Peter Wickham has narrated 62 audiobooks on Listento.it by 42 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 83 ratings. The most-rated is Tallarn.
A Close Run Thing
Summary
John Pearce is hiding in Gravelines with his mysterious companion, known to him as Oliphant. Although they find a crew willing to take them back to England, they learn on the journey that Pearce’s old enemies, the Tolland brothers, are still active on the route and may have been responsible for the murder of Catherine Carruthers.
Back in England their problems continue: Pearce must seek to mend fences with Emily Barclay, in a relationship in which nothing is simple. And just as things may be looking up, it seems Henry Dundas has another role for him and Oliphant: a mission to northeast Spain....
©2018 David Donachie (P)2018 Soundings
A Shot Rolling Ship
Summary
Pressed into King George's navy for the second time in a month, John Pearce finds himself working aboard HMS Griffin, sailing the Channel in search of the numerous French privateers preying on English merchant ships. Pearce, however, has other things on his mind. He must find a way off the ship in order to rescue his ailing father from the dangers of revolutionary Paris. By inciting mutiny he hopes to escape the ship unnoticed. But travelling to France, John Pearce discovers that his worst fears have become reality. All he can do is return to the Griffin - and exact his revenge.
©2005 David Donachie (P)2005 Soundings
Tour de France
Summary
In this updated edition of the highly acclaimed Tour de France, Graeme Fife sets the 2012 race in the context of the event's remarkable history, stretching back to July 1903. Combining meticulous research with a pacy narrative style, he penetrates the mystique of the race and paints a colourful picture of the men whose exploits have given the Tour an enduring universal appeal. Moreover, the book now celebrates a truly historic event: The 99th edition of the race was won, for the first time, by a Briton. Bradley Wiggins pedalled into the record books, in company with his teammates Christopher Froome, who came second, and Mark Cavendish, the current world road race champion, whose 23 stage wins make him make him the Tour's most prolific sprinter. Laced with tales of great solo rides, amazing fortitude, terrible misfortune and triumph, Tour de France is the definitive account of this extraordinary competition. Named one of the top-five sports books of the year by both The Independent and The Times, it is the essential guide to the Tour. Graeme Fife is a full-time writer who has worked much in radio and written a number of books, including Inside the Peloton and The Beautiful Machine. A keen cyclist, he has ridden all the celebrated cols of Tour legend.
©2013 Graeme Fife (P)2014 Audible Ltd
The Road to Grantchester
Summary
1938. Eighteen-year-old Sidney Chambers is dancing with Amanda Kendall at her brother’s birthday party at the Caledonian Club. No one can believe that there could ever be another war. Returning to London seven years later, Sidney has gained a Military Cross and lost his best friend. The carefree youth that he and his friends were promised has been blown apart - and Sidney, carrying a terrible, secret guilt, must decide what to do with the rest of his life. But he has heard a call: constant though quiet, and growing ever more persistent. To the incredulity of his family and the derision of his friends, Sidney must now negotiate his path to God: the course of which never runs smooth.
©2019 James Runcie (P)2019 Isis Publishing Ltd
The Devil to Pay
Summary
It's 1794. Stuck in Palermo harbour, the headstrong Lieutenant John Pearce and his trusty Pelicans must repair the battle-damaged HMS Larcher with only meagre funds to do so. Sailing into danger, they encounter enemies. Pearce has no option but to run until, trapped in an Italian bay, he is forced to abandon his ship. Pearce must face a court-martial for his actions, but his troubles are only just beginning. A deadly plan is contrived to send the unwitting Pelicans into mortal danger against a bloodthirsty, piratical Turk called Mehmet Pasha: The aim is to force them into a disastrous fight they cannot win. Only luck and Pearce’s fiery thirst for battle can save them now....
©2014 David Donachie (P)2015 Soundings
Their Finest
Summary
From the author of the acclaimed Crooked Heart comes another "smart, funny, ingenious, revealing tale of London life during the Second World War" (The Independent) - long-listed for the Orange Prize upon its original publication in England. It is 1940. France has fallen, and only a narrow strip of sea lies between Great Britain and invasion. The war could go either way, and everyone must do their bit. Young copywriter Catrin Cole is drafted into the Ministry of Information to help write women into propaganda films - something that the men aren't very good at. She is quickly seconded to the ministry's latest endeavor: a heartwarming tale of bravery and rescue at Dunkirk. It's all completely fabricated, of course, but what does that matter when the nation's morale is at stake? Since call-up has stripped the industry of its brightest and best, it is the callow, the jaded, and the utterly unsuitable who must make up the numbers: Ambrose Hilliard, third most popular British film star of 1924; Edith Beadmore, Madame Tussauds wardrobe assistant turned costumier; and Arthur Frith, whose peacetime job as a catering manager has not really prepared him for his sudden, unexpected elevation to special military advisor. Now in a serious world, in a nation under siege, they must all swallow their mutual distaste, ill will, and mistrust to unite for the common good, for king and country and - in one case - for better or worse.
