Olivia Dowd has narrated 14 audiobooks on Listento.it by 17 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.3★ across 2,700 ratings. The most-rated is The Guest List.
The Guest List
Summary
A Reese's Book Club Pick “I loved this book. It gave me the same waves of happiness I get from curling up with a classic Christie.... The alternating points of view keep you guessing, and guessing wrong.” (Alex Michaelides, number one New York Times best-selling author of The Silent Patient) "Evok[es] the great Agatha Christie classics.... Pay close attention to seemingly throwaway details about the characters’ pasts. They are all clues.” (New York Times Book Review) A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times best-selling author of The Hunting Party. The bride - the plus one - the best man - the wedding planner - the bridesmaid - the body. On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed. But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast. And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
©2020 Lucy Foley (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers
Platform Seven
Summary
The new novel from Sunday Times best-selling author Louise Doughty. Platform Seven at 4am: Peterborough Railway Station is deserted. The man crossing the covered walkway on this freezing November morning is confident he's alone. As he sits on the metal bench at the far end of the platform it is clear his choice is strategic - he's as far away from the night staff as he can get. What the man doesn't realise is that he has company. Lisa Evans knows what he has decided. She knows what he is about to do as she tries and fails to stop him walking to the platform edge. Two deaths on Platform Seven. Two fatalities in 18 months - surely they're connected? No one is more desperate to understand what connects them than Lisa Evans herself. After all, she was the first of the two to die.
©2019 Louise Doughty (P)2019 Faber & Faber Ltd
The Lost Ones
Summary
Some houses are never at peace. Shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award. Shortlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown. England, 1917. Reeling from the death of her fiancé, Stella Marcham welcomes the opportunity to stay with her pregnant sister, Madeleine, at her imposing country mansion, Greyswick - but she arrives to discover a house of unease and her sister gripped by fear and suspicion. Before long, strange incidents begin to trouble Stella - sobbing in the night, little footsteps on the stairs - and as events escalate, she finds herself drawn to the tragic history of the house. Aided by a wounded war veteran, Stella sets about uncovering Greyswick’s dark and terrible secrets - secrets the dead whisper from the other side.... In the classic tradition of The Woman in Black, Anita Frank weaves a spellbinding debut of family tragedy, loss and redemption.
©2019 Anita Frank (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Mantel Pieces
Summary
A stunning collection of essays and memoir from two-time Booker Prize winner and international best seller Hilary Mantel, author of The Mirror and the Light. In 1987, when Hilary Mantel was first published in the London Review of Books, she wrote to the editor, Karl Miller, ‘I have no critical training whatsoever, so I am forced to be more brisk and breezy than scholarly.’ This collection of 20 reviews, essays and pieces of memoir from the next three decades tells the story of what happened next. Her subjects range far and wide: Robespierre and Danton, The Hite Report, Saudi Arabia, where she lived for four years in the 1980s, the Bulger case, John Osborne, the Virgin Mary as well as the pop icon Madonna, a brilliant examination of Helen Duncan, Britain’s last witch. There are essays about Jane Boleyn, Charles Brandon, Christopher Marlowe and Margaret Pole which display the astonishing insight into the Tudor mind we are familiar with from the best-selling Wolf Hall Trilogy. Her famous lecture, Royal Bodies, which caused a media frenzy, explores the place of royal women in society and our imagination. Here too are some of her LRB diaries, including her first meeting with her stepfather and a confrontation with a circus strongman. Constantly illuminating, always penetrating and often very funny, interleaved with letters and other ephemera gathered from the archive, Mantel Pieces is an irresistible selection from one of our greatest living writers.
©2020 Hilary Mantel (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Genius and Ink
Summary
Foreword by Ali Smith. With an introduction by Francesca Wade. Who better to serve as a guide to great books and their authors than Virginia Woolf? In the early years of its existence, the Times Literary Supplement published some of the finest writers in English: T. S. Eliot, Henry James and E. M. Forster among them. But one of the paper’s defining voices was Virginia Woolf, who produced a string of superb essays between the two World Wars. The weirdness of Elizabethan plays, the pleasure of revisiting favourite novels, the supreme examples of Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot and Henry James, Thomas Hardy and Joseph Conrad: all are here, in anonymously published pieces, in which may be glimpsed the thinking behind Woolf’s works of fiction and the enquiring, feminist spirit of A Room of One’s Own. Here is Woolf the critical essayist, offering, at one moment, a playful hypothesis and, at another, a judgement laid down with the authority of a 20th-century Dr Johnson. Here is Woolf working out precisely what’s great about Hardy and how Elizabeth Barrett Browning made books a 'substitute for living' because she was 'forbidden to scamper on the grass'. Above all, here is Virginia Woolf the reader, whose enthusiasm for great literature remains palpable and inspirational today.
