Through the double clamour of Big Ben and the shrill sound of the bell rang a revolver shot. A financier is found shot in the House of Commons. Suspecting foul play, Robert West, a parliamentary private secretary, takes on the role of amateur sleuth. Used to turning a blind eye to covert dealings, West must now uncover the shocking secret behind the man's demise, amid distractions from the press and the dead man's enigmatic daughter. Originally published in 1932, this was the only mystery novel to be written by Ellen Wilkinson, one of the first women to be elected to Parliament. Wilkinson offers a unique insider's perspective of political scandal, replete with sharp satire.

British Library Crime Classic

The Division Bell Mystery

In the mid-1850s, life for an orphan was grim, as Kirsten MacGregor discovered when her parents died suddenly on a journey to Northumberland, leaving her penniless and alone in the hands of a cruel farmer. Somehow, Kirsten survived her terrible childhood - only to be sold, at the age of 14, to a travelling tinker - a vicious man who held her captive until the fateful day they were separated during a storm. Rescued from the flood by the Flynn family, she gave birth to a child as the waters raged about her. At the same time, Florence, mistress of the great house nearby, was told that her newborn son was dead. The two women entered into a secret bargain, an arrangement that was to change Kirsten's fortune and place her in the middle of a bitter feud between two families.

The Slow Awakening

West Yorkshire, 1914. Newly married to Noah Jackson, Beth is happily content working on her family's market stall while Noah fulfils his dreams of being a teacher. When war erupts, Beth's peaceful life is shattered by events beyond her control. Noah enlists to fight alongside his brothers. A devastating accident occurs that changes all their lives. Once a loving home, Beaumont Farm becomes Beth's responsibility. Can she cope with the grief and burdens placed upon her as she waits for news from the battlefields of France? Can she save the farm from collapse? And will the man she loves return home safe, or will an old enemy take an opportunity to seek revenge?

Market Stall Girl

The Woman From Beaumont Farm

Aunt Mildred declared that no good could come of the Melbury family Christmas gatherings. So when Sir Osmond Melbury, the family patriarch, is discovered – by a guest dressed as Santa Klaus – with a bullet in his head on Christmas Day, the festivities are plunged into chaos. Nearly everybody stands to reap some sort of benefit from his death, excepting Santa Klaus, the one person who seems to have had every opportunity to fire the shot. Various members of the family have their private suspicions about the murderer, and the Chief Constable of Haulmshire, wishes before long that he understood them better. In the midst of mistrust, suspicion and hatred, it emerges that there was not one Santa Klaus, but two.

The Santa Klaus Murder

The Buffer Girls is an inspiring tale of love, heartache and ambition from bestselling author Margaret Dickinson. It is 1920 in the Derbyshire dales. The Ryan family are adjusting to life now that the war is over. Walter has returned home a broken man and so it falls to his son and daughter, Josh and Emily, to keep the family candle-making business going. The Ryan children grew up with Amy Clark, daughter of the village blacksmith, and Thomas 'Trip' Trippett, whose father owns a cutlery business in Sheffield. Romance blossoms for Josh and Amy while Emily falls in love with Trip, but she is unsure if the feeling is mutual. Martha Ryan is fiercely ambitious for her son and so she uproots her family to Sheffield, but all Josh wants is to continue the family business and marry Amy. As the Ryans do their best to adapt to city life, their friendly neighbour, Lizzie, helps Emily find employment as a Buffer Girl polishing cutlery at a local factory. It turns out that it is Emily who is best equipped to forge a career but, as time goes on, problems and even dangers arise that the Ryan family could not possibly have foreseen.

