Norman Gilligan has narrated 15 audiobooks on Listento.it by 9 authors, with an average listener rating of 5★ across 5 ratings. The most-rated is Invisible Jews.
When Computing Got Personal
Summary
This is the story of how a handful of geeks and mavericks dragged the computer out of corporate back rooms and laboratories and into our living rooms and offices. It is a tale not only of extraordinary innovation and vision but also of cunning business deals, boardroom tantrums and acrimonious lawsuits. Here you will find some of the most intelligent and eccentric people you could hope to meet, including wide-eyed hippies, subversive students, computer nerds, entrepreneurs, hackers, crackers and financial backers. Some lost out and some became millionaires, but all played a part in transforming our world.
©2014 Matt Nicholson (P)2015 Matt Nicholson
Invisible Jews
Summary
Eddie Bielawski was born in the town of Wegrow in Poland in mid-1938. Not a propitious time and place for a Jewish child to be born. As a young child, he sees the Nazi army marching toward Russia. Day and night they marched - soldiers, trucks, tanks, and more soldiers, in a never-ending line - an invincible force. Eddie heard his father tell his mother, "Who is going to stop them?" One night, his father had a dream. In this dream, he saw what he had to do: where to build the bunker, how to build it, and even its dimensions. It took him three weeks to finish the job. When he was done, he took his family into the shed and asked them if they could find the trap door. When they could not, he was satisfied. This would be their Noah's Ark, saving them from the initial deluge. For three long years, starting in 1941 when the Nazis started the deportations and mass killings, Eddie and his family hid in secret bunkers that were dug in fields, under sheds, or constructed in barn lofts. It seemed that the only way a Jew could survive in wartime Poland was to become invisible. So they became invisible Jews. "Inspiring to read of their resilience, ingenuity, and courage in overcoming almost unbearable circumstances. I highly recommend this great read!” (Cathie Johnson) "If you read Anne Frank, then read this! So amazing and inspiring." (Virginia Cummings)
©2017 Eddie Bielawski (P)2017 Eddie Bielawski
Jack the Ripper: The 21st-Century Investigation
Summary
There have been countless attempts to solve the brutal murders committed by Jack the Ripper more than 100 years ago. It seems that almost everyone has their own theory and their own suspect, ranging from the reasonably likely to the entirely preposterous. What this most famous of British criminal cases has always required is a professional eye to analyse it with all the benefits of modern investigate techniques. Now that has been provided in the shape of the man most qualified to solve the case: former British murder-squad detective Trevor Marriott. His long and arduous investigation dispels the rumours, fantasies, and urban legends that have for so long stalked through the shadowy world of this vile killer. The results are startling: for many years it has been accepted that Jack the Ripper killed only five. But now, it can be revealed that up to nine were victims. And, most astonishing of all, a new prime suspect never previously considered has emerged, with evidence linking him not only to the Whitechapel cases, but to murders all over the world. Jack the Ripper: the 21st Century Investigations reveals the Ripper's true identity at last, and the fate that befell him.
©2007 John Blake Publishing (P)2012 Prospero Media
Free Capital
Summary
Wouldn't life be better if you were free of the daily grind - the conventional job and boss - and instead succeeded or failed purely on the merits of your own investment choices? Free Capital is a window into this world. Based on a series of interviews, it outlines the investing strategies, wisdom and lifestyles of 12 highly successful private investors. Each of them has accumulated £1m or more - in most cases considerably more - mainly from stock market investment. Six are 'ISA millionaires' who have £1m or more in a tax-free ISA, a result which is arithmetically impossible without exceptional investment returns. Some have several academic degrees or strong City backgrounds; others left school with few qualifications and are entirely self-taught as investors. Some invest most of their money in very few shares and hold them for years at a time; others make dozens of trades every day, and hold them for at most a few hours. Some are inveterate networkers, who spend their day talking to managers at companies in which they invest; for others a share is just a symbol on a screen, and a price chart shows most of what they need to know to make their trading decisions. Free capital - money surplus to immediate living expenses - is the raw material with which these investors work. It can also be thought of as their psychological habitat, free from the petty tribulations of office politics. Lastly, free capital describes the footloose nature of their assets, which can be quickly redirected towards any type of investment anywhere in the world, without the constraints which institutional investors often face. Although it presents many advanced insights and valuable investment hints, this is not an overly technical book. It offers practical ideas and inspiration, with revealing detail and minimal jargon, making it an indispensable read for novice and experienced investors alike.