©2017 Lissa Evans (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers
Murder at the Natural History Museum
Summary
London, 1895. Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton have been hired by the Natural History Museum to find out who deliberately smashed the fossilised skeleton of a small dinosaur. At first Daniel is reluctant to take the case, pointing out that they deal in murders, not vandalism. But then one of the attendants in the dinosaur room is murdered, his body found tied to a dinosaur skeleton and a note pinned to him saying 'The price of betrayal'. As Daniel and Abigail investigate, they must negotiate a web of legal and professional tensions. This is not going to be a simple case to solve....
©2020 Jim Eldridge (P)2020 Soundings
Cold Monday
Summary
Haunted by the brutal killing of his UN interpreter wife in Bosnia, ex-SAS operative Ed Coltrane is consumed with the need to hunt down her murderers. Drinking too much and spending too much on his search, his life is going into meltdown. Just as it seems he can fall no further, a former colleague informs him that one of his wife's killers is in London, as a guest of the British government. Certain unofficial figures in the corridors of power would like to see this man disappear, and they'd like Ed Coltrane to accept the contract.
©2004 Terence Strong (P)2004 Isis Publishing Ltd
The Perils of Command
Summary
John Pearce, having negotiated the highly questionable sale of the two French prizes taken in The Devil to Pay, has left HMS Flirt, as well as the crew and the wounded Henry Digby in Brindisi and is headed for Naples to see his lover. In an uncomfortable journey he seeks to work out a way to best both Admiral Sir William Hotham and Captain Ralph Barclay, men who are his sworn enemies. All his calculations are thrown into turmoil when he discovers that Emily is pregnant which, while it is a cause for joy, is also a reason to worry; she is still married to Ralph Barclay and by the laws of the time he can claim the child as his own.
©2015 David Donachie (P)2016 Soundings
The Story of My Life, Volume 2
Summary
The Story of My Life is the explosive and exhilarating autobiography by the infamous libertine Giacomo Casanova. Intense and scandalous, Casanova’s extraordinary adventures take the listener on an incredible voyage across 18th-century Europe - from France to Russia, Poland to Spain and Turkey to Germany, with Venice at their heart. He falls madly in love, has wild flings and delirious orgies, and encounters some of the most brilliant figures of his time, including Catherine the Great, Louis XV, and Benjamin Franklin. He holds a verbal duel with Voltaire, a pistol duel with a Polish noble, and finds himself hauled before the court multiple times, including in London, where the judge in question turns out to be none other than Henry Fielding. His appetite for life is voracious; for him, a life lived close to the precipice is the only life worth living. The book is divided into six sections. Volume 2 contains the third and fourth sections: "3: The Eternal Quest" and "4: Adventures in the South." Translation by Arthur Machen PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2018 Naxos AudioBooks (P)2018 Naxos AudioBooks
Maxwell's Reunion
Summary
When Peter Maxwell attends a school reunion of the class of '65, all is not as it seems among his old chums. They are career men, family men - but the years have taken their toll, and the seething tensions of the school years surface in unlikely ways. At the end of the reunion weekend, a man is dead, hanging from the bell rope of the old school. When a second death occurs, Maxwell finds himself in the midst of a murder investigation. What is the secret that has been lurking under Maxwell's nose all these years - and could he be on the murderer's list for killing number three?
©2001 M. J. Trow (P)2002 Soundings
An Ill Wind
Summary
It is 1793. John Pearce and his Pelicans are going home - to gain their freedom and put the treacherous Captain Ralph Barclay in the dock. Emily Barclay discovers Pearce has papers that would ruin her husband’s career and her future security. And then comes that dread thing, a fire aboard a wooden ship of war! Cast adrift, Pearce and his Pelicans find help from an unlikely source. Finally back on British soil, they hope they have reached the end of their troubles, but with the documents missing, the real concerns have only just begun. Emily Barclay holds the key, but where do her loyalties lie?
©2009 David Donachie (P)2010 Soundings
The Virgin Soldiers
Summary
"It rained a lot and steamed when the sun shone. It was always hot. But it was safe...." One way or another the Communist guerrilla war in Malaya kept a whole British army occupied from 1948 until 1952. They were the virgin soldiers. Idle, homesick, afraid, bored, oversexed, and unsatisfied. A young virgin like Brigg had to grab his fun while and where he could - in the Liberty Club, in Juicy Lucy's flat or up in Phillipa's room - in one frantic attempt at living before he died or got demobbed....