The Buffer Girls

A compelling saga from Margaret Dickinson, Fairfield Hall charts the changing fortunes of Annabel Constantine, in the devastating lead up to the First World War. Ruthlessly ambitious Ambrose Constantine is determined that his daughter, Annabel, shall marry into the nobility. A fish merchant and self-made man, he has only his wealth to buy his way into society. When Annabel's secret meetings with Gilbert, a young man employed at her father's offices, stop suddenly, she learns that he has mysteriously disappeared. Heartbroken, she finds solace with her grandparents on their Lincolnshire farm, but her father will not allow her to hide herself in the countryside and enlists the help of a business connection to launch his daughter into society. During the London Season, Annabel is courted by James Lyndon, the Earl of Fairfield, whose country estate is only a few miles from her grandfather's farm. Believing herself truly loved at last, Annabel accepts his offer of marriage. It is only when she arrives at Fairfield Hall that she realizes the true reason behind James's proposal and the part her scheming father has played. Throughout the years that follow, Annabel experiences both heartache and joy, and the birth of her son should finally secure the future of the Fairfield Estate. But there are others who lay claim to the inheritance igniting a feud that will only reach its resolution in the trenches of the First World War.

Fairfield Hall

There were plenty around Fellburn who said Maggie Rowan was as plain as a pikestaff, a woman consumed with jealousy at her sister's good fortune in marrying well. But Maggie Rowan, with her dogged determination to succeed, had two raging ambitions beneath a cold and forbidding exterior: to become the mother of a child whom she could love and to escape from the life of the miner's cottage to one of the big houses on Brampton Hill. When she marries the easy-going Chris Taggart, her marriage is planned shrewdly and without sentiment. Like her, he is considered the 'odd man out' and, for that reason, the only one likely to have her and who unleashes her hidden desire to be loved.

Maggie Rowan

Yorkshire, 1913. Beth Beaumont enjoys her life as a rhubarb farmer's daughter. Although not thinking of marriage, when Beth meets village miner Noah Jackson, she is suddenly very aware that Noah is a man who could change her mind. But a disaster at the coal mine changes their lives forever and Noah's love for Beth is put at risk. However, Louis Melville, the wealthy son of a local gentry family, wants Beth for himself. At first he is willing to offer marriage, but when Beth turns him down, Melville, furious to be denied, wreaks revenge with devastating consequences. Will Beth and Noah find the happiness they wish for?

The Market Stall Girl

Mum always knows best… The stunning debut for fans of Celia Imrie and Dawn French. Meet the daughters of Iris Parker. Dee; sensitive and big-hearted; Rose uptight and controlled and Fleur the reckless free spirit. At the reading of their mother’s will, the three estranged women are aghast to discover that their inheritance comes with very tricky strings attached. If they are to inherit her wealth, they must spend a series of weekends together over the course of a year and carry out their mother’s ‘bucket list’. But one year doesn’t seem like nearly enough time for them to move past the decades-old layers of squabbles and misunderstandings. Can they grow up for once and see that Iris’s bucket list was about so much more than money…

The Kicking the Bucket List

FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about one magnificent gem, and three lives bound together by fate ... 1879, York.Greta Costello must rely on her wits to survive. She finds refuge as a Saturday girl for an old jeweller, Saul Abrahams, and her eye for detail, her long fingers and appreciation of beauty persuade Saul to train her as a pearl stringer. This skill will lead her through hardship and pain towards a new life. 1879, Scotland. Jem Baillie knows the immense power of a perfect pearl. His father was a fisher on a tributary of the Tay river in Perthshire, Scotland, and together they found the rarest of pearls, a great white pearl they call Queenie. When this is stolen from them, Eben vows revenge. Spanning generations and continents, tracing the rivers of Scotland and the Mississippi, The Last Pearl is a sweeping novel of desire and revenge, of family and freedom, and of one woman's journey to open the shell she has built around herself to reveal the true beauty within. Praise for Leah Fleming 'I enjoyed it enormously.It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE 'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON

The Last Pearl

There are some things which even the closest friendship cannot survive . . . Welcome Home is an enthralling and moving drama from bestselling author Margaret Dickinson, set during the Second World War. Neighbours Edie Kelsey and Lil Horton have been friends for over twenty years, sharing the joys and sorrows of a tough life as the wives of fishermen in Grimsby. So it was no surprise that their children were close and that Edie's son, Frank, and Lil's daughter, Irene, would fall in love and marry at a young age. But the declaration of war in 1939 changed everything. Frank went off to fight, and Irene and baby, Tommy, along with Edie's youngest son are sent to the countryside for safety. With Edie's husband, Archie, fishing the dangerous waters in the North Sea and daughter Beth in London doing 'important war work', Edie's family is torn apart. Friendship sustains Edie and Lil, but tragedy follows and there's also concern that Beth seems to have disappeared. But it is Irene's return, during the VE day celebrations, that sends shock waves through the family and threatens to tear Edie and Lil's friendship apart forever.

