Philip Franks has narrated 32 audiobooks on Listento.it by 14 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.8★ across 100 ratings. The most-rated is P. D. James BBC Radio Drama Collection.
Constable by the Sea
Summary
Constable Nick’s off to the seaside During a break from his usual village beat, young Police Constable Nick finds himself involved with holidaymakers and their problems. As well as the normal seaside duties, how does he cope with a man who’s lost his false teeth in the sea and another who wants to give away thousands of pounds when drunk? Then there’s the stray Labrador that thinks he’s a police dog and accompanies police officers on night patrols, and the anxious fisherman who daren’t tell his wife that he owns a racehorse. These and a galaxy of other delightful characters are encountered by our rural bobby in his new environment, though Constable Nick wishes he could be home with his wife and small children.
©1985 by the Trustee of the Estate of Peter Walker (P)2021 by Blackstone Publishing
Constable on the Hill
Summary
In the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside of the 1960s, Constable Nick’s roles are as varied as the eccentric villagers. He handles every encounter with his characteristic humor, humanity, and professionalism. His investigations include the case of a clever pony who keeps escaping, a woman running through town naked, and a pack of Canadian timber wolves hanging out in a bus shelter. He soon gets to know all the characters on his beat, from his superior officer, Sergeant Blaketon, to Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, whose lurcher, Alfred, lands him with a summons for “allowing a dog to worry livestock on agricultural land”. The ever-resourceful Claude Jeremiah offers the defense that Alfred’s victim, a budgie, cannot be described as livestock!
©1979 by the Trustee of the Estate of Peter Walker (P)2020 by Blackstone Publishing
The Nosferatu Scroll
Summary
BOHEMIA, 1741: on the northern banks of the Vltava River, an extraordinary event is taking place. Inside a private chapel, a high-born Hungarian lady is being laid to rest. But not before her heart is removed from her body, and she is buried beneath a layer of heavy stones - lest she rise again to prey upon her victims.VENICE, PRESENT DAY: in the world’s most beautiful city, something unspeakable is happening. An unnamed tomb has been opened revealing a female skeleton and a diary dating back hundreds of years. Soon corpses of young women start appearing across the city, all killed in the same horrific manner.Chris Bronson and Angela Lewis are holidaying in the city when Angela finds the diary. Written in code, it chronicles disturbing and arcane rituals, and references a scroll that will provide an ‘answer’ to an ancient secret. Then Angela is snatched off the street, and Bronson knows that he must find her before she too is slaughtered.His attempts to unravel the mystery of the scroll and to find Angela lead him back to the Island of the Dead, and into a conspiracy more deadly than he could ever have imagined…
©2011 James Becker (P)2011 Random House Audio Go
Constable in the Dale
Summary
Dirty tricks at the best-kept village competition Constable Nick patrols his rural Yorkshire beat on foot or on his trusty Francis Barnett motorcycle. But as beautiful as the villages are, they conceal real human drama. Nick is on hand to help out when Aidensfield decides to enter the Best Kept Village competition and finds itself the victim of a dirty tricks campaign by its rivals. Then there is the mystery of the spontaneously combusting hen-house, and Nick has to cope with the consequences when the vicar tries a novel way of keeping the churchyard tidy.
©1983 Trustee of the Estate of Peter Walker (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing
Constable on the Prowl
Summary
Alone in the midnight hours with nothing but dead leaves, stray cats, and legends of ghosts and ghoulies to accompany him. A sleeping village doesn’t mean a simple shift, though. Between the early risers of the farming community, a badger with a sweet tooth, and getting to know his new workmates, there’s no time for Nick to kick his feet up in the station. And of course there’s Claude Jeremiah Greengrass! Why did he have to retreat hastily down a ladder from a lady’s bedroom and what happened to his trousers and shirt? And can he really be innocent of taking a deer during the night, when he was seen emerging from the forest carrying a particularly fine set of antlers? In the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside of the 1960s, Constable Nick’s roles are as varied as the eccentric villagers.
©1980 the Trustee of the Estate of Peter Walker (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing
Lake Isle
Summary
A brutal robbery, a drugged teenager and the sad delusions of a nervous old lady mean nothing to Henri Castang who finds a parallel between the small town world of gossip and spite, and a fetid corner of a Paris room where a man shot at him. What's another piece of wanton violence got to do with anything? That's the question Castang finds himself asking in this enchanting, mysterious fiction.
© 1978 Nicolas Freeling (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
What Are the Bugles Blowing for?