©2005 Leslie Thomas (P)2009 Random House Audio
A Sea of Troubles
Summary
1794: In the wake of the Glorious First of June, Lieutenant John Pearce has pressing matters to attend to. He must undertake an urgent commission from Lord Hood, track down midshipman Toby Burns, and placate Emily Barclay. Meanwhile smugglers whose ship Pearce inadvertently stole, are on his tail. And it is not only John Pearce who has his fair share of trouble. The triumphant Channel Fleet returns, but the battle is already the subject of controversy - and Ralph Barclay is accused of holding back from the action. Pearce turns the table on his enemies and sets off for the Mediterranean with Emily Barclay. He can only hope that his troubles will end along with his mission. But are they only just beginning?
©2012 David Donachie (P)2013 Soundings
A Divided Command
Summary
Unbeknown to John Pearce, the private letter he is delivering on behalf of the prime minister carries the dismissal of the very man he is sailing to see. The need for a government majority to pursue the war with France means John Pearce must step down as Britain’s best sailor, regretfully relinquishing the position to the incompetent Admiral Hotham. Hotham is equally less than pleased about John Pearce, as he is the one person who knows the truth about his dishonest naval career. Pearce knows Hotham will try and destroy him any way he can to keep from being exposed, so he must navigate the dangerous waters whilst trying to return to Emily Barclay, the woman he loves.
©2013 David Donachie (P)2014 Soundings
A Treacherous Coast
Summary
Winter 1795. Lieutenant John Pearce, reckoning to have finally ditched his old enemy, Admiral Hotham, has found a new one in Henry Digby, previously a friend. Meanwhile, Pearce's pregnant and recently widowed lover is adamant they cannot be seen together for the sake of their unborn child as she seeks respectability in society. Aboard HMS Flirt as part of the squadron led by Horatio Nelson, Pearce and his Pelicans soon join them on a reconnaissance which results in the destruction of a key French battery - though the success is short-lived. In raids ashore, split loyalties and bloody sea fights, Pearce must show bravery and resource to ensure his survival and return to Emily. But the headstrong lieutenant is faced with immense danger, not only from the enemy but his own captain. Only luck and Pearce's fierce appetite for battle can save them from the perils ahead.
©2016 David Donachie (P)2017 Soundings
The Flesh Tailor
Summary
When Dr James Dalcott is shot dead it looks very much like an execution. And as DI Wesley Peterson begins piecing together his life, he finds that the well-liked doctor has been harbouring dramatic family secrets. Meanwhile, archaeologist Neil Watson has discovered a number of skeletons in nearby Tailors Court that bear marks of dissection and might be linked to tales of body snatching. But when Neil finds the bones of a child buried with a 1930s coin, the investigation takes a sinister turn. Who were the children evacuated to Tailors Court during World War II? And where are they now? When a link is established between the evacuees and Dr Dalcott's death, Wesley is faced with his most challenging case yet.
©2010 Kate Ellis (P)2010 Soundings
Onward Virgin Soldiers
Summary
Bursting with life and bawdy humour, National Serviceman Brigg is now a Regular Army sergeant defending the Empire in the beds and bars of Hong Kong. Peace-time diversions include sensual fireworks with a pair of delicious Chinese twins and a tender, erotic affair with the lonely wife of an American serviceman.
©2005 Leslie Thomas (P)2009 Random House Audio
On a Particular Service
Summary
John Pearce is going home. But he has to avoid capture by an Algerine warship, having his Pelicans pressed into a British frigate, and that's before they are at risk of being hanged for desertion once home. Then there is the problem of Emily Barclay and their son, Adam. By cunning and bluff, he protects his friends but not his troubled love life. In a whirlwind of action, there are forged wills, devious trades, contrived murders and dangerous spy missions, with so much deceit that Pearce does not know whom to trust. All he can hope to do is survive.
©2017 David Donachie (P)2017 Soundings
A Perfect Death
Summary
When a woman is burned to death in Grandal Field in Devon, it seems like a case of mistaken identity. Until DI Wesley Peterson learns of a legend involving a French woman who burned to death there in the thirteenth century. And when he discovers that records of a previous excavation on the site have vanished, and that two archaeologists involved in that dig died in tragic circumstances, Wesley starts to investigate the possibility of a link between the legend and recent events. But edging closer to the truth brings unexpected danger to Wesley. For the truth echoes a story of twisted love and obsession from many centuries ago - a truth that someone wants to keep hidden, whatever the cost...
©2009 Kate Ellis (P)2009 Soundings