Welcome Home

Decades of spiralling drug resistance have unleashed a global antibiotic crisis. Ordinary infections are untreatable, and a scratch from a pet can kill. A sacrifice is required to keep the majority safe: no one over 70 is allowed new antibiotics. The elderly are sent to hospitals nicknamed 'The Waiting Rooms', hospitals where no one ever gets well. Twenty years after the crisis takes hold, Kate begins a search for her birth mother, armed only with her name and her age. As Kate unearths disturbing facts about her mother's past, she puts her family in danger and risks losing everything. Because Kate is not the only secret that her mother is hiding. Someone else is looking for her, too.

The Waiting Rooms

'Captivating and chilling, with an ending I didn't see coming!' Alex Stone Nine hours and eleven minutes ...That's how long it's been since Ella Hope was left for dead. She lies, unable to move and praying for somebody to find her, as she counts down the minutes and wonders who could have hated her so much to have hurt her so badly.Was it the man she went on a date with the previous evening, the man linked to the deaths of two other women? Or somebody else, somebody who wants her out of the picture so much they're willing to kill?Whoever it is, they will pay.All Ella has to do first is survive ...A psychological thriller from best selling author L.H. Stacey, perfect for fans of Teresa Driscoll, Sue Watson, Jackie Kabler and Kendra Elliot.Praise for L.H. Stacey:'Dark and dramatic, with an explosive ending' Diane Saxon'An atmospheric thriller with a knockout ending!' Diana Wilkinson'A fabulous book that hooks you in and won't let you go till the very last page!' J.A. Baker'A must read - highly original, impossible to put down, tense, dark, absolutely riveting' Mary Grand'The plot twists kept me guessing right until the end' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review*Please Note: This is a reissue of *The Fake Date**

The Fake Date

Jessica is grieving for her beloved father, Jacob Kingdom, a trawler owner fondly remembered by his crew. But a confrontation with her mother leads to Jessica being cast out from the family home and the reveal of a shameful secret. It isn't long before she meets a charismatic trawlerman who is proud to walk out with Kingdom's daughter on his arm, in spite of the discontent among the fisherman now her cold-hearted brother is running the business. With Jessica desperate to prove herself worthy of a place in her tight-knit community, does she have what it takes to weather the storm of her life to come, or will her secret hold her back from embracing who she is?

Daughter of the Sea

Rodney Prince, a doctor who chose to work amongst the poor of Newcastle to the shame of his beautiful wife, has never seen a girl look more out of place in the grime of the Fifteen Streets than Kate Hannigan. Her beauty and intelligence far outshine that of his hard, brittle and calculating wife. As their paths continue to cross, Rodney cannot fail to be drawn towards her. But as an unlikely romance blossoms, their controversial love affair fuels vicious gossip amongst the denizens of the Fifteen Streets. For it is a love that opposes all the concepts of Edwardian society, but ultimately, despite their many trials, their story is one of success and joy.

Kate Hannigan

Pre-order the FINAL instalment in the bestselling Tobacco Girls series! It has finally happened! The war is over and Europe rejoices. May 1945 - VE Day After battling against the odds, the three friends are uncertain of their futures. Maisie Miles must wait on tenterhooks for Japan to surrender and for poor Sid to return home. Will they still be sweethearts and have a future together? But tragedy strikes when Maisie's lodger Carole dies leaving 2-year-old Paula orphaned, Maisie is determined to keep the child she has grown to love as her own. Meanwhile Bridget O'Neill's husband has been patiently waiting her arrival in America but Bridget's been struggling to leave her family and friends behind. Will she stay or will she go? Phyllis Fairbrother receives the devastating news that husband Mick has relapsed and suffering a life changing diagnosis. Their dreams of a new life in Australia lie in tatters, or so she thinks. With a new dawn, there are high hopes and boundless dreams. Can the Tobacco Girls unite once more to overcome life's troubles and find the happiness they so deserve? Praise for Lizzie Lane: 'A gripping saga and a storyline that will keep you hooked' Rosie Goodwin 'The Tobacco Girls is another heartwarming tale of love and friendship and a must-read for all saga fans.' Jean Fullerton 'Lizzie Lane opens the door to a past of factory girls, redolent with life-affirming friendship, drama, and choices that are as relevant today as they were then.' Catrin Collier 'If you want an exciting, authentic historical saga then look no further than Lizzie Lane.' Fenella J Miller