©2011 Harriman House (P)2013 Prospero Media
The Scattered Flock
Summary
Jana Petken presents The Scattered Flock, a suspenseful, compelling sequel to the multi-award-winning The Errant Flock. David Sanz’s journey south is halted abruptly after a devastating turn of events. In a tense battle for survival against thieves and the militia he has been fleeing from, he finds himself shackled and incarcerated in the prison he once guarded. The Duke of Sagrat’s brother, Rafael Perato, has survived the war and the royal court’s treacherous intrigues, but when news of his brother’s death reaches their Most Catholic Majesties his life is thrown into turmoil. Banished by the king, and tasked with carrying out insurmountable missions, he becomes entangled in a web of deadly plots and subterfuge that threaten not only Sagrat but his very life. In this fast paced epic, David Sanz and Rafael Perato face adversaries more devious and powerful than themselves, and it is only faith, courage, and unlikely alliances that may save them both from the Inquisitor and the deadly marauder Alejandro.
©2017 Jana Petken (P)2018 Cherry Hill Publishing, LLC
The Errant Flock
Summary
Valencia, Spain, 1491. The ambitions of four men collide in a deadly game of intrigue. David Sanz, a young militiaman, is forced to carry out a heinous crime, and he becomes an unwitting pawn in a tense battle for power. Luis Peráto, the duke of Sagrat, sacrifices his own people to cover up dark secrets that could see him burnt at the stake for treason. Sergio Garcia, Sagrat’s lord treasurer, is a cruel and unscrupulous man, willing to eliminate anyone who opposes his rise to power. The inquisitor, Gaspar de Amo, zealously punishes heretics for their sins against Rome and her Holy Office. But bringing the Inquisition to the town of Sagrat proves more challenging than he or the church could ever have envisaged. In the midst of chaos, the people of Sagrat, terrorized by a series of murders, face an even greater danger with the arrival of the Inquisition and the unimaginable horrors it brings.
©2015 Jana Petken (P)2018 Cherry Hill Publishing, LLC
Murders of Merseyside
Summary
In this compelling study of true crime, Liverpool's most popular author Tom Slemen recounts some of the most intriguing and baffling murders of Merseyside such as: The baffling case of the Victorian canned corpse The magistrate's beautiful granddaughter who was killed by a crazed admirer The condemned man who was hanged twice Frederick Deeming - the Rainhill psychopath who wiped out his own family and danced on their grave with his next victim The bizarre link between a South Seas cult and the housewife who was stabbed fourteen times in her Knotty Ash home by a killer who struck under the cover of a fog The unsolved case of the superintendent and his son who died of gunshot wounds under mysterious circumstances - in a police station The enigmatic murder of Julia Wallace - and a very credible solution The only assassination of a British prime minister - by a Liverpool businessman Plus many more fascinating murder cases. This fascinating book is a must for all readers of true crime in general and Liverpudlians and Merseysiders in particular.
©2010 Tom Slemen (P)2014 Tom Slemen
The Amistad
Summary
"25,000 slaves were brought into Cuba every year - with the wrongful compliance of, and personal profit by, Spanish officials." - Dr. Richard Madden "Now, the unfortunate Africans whose case is the subject of the present representation, have been thrown by accidental circumstances into the hands of the authorities of the United States Government whether these persons shall recover the freedom to which they are entitled, or whether they shall be reduced to slavery, in violation of known laws and contracts publicly passed, prohibiting the continuance of the African slave trade by Spanish subjects." - Henry Stephen Fox, British diplomat By the early 19th century, several European nations had banned slavery, but while the United States had banned the international slave trade, slavery was still legal in the country itself. As a result, there was still a strong financial motive for merchants and slave traders to attempt to bring slaves to the Western hemisphere, and a lot of profits to be gained from successfully sneaking slaves into the American South and the Caribbean by way of locations like Havana, Cuba. At the same time, the cruelties of the slave trade often led to desperate attempts by slaves or would-be slaves to avoid the horrific fate that they were either experiencing or about to face. In 1831, Nat Turner's revolt shocked the South and scared plantation owners across the country, while also bringing the issue of slavery to the forefront of the national debate.
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors
Haunted Liverpool 26
Summary
Welcome to the 26th volume in the legendary Haunted Liverpool series of books from cult writer Tom Slemen. Haunted Liverpool 26 will challenge your most basic perceptions about the universe you live in, and undermine your assumptions about reality itself. Liverpool and the Northwest of England is teeming with ghosts, witches, fallen angels, timeslips, test-tube supermen, weird reptilian humanoids, and some of the weirdest and most nightmarish apparitions in the paranormal sphere. Tom Slemen once again takes us on a terrifying rollercoaster ride through of the unknown, to places that most explorers of the supernatural have not even perceived yet.
©2015 Tom Slemen (P)2016 Tom Slemen
Decimus Fate and the Talisman of Dreams
Summary
When the members of a remote monastery are struck down by a mysterious illness, they enlist the aid of a former demon hunter and a man known as the Sage of Blackfell House. Setting out to find a cure, they soon find themselves caught in a web of danger from ruthless crime lords, vengeful assassins, and evil magic users who draw their power from the realm of demons. But why should a mission of mercy attract such grave and dangerous threats? Because the Sage of Blackfell House was once a feared and notorious sorcerer, and his name is Decimus Fate.