©2019 Virginia Woolf (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
A Store at War
Summary
It’s 1941 and as the air raid sirens blare, Lily Collins is starting work in Midlands department store Marlow’s. She learns the ropes from her sophisticated boss Miss Frobisher alongside shy fellow junior Gladys. But her friendship with young salesman Jim draws her into a swirl of secrets. And with the war progressing to crisis point, Cedric Marlow and his staff must battle nightly bombings and the absence of loved ones to keep going. A Store at War weaves together a strong sense of community with a vivid evocation of a time when every man, woman and child was doing their bit.
©2019 Joanna Toye (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers
The Truants
Summary
One of the New York Times Book Review's Top 10 Best Crime Novels of 2020 One of USA Today's Best Books 2020 "[A] hypnotic debut.... [An] uncommonly clever whodunit." (New York Times Book Review) Perfect for lovers of Agatha Christie and The Secret History, The Truants is a seductive, unsettling, and beautifully written debut novel of literary suspense - a thrilling exploration of deceit, first love, and the depths to which obsession can drive us. People disappear when they most want to be seen. Jess Walker has come to a concrete campus under the flat gray skies of East Anglia for one reason: to be taught by the mesmerizing and rebellious Dr. Lorna Clay, whose seminars soon transform Jess' thinking on life, love, and Agatha Christie. Swept up in Lorna's thrall, Jess falls in with a tightly knit group of rule-breakers - Alec, a courageous South African journalist with a nihilistic streak; Georgie, a seductive, pill-popping aristocrat; and Nick, a handsome geologist with layers of his own. But the dynamic between the friends begins to darken, until a tragedy shatters their friendships and love affairs, and reveals a terrible secret. Soon, Jess must face the question she fears most: What is the true cost of an extraordinary life? Entertainment Weekly Best Book of January A USA Today Must-Read Book of Winter An Observer Book of the Year (UK) A Marie Claire Top 5 Christmas Read (UK) A Times Best New Crime Novel (UK) A Guardian Top 10 Golden Age Detective Novel An Irish Times Best Debut of 2019 An Apple Books Pick for January
©2020 Kate Weinberg (P)2020 Penguin Audio
The River Home
Summary
From beloved international best-selling author Hannah Richell comes a spellbinding novel about the secrets brought to the surface when a large family gathers for a wedding. Can the damage of the past ever be healed? In their ramshackle Somerset home, with its lush gardens running down to the river, the Sorrells have gathered for a last-minute wedding - an occasion that is met with trepidation by each member of the family. Lucy, the bride, has begged her loved ones to attend - not telling them that she has some important news to share once they’ve gathered. Her prodigal baby sister, Margot, who left home after a devastating argument with their mother, reluctantly agrees, though their family home is the site of so much pain for her. Meanwhile, their eldest sister, Eve, has thrown herself into a tailspin planning the details of the wedding - anything to distract herself from how her own life is unraveling - and their long-separated artist parents are forced to play the roles of cheerful hosts through gritted teeth. As the Sorrells come together for a week of celebration and confrontation, their painful memories are revisited and their relationships stretched to the breaking point. Moving, poignant, and unforgettable, The River Home showcases once again Hannah Richell’s talent for creating characters listeners can relate to - and telling stories that linger in the mind long after the final minute.
©2020 Hannah Richell (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers
Betray Her
Summary
Top 10 best-selling author Best friends forever. That's the pact you made. You'd do anything for her. And you have. She's always had it all. If you could take it for yourself...would you? A new, irresistibly compulsive novel by the bestselling author of My Husband's Lies and The Wife's Secret.