The Tobacco Girls

A Fond Farewell for the Tobacco Girls - The Tobacco Girls, Book 6 (Unabridged)

When all is lost, can she find the strength to start again? It is 1916 and Edith Mellor is one of the few female surgeons in Britain. Compelled to use her skills for the war effort, she travels to the Somme, where she is confronted with the horrors at the front. Yet amongst the bloodshed on the battlefield, there is a ray of light in the form of the working class Albert, a corporal from the East End of London. Despite being worlds apart, Edith and Albert can't deny their attraction to each other. But as the brutality of war reveals itself to Albert, he makes a drastic decision that will change both Edith and Albert's lives forever. In the north of England, strong-minded Ada is left heartbroken when her only remaining son Jimmy heads off to fight in the war. Desperate to rebuild her shattered life, Ada takes up a position in the munition factory. But life deals her a further blow when she discovers that her mentally unstable sister Beryl is pregnant with her husband Paddy's child. Soon, even the love of the gentle Joe, a supervisor at the factory, can't erase Ada's pain. An encounter with Edith's cousin, Lady Eloise, brings Edith into her life. Together, they realize, they may be able to turn their lives around . . . All I Have to Give is a thrilling saga from Mary Wood, the kindle bestselling author of Time Passes Time and Proud of You.

The Generation War

All I Have to Give

The tangled destinies of an unusual family are played out against the backdrop of the English countryside where two pretty sisters and a beautiful widow take center stage in a drama of dangerous flirtation and backstairs gossip. Esther Musgrave, an attractive widow, has her hands full trying to keep her energetic family together – and on speaking terms! Her three daughters, prickly Delia, sensible Meg and carefree Rose, mean everything to her, especially since the death of her husband, Charles.

The Musgraves

It wasn't a privileged childhood, but it was a happy one. Sybil and Lizzie Cream, brought up in a fisherman's cottage on the edge of the cold North Sea, were content to leave privilege where it belonged: with their friends the Wintertons. Christina Winterton was the same age as Sybil and the two girls were inseparable, but it was Lizzie whom Ralph Winterton, three years older, found irresistible. Then war came to East Anglia, and so did Manchester-born Fenn Kitzmann, now of the American Army Air Force. At their first meeting he is attracted by Sybil's subtle charm, but before he sees her again her own personal tragedy has struck, and he finds her changed almost out of recognition…

First Love, Last Love

It is the autumn of 1945 and identical twins Joy and Gillian Lawrence are on their way home to Liverpool, having been evacuated to Devonshire five years earlier.Their mother has been killed in the blitz but the girls hope that with their beloved father's help they will be able to manage. All goes well until there is a terrible accident and Joy loses her sight. At first she is bitter and resentful whilst Gillian is racked with guilt.However, as time passes Joy gains confidence, hopeful that her sight will return. Then there is a chance meeting on a train and once more the girls lives are in turmoil…

Christmas Wishes

Lottie and her mother, Louella, share a house in Victoria Court with Mr Magic and his son Baz. Lottie is a child star, dancing and singing at the Gaiety Theatre to an enraptured audience, whilst Louella acts as Max Magic's assistant. But a road accident causes Lottie to lose her memory. Louella tries to help but the white mist remains. Then Lottie meets a boy with golden-brown eyes who calls her "Sassy" and accuses her of running away. It is after this meeting that the dreams start, dreams of another life, almost another world, and Lottie, sharing them with Baz, begins to believe he knows more than he chooses to tell.