©2020 Peter A. Flannery (P)2020 Cherry Hill Publishing
The Gathering of the Damned
Summary
The Sagrat militiamen suspend their hunt for Alejandro and return to Valencia to discover that they have become the prey. When Rafael Perato is abducted at the Inquisitor’s funeral, he finds himself facing a new and dangerous enemy. What his captor wants with him is unclear, but as the days turn to weeks, Rafael is plunged deeper and deeper into a web of deceit and betrayal. David Sanz is marked for death after he uncovers a deadly secret and must choose between his duty to find Rafael Perato and his need to evade capture. Brilliant characters and riveting plots make The Gathering of the Damned an epic conclusion to the Flock Trilogy.
©2017 Jana Petken (P)2019 Cherry Hill Publishing
The Vogels: On All Fronts
Summary
European citizens feel the full force of German injustice, but not all are willing to bend the knee. From France to Poland, Resistance groups fight from the shadows to thwart Nazi rule and hinder their goal to exterminate Jews. In Russia, Wilmot Vogel struggles to survive the ravages of a frigid winter, compounded by the German army’s lack of progress. Hit by a surprise Russian attack on the front lines, however, he finds himself facing an even greater challenge than the freezing weather and Soviet bullets. In Lódz, Poland, an idealistic doctor is resolved to oppose the Third Reich, but is he willing to betray his country? Will a Gestapo major find the answers he’s looking for? Can a ghetto Jew avoid transportation to a Nazi extermination camp? Can two spies rekindle their friendship, or will past betrayals become hurdles too great to surmount? Can Britain’s MI6 maintain the upper hand in a contest against the German Abwehr? Who wins when one man fights for British interests whilst the other seeks to undermine them? In the darkest days of war, love flourishes. Two women with very different paths are led to one man who changes the course of their lives forever - but only one will win his heart.
©2018 Jana Petken (P)2019 Cherry Hill Publishing
Before the Brightest Dawn
Summary
Jana Petken’s extraordinary historical epic, The German Half-Bloods Trilogy, reaches its sweeping, heart-wrenching conclusion. In The German Half-Bloods and The Vogels, Jana Petken followed the turbulent lives of an Anglo-German family as they forged their paths through the Second World War. Now, the conflict intensifies in the Soviet States, North Africa, France, and the growing resistance movement in Poland. Will Max, Paul, and Wilmot Vogel survive the most ruthless phase of the war to date? Max takes a path to momentous events in North Africa where he balances undercover games of espionage in decadent Cairo with dangerous missions behind the German Afrika Korps’ lines. Paul’s loyalty to the Third Reich continues to wane as Germany’s extermination programs in Poland expand, and he is stalked by the new Kriminalinspektor, Manfred Krüger. Can he stay one step ahead of a man who has been ordered to destroy him? Wilmot faces new challenges in the Afrika Korps, but is he mentally and physically prepared to lead his men into Libya’s fiery desert and against the British 8th Army?
©2019 Jana Petken (P)2020 Cherry Hill Publishing, LLC
Haunted Liverpool 1
Summary
This book - which put Liverpool on the paranormal map - is about ghosts - whatever they are. Every culture has believed in ghosts at one time or another: Buddha trained himself to overcome fear by sitting in a haunted cemetery. Spooky tales are not just a contemporary phenomenon - there are several ghosts mentioned in the Old Testament. In the course of a person's lifetime, the chances of encountering a ghost are surprisingly high. Many of the stories within this book originated from the numerous letters and telephone calls Tom Slemen received from readers of his weekly newspaper column about local mysteries and also from listeners to his many radio programs about the paranormal. The tremendous response from the public is confirmation of a widespread fascination with the paranormal. In Haunted Liverpool, take a spine-chilling journey along city's streets and meet Spring-Heeled Jack, the Penny Lane Poltergeist, Bernie with the broken neck, the Grey Lady of Grove Street and many other spooky characters and unearthly beings.
©2013 Tom Slemen (P)2014 Tom Slemen
Bernie Ecclestone
Summary
For nearly forty years he has ruthlessly exploited and dominated Formula One motor racing, and now he is setting his sights further afield.... This is the true story of Bernie Ecclestone, the street-smart, working-class kid who masterminded the transformation of Formula One from an amateur sport of the fifties into a global billion dollar industry of the 21st century. Now, with his GBP2.5bn fortune, influence and power, Bernie has moved into the world of football with Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore to turn Queen's Park Rangers, a struggling west London club, into a serious rival to the capital's glamour club, Chelsea. To many he was the saviour of Formula One, but there are also those who came into conflict with his methods. They have a different story to tell. Bernie Ecclesone, King of Sport reveals the unbridled avarice, callousness and corruption behind the hype of Formula One - and the warts-and-all character of the man who is now making his mark on the beautiful game. This is the true, astonishing story of the single most powerful man in thew world of sport today.
©2009 John Blake Publishing (P)2013 Prospero Media