©2019 Caroline England (P)2019 Hachette Audio UK
The Furies
Summary
This harrowing debut is the story of a girl trying to fit in, whose obsessive new friends and desperation to belong leads her to places she’d never imagined...dark, dangerous, and possibly even violent. “The Furies is a haunting tale of angry, young women, the fates they hold and furies they possess. Katie Lowe steers her juggernaut through twists of madness, revenge, and murder to a finish that resonates deeply. It still hasn’t left me.” (Peter Filardi, screenwriter of The Craft) In 1998, a 16-year-old girl is found dead. She’s posed on a swing on her boarding school’s property, dressed all in white, with no known cause of death. Whispers and rumors swirl, with no answers. But there are a few who know what happened; there is one girl who will never forget. One year earlier: a new student, Violet, steps on the campus of Elm Hollow Academy, an all-girl’s boarding school on the outskirts of a sleepy coastal town. This is her fresh start, her chance to begin again in the wake of tragedy, leave her demons behind. Bright but a little strange, uncertain and desperate to fit in, she soon finds herself invited to an advanced study group, led by her alluring and mysterious art teacher, Annabel. There, with three other girls - Alex, Grace, and Robin - the five of them delve into the school’s long-buried grim history: of Greek and Celtic legends; of the school founder’s “academic” interest in the occult; of gruesome 17th century witch trials. Annabel does her best to convince the girls that her classes aren’t related to ancient rites and rituals, and that they are just history and mythology. But the more she tries to warn the girls off the topic, the more they are drawn to it, and the possibility that they can harness magic for themselves. Violet quickly finds herself wrapped up in this heady new world of lawless power - except she is needled by the disappearance of a former member of the group, one with whom Violet shares an uncanny resemblance. As her friends’ actions take a turn for the darker and spiral out of control, she begins to wonder who she can trust, all the while becoming more deeply entangled. How far will these young girls go to protect one another...or to destroy one another? "Fans of Greer Macallister, Paula Hawkins, and Janelle Brown will devour Violet’s journey.” (Booklist)
©2019 Katie Lowe (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers
At First Sight
Summary
Two strangers. Two chance meetings. One extraordinary love story.... Nell and Charlie feel a spark when they meet by chance in a café. But they don’t trade numbers, or surnames, so there’s no way they’ll meet again. But the next day, Nell’s phone rings at work. Somehow, impossibly, Charlie is on the other end. And he needs her help. Nell is about to save a life, fall in love...and risk everything for a perfect stranger. Tender, thought-provoking and joyful, Charlie and Nell’s unique love story will capture your heart and give you hope. Perfect for fans of The Man Who Didn’t Call by Rosie Walsh and The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver.
©2021 Hannah Sunderland (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
A Quick Guide to CBD
Summary
The essential guide, written by CBD specialist Dr Julie Moltke. Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is a natural remedy with a range of incredible health benefits and one of the fastest-growing wellness trends of recent years. CBD is everywhere - and no wonder, as it has been found to help a huge range of conditions, including anxiety, insomnia and chronic pain. A Quick Guide to CBD cuts straight to the facts, telling you all you need to know about CBD in simple terms. This book will help you to discover how CBD can help you with specific conditions - and how it will improve your overall health and happiness too. CBD specialist Dr Julie Moltke explains.... The many benefits of CBD Common misunderstandings CBD science demystified How to use it for the first time Vapes, oils, salves, gummies...how should you ingest CBD? A Quick Guide to CBD gets straight to the facts, telling you everything you need to know about CBD in easy-to-understand terms. Dr Julie Moltke is founder and Editor-in-Chief of Dosage, an online magazine that explores the world of cannabis health and wellness through a doctor's lens. She has dedicated the past years of her life to understanding the science behind CBD, one of the major hot topics of the decade.
©2020 Dr Julie Moltke (P)2020 Octopus Publishing Group
Liquid Crystal Nightingale
Summary
Go deeper, they said. Look closer. Pleo Tanza is a survivor. Her father was broken by tragedy, her twin sister is dead - chewed up and spat out by the corruption and injustice of Chatoyance - but she's going to make it, whatever it takes. She's going to get off this rock. But escape is for the rich or lucky. Pleo's framed for the murder of a rival student - the daughter of one of the colony's wealthy, squabbling clans - and goes on the run, setting off a chain of events that could destroy the fragile balance of the old colony forever....
©2020 Eeleen Lee (P)2020 Penguin Audio and Rebellion Publishing
The Therapist
Summary
The multimillion-copy New York Times best-selling author B.A. Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in The Therapist - a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret. When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive.... As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before. Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets, and things are not as perfect as they seem.... A Macmillan Audio Production from St. Martin's Press
©2021 B. A. Paris (P)2021 Macmillan Audio