Forgotten Dreams

Dana and Caitlin meet on the ferry from Ireland, both in search of new lives in Liverpool, having left their secrets behind in Ireland. But Dana is ambitious, and when the opportunity comes to own their own tearoom she persuades her friend to join her. No one is willing to rent property to a couple of girls, so when Caitlin's new man-friend says he'll back them, they are delighted. Soon the tearoom is thriving. But after an accident which puts her in hospital for some time, Dana begins to remember her lost life with more affection, particularly Con, the boy she left behind…Then fate intervenes, and soon the girls find themselves fighting to survive in a world on the brink of war.

The Runaway

It is a cold December night and Sylvie Dugdale is weeping as she walks by the Mersey. She fails to notice an approaching figure and jumping to one side to avoid collision, she finds herself struggling in the ice-cold river. Constable Brendan O'Hara, just coming off duty, sees the girl's plight and dives in to rescue her. He is dazzled by her beauty but discovers that Sylvie's husband is in prison and the closeness that Brendan soon longs for is impossible. But he is able to help her escape from Liverpool, arranging for her to stay with his cousin Caitlin in Dublin. There she meets Maeve, a crippled girl from the slums, who will change all their lives…

Little Girl Lost

As the worst storm of the century breaks across the North West, sweeping through Snowdonia and across the Mersey to burst upon Liverpool, two women, Molly and Ellen, give birth to girls in a Liverpool maternity hospital. Molly lives on a hill farm in Snowdonia while Ellen is married to Sam O'Mara, a dock worker who is quicker with a punch than a kiss. After one punch too many, Ellen throws her husband out, and eventually leaves Liverpool to live with Molly. Ellen and her daughter throw themselves into their new life with enthusiasm, unaware that they are being watched by someone hiding in a ruined cottage. And as another horrendous storm breaks across the hills, the watcher makes his move.

A Sixpenny Christmas

Miranda Lovage and her mother have a blazing row when Arabella tells her daughter that she can no longer afford their present lifestyle. Miranda goes to bed angry and upset.When she awakes next morning, however, it is to find that her mother has disappeared. Miranda raises the alarm but everyone is baffled, and when searches fail to discover Arabella's whereabouts, Miranda is forced to live with her Aunt Vi and cousin Beth, who resent her presence and treat her badly. Miranda is miserable, but when she meets a neighbour, Steve, things begin to look up and Steve promises to help his new friend in her search, and does so until war intervenes…

The Forget-Me-Not Summer

Addy and Prue Fairweather live with their widowed mother Nell, in a flat above her shop. Addy is plain and always in trouble whereas Prue is as angelic as her looks imply. To make matters worse, Nell makes no secret of her preference for the younger girl, increasing Addy's jealousy. On the other side of the coin, Giles Frobisher and his twin sister, Gillian, live in a crumbling mansion in Devon. The family have lost most of their money in the Depression, so Giles joins the Fleet Air Arm. He meets the Fairweather girls briefly but they lose touch. When they meet again the girls are no longer children and Giles realises he is falling in love.

In Time for Christmas

Amy Logan's family are poor but proud. They scrape a living by shrimping for the big Liverpool fish market, which Amy hates. It's only because her beloved, and strict, mother rules her with a rod of iron that she mucks in. But Isobel Logan dies in childbirth, and Amy and her brothers start to run wild. Matters aren't helped when her father marries Suzie Keagan from down the street: Until now, Suzie has managed to conceal a dislike for housekeeping and she forces Amy to slave at chores. Desperate to escape, Amy leaves home to take her first job. But her happiness is short-lived for her father becomes gravely ill. She must return home and take her place within the family once again . . .