Summary
A European city, bathed in the sultry heat of a summer afternoon, and a telephone call announcing a triple murder. Henri Castang is called into action in this profound and disturbing detective story. To protect himself, he must play by the rules - but if that were the case, then he wouldn't be Henri Castang. Crime is about more than just the chase for the unorthodox Inspector.
©1978 Nicolas Freeling (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
The Portrait
Summary
Avid antiques collector Pierre-Francois Chaumont unearths the find of a lifetime at a Paris auction house: an 18th-century portrait of a gentleman who looks just like him. Researching into the painting's history, he has the chance to abandon his tedious existence and walk into a brand new life. Antoine Laurain is a Parisian screenwriter, antiques collector, and prize-winning novelist. The President's Hat was a 2013 ABA Indies Introduce choice.
©2017 Antoine Laurain (P)2019 Audible, Ltd
Constable Around the Village
Summary
A canine crisis for Constable Nick. Nick is settling into his role as a police constable in Aidensfield, getting to grips with rural life and his new colleagues and neighbors. Constable Nick maintains his warm approach through the village’s many incidents, whether it’s the historic tradition of the First Footing on New Year’s Eve or the scandal of an undug grave. More problems stem from the unlawful activities of Arnold Merryweather’s bus, with its imposing conductress, Hannah, a jockey who steals supplies for his hungry horse and the old railway worker who vanishes as the last train passes through the village. Nick soon finds himself facing a canine crisis. Farmer Lowe’s overworked sheepdog is feigning deafness. Without the dog, the cows cannot be milked, bringing his farming business to a screeching halt. Meanwhile, five sheep turn up dead, and Sidney Chapman’s dog is accused of the crime, much to his dismay. Can Nick salvage Aidensfield’s farming future, not to mention the reputations of two dogs, while juggling his other cases?
©2008 the Trustee of the Estate of Peter Walker (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing
Tumtum and Nutmeg: The Great Escape
Summary
It's The Borrowers meets The Wind in the Willows. Enter the world of Tumtum and Nutmeg for a wonderfully enchanting story full of warmth and humour. Tumtum and Nutmeg are enjoying a quiet life in Nutmouse Hall, when General Marchmouse comes to stay. The General has a new pogo stick and is looking for adventure. Recklessly, he bounces out of Nutmouse Hall and into Rose Cottage - the home of the Mildews. He takes Lucy's doll's house under siege with the help of some toy soldiers and takes a ride on Arthur's train set. He makes a terrible mess and Lucy and Arthur think a bad fairy has come... Tumtum and Nutmeg have to take the General under house arrest to stop his bad behaviour, but the General plots his escape. Events spiral and the General is taken by Arthur and Lucy and imprisoned in their school! General Marchmouses's reputation as an officer and a gentlemouse is about to change! Tumtum and Nutmeg: The Great Escape is a miniature masterpiece that will be loved by generations to come. Emily Bearn's distinctive, classic writing style makes this series a future classic. Emily Bearn was born in London, and has been a journalist since the age of 20 when she joined the staff of Harpers & Queen magazine. She has subsequently worked for The Times and the Sunday Telegraph before becoming a freelance in 2005 following the birth of her daughter. The idea for the Tumtum and Nutmeg books was sparked one evening when, while feeding her baby in the kitchen, she saw two tiny mice scuttling across the floor, then disappearing behind the skirting next to the cooker. She started to wonder what sort of life the mice led behind the skirting board, and so Tumtum and Nutmeg came to life. She and her daughter live in Hammersmith, and still share their house with two (very helpful) mice.
©2008 Emily Bearn (P)2014 Audible Studios
Constable Across the Moors
Summary
Rural life has plenty of surprises for Constable Nick. Constable Nick has come to know and love the host of characters who live and work on the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors. The amiable constable handles every encounter with his characteristic humor and professionalism, whether he’s investigating a plot to scare away a troublesome suitor or helping a neighbor return his late wife’s ashes to her beloved moors. Not to mention the insurance agent with a rather unusual policy on Edgar Dawson’s dog, Arthur. It covers him for stealing clothes from washing lines and getting lady dogs pregnant! But when Ted Williamson’s sheep start disappearing, can Rhea find the culprit without making enemies of the farmers of Yorkshire?
©1982 by the Trustee of the Estate of Peter Walker (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing
Light Thickens
Summary
Peregrine Jay, owner of the Dolphin Theatre, is putting on a magnificent production of Macbeth, the play that, superstition says, always brings bad luck. But one night the claymore swings, and the dummy's head is more than real: murder behind the scene. Luckily, Chief Superintendent Roderick Alleyn is in the audience....
©1982 Ngaio Marsh (P)2015 Hachette Audio