer.
©2021 Leighann Dobbs (P)2021 Leighann Dobbs Publishing
Victory for the Shipyard Girls
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin. The fifth novel in the compelling Shipyard Girls series by Sunday Times best-selling author Nancy Revell. Sunderland, 1942. With the war showing no sign of abating, Helen is thriving in her role as shipyard manager. But at home the return of her father brings a shocking discovery that tears her family apart. Gloria is shouldering the burden of a terrible secret. If the truth comes out there could be dire consequences, and it will take all her resolve to resist the pressure around her. Meanwhile Rosie is throwing herself into her work, taking on as many shifts as she can. Anything to keep her mind off the fact that she hasn’t heard from her sweetheart in months.... With life in the shipyards tougher than ever, will the strength of their friendship see them through to victory?
©2019 Nancy Revell (P)2019 Penguin Audio
When the War Is Over
Summary
Gwenda and Douglas Brady were among the millions of British children sent to live with new families for their own safety during the Second World War, leaving behind their parents, their friends and all that felt familiar and safe. Evacuation could be a scary experience, but five-year-old Gwenda and her brother were lucky enough to be housed with a kindly schoolmaster and his wife, and soon the realities of the war felt very far away. When the War Is Over touchingly tells the story of how Gwenda and Doug found a second family and a loving home in Bampton...and how the war touched the lives of everyone, even those far away from the big cities.
©2016 Barbara Fox (P)2016 Hachette Audio UK
Is the Vicar in, Pet?
Summary
In the heart of Ashington - a bustling Geordie mining town - a handsome red-brick vicarage, surrounded by rambling gardens, stands proudly among the rows of terraced houses. It is the perfect place for playing games, keeping secrets, and chasing the ghosts of previous occupants, and it will be nine-year-old Barbara's new home now that her father is to be vicar in this strange new place. In this charming memoir, Barbara Fox recalls a childhood where parishioners knocked on the door at all hours of the day and night, and where no one batted an eye at the collection of waifs and strays who regularly joined the family at the kitchen table. This is a warm-hearted, classic tale of family, community, and the unforgettable thrill of childhood adventure.
©2014 Barbara Fox (P)2014 Isis Publishing
The Mallen Litter
Summary
Each generation of the Mallen family has been cursed with a dramatic white streak in their jet-black hair. Barbara does not have the visible streak to identify her as a Mallen, but she has spent her life trying to forget her parentage - and the horrific circumstances behind her birth.
When her triplets - the Mallen litter - were born, she hoped that it would herald a new beginning. But it seems that one of her sons bears the Mallen streak - and that the Mallen curse will never die out....
©1974 The Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust (P)2018 Story Sound