The Girl from Seaforth Sands

When Daisy's family lose their croft on the Connemara coast, her Aunt Jane, housekeeper to Dr and Mrs Venables, offers to take Daisy back to Liverpool. There she can be companion to the Venables' orphaned niece, Cynthia. Daisy is a tomboy, strong-willed and hot-tempered. In Ireland, she was seldom in school but often in trouble. Now she tells herself that she must conform. She begins to work hard in school and life in Liverpool gradually becomes easier to bear. Although Daisy means to follow her friend Jake to university, war intervenes and she starts work at a munitions factory, falling in love for the very first time…

Sunshine and Shadows

Margaret Dickinson's Pauper's Gold is the heartfelt story of triumph over adversity, in the cotton mills of Derbyshire. Hannah Francis has been forced to leave her beloved mother and the life she knows in the silk mill town of Macclesfield and is set to become an apprentice at a cotton mill in the Derbyshire dales. It is a cruel blow for such a young girl, but her three travelling companions are even younger than she is, and Hannah is determined to keep their spirits up and remain in good cheer. Once she is settled in the mill, Hannah discovers that the hours of work are long, and the daily routine is dangerous, arduous and harsh, but her bright singing and capacity for joy lighten the load for everyone. Hannah soon becomes a favourite with the other mill workers. Friendships are forged and an innocent love starts to blossom. But can such a fragile love survive cruel reality? It is not long before she attracts the eye of Edmund Critchlow, the man who owns them all, body and soul – the man from whom no pretty mill girl is safe. Times are hard in the cotton industry as civil war rages across America affecting even the mill owner and the lives of all his workers . . .

Pauper's Gold

The Second World War sparked the writing of hundreds of short stories, by servicemen and women as well as civilians. They appeared in magazines and collections during and after the war, and addressed all areas of the conflict, from the home front to service abroad. Short stories offer a wonderful insight into everyday concerns on the various front lines, and illustrate the humour that kept up morale, as well as the despair and confusion felt by so many. This anthology introduces a selection of stories that are both unique representations of individual war experience and representative of larger trends.

Night in the Front Line

Proud and canny, ignorant and intensely ambitious, Hannah Massey is a born ruler. Her kingdom may only be a working-class household in County Durham, but within its walls her iron will governs a predominantly male family, her word unchallengeable law. Now, in late middle age, her ambition is yet to be satisfied. She wants to see her brood living in the house where she was in service as a young girl. The apple of Hannah's eye is her pretty younger daughter, Rosie, who has just returned home after a spell in London. Rosie had gone south, so Hannah thought, to escape the passionate pursuit of a young man she had known for most of her life. Her return is shrouded in mystery and evasive responses, and when the truth does come out, Hannah's world is torn apart and her dreams are shattered.

Hannah Massey

John Emmerson was a lonely man. He had a wife, a son, friends, but he was isolated from all the people and events around him by the tragedy of his past. Then he met Cissie, and for the first time his loneliness eased a little. Cissie was everything that his wife Ann was not. She was warm, compassionate and generous. And she was quick to sense the needs of a desolate unhappy man. But Cissie was also a young widow: poor, and with a young son to support. And John Emmerson was one of the town's leading solicitors - a man of importance whose every move was watched by the local dignitaries. . .

The Unbaited Trap

In the brooding north country hills, a man and a woman fought for the passion they felt for each other that the world branded a disgrace. . .Agnes Thorman - the proud but forlorn mistress of a once-grand estate, whose society forbade her the man who was her equal in all but name. . .Robert Bradley - a gifted craftsman, as visionary and challenging as the dawning new age. He had yet to seize his dream, which could destroy the woman he loved. . .And Milicent Thorman - the strange, wise girl-child fated to play a part in the lovers' unfolding destiny. . .

The Moth

When the Todd's move into a flat on the Scotland Road, they are strangers to city life: their previous home was a canal barge. Harry gets a job as warehouse manager and his wife, Martha, works in a grocer's shop, whilst Seraphina trains as a teacher, Angela works in Bunney's Department Store and young Evie starts at regular school. Then circumstances change and Seraphina takes a job in Lyon's Corner House. Customers vie for her favours, including an old friend, Toby. When war is declared, the older girls join up, leaving Evie and Martha to cope with rationing and the terrible raids on Liverpool. Meanwhile, Toby is a Japanese POW, working on the Burma railway and dreaming of Seraphina…

Darkest Before Dawn

The Sunday Times bestseller following the inspiring story of life as a shepherdess, by the star of More4's Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive & the Kids and Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm. Amanda Owen has been seen by millions on ITV's The Dales and Channel 5's Our Yorkshire Farm, living a life that has almost gone in today's modern world, a life ruled by the seasons and her animals. She is a farmer's wife and shepherdess, living alongside her husband Clive and seven children at Ravenseat, a 2000 acre sheep hill farm at the head of Swaledale in North Yorkshire. It's a challenging life but one she loves. In The Yorkshire Shepherdess she describes how the rebellious girl from Huddersfield, who always wanted to be a shepherdess, achieved her dreams. Full of amusing anecdotes and unforgettable characters, the book takes us from fitting in with the locals to fitting in motherhood, from the demands of the livestock to the demands of raising a large family in such a rural backwater. Amanda also evokes the peace of winter, when they can be cut off by snow without electricity or running water, the happiness of spring and the lambing season, and the backbreaking tasks of summertime – haymaking and sheepshearing – inspiring us all to look at the countryside and those who work there with new appreciation. Listen to more inspiring tales of life as a shepherdess with A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess and Adventures Of The Yorkshire Shepherdess.

The Yorkshire Shepherdess

It was a wartime white wedding but it was not a love match. Annie Cooper married George McCabe for one reason only: she was expecting his child. But Annie was a girl of spirit and determined to make the marriage work. Annie applied herself to that task as she matured into a woman of character and resource. The family prospered even as it grew. She bore George four children, but it was the first who always held her heart in the hollow of his hand. From early childhood, Rance was a problem. There were traits in his character that were hard to excuse or even understand, but whatever trouble he got into, Annie would forgive him. Mother and son were bound together by an invisible cord; invisible but strong enough to become a noose for both of them.

The Invisible Cord

Yorkshire, 1864. The daughter of a wealthy Yorkshire landowner, Anna Thornton leads a privileged life. But she is not content. She longs to be accepted for the free-thinking, independent woman she is. When she meets dashing adventurer Matt Cowan, she thinks she has met her soul mate. However, he's not the man she thinks he is. After he sets sail for South America, Anna discovers she's pregnant. Heartbroken, she flees her family home, determined to keep her child's illegitimacy a secret. Just when she starts to settle into her new life, strong-minded Brenton O'Mara - who has turned his back on his father's wealth - seeks work as a labourer at Anna's new home....

To Gain What's Lost

Roddy Greenbank was brought by his father to the remote Northumberland community of Langley in the autumn of 1807. Within hours of their arrival, however, the father meets a violent death and the boy is left with all memory of his past life gone. Adopted and raised by old Kate Makepeace, Roddy found his closest companions in Hal Roystan and Mary Ellen Lee. These three stand at the heart of a richly eventful narrative that spans the first half of the 19th century, their lives lastingly intertwined by the inexorable demands of a strange and somewhat cruel destiny.

A Dinner of Herbs

The cinder path which led from the Northumberland farmhouse would always symbolise defeat for Charlie MacFell. People saw him as a born loser who always got the dirty end of the stick. At the root of the matter were boyhood humiliations by his brutal father - but was that all there was to Charlie MacFell? Then an opportunity emerges for Charlie to display his inner strengths and integrity, and to give the lie to those who had thought him to be of no account. . .

The Cinder Path

Charlotte Booth loves her father and the home they share, which is set high up in the limestone escarpments of Crummockdale. But when a new businessman in the form of Joseph Dawson enters their lives, both Charlotte and her father decide he's the man for her and, within six months, Charlotte marries the dashing mill owner from Accrington. Then a young mill worker is found dead in the swollen River Ribble. With Joseph's business nearly bankrupt, it becomes apparent that all is not as it seems and Joseph is not the man he pretends to be. Heavily pregnant, penniless and heartbroken, Charlotte is forced to face the reality that life may never be the same again . . .

Windfell Manor Trilogy

The Mistress of Windfell Manor

A country town in need of a good Doctor, but will they accept her as one of their own?Somerset, March 1930Born in the workhouse and adopted by a former suffragette, Frances Brakespeare was encouraged from an early age to be strong, independent and to pursue a career as a doctor. The tragic loss of the love of her life in the Great War propels Frances to commit to her one true vocation.Rebelling against the unfair treatment of female doctors Frances is dismissed from her London post and things continue to take a turn for the worse when Izzy, her benefactress dies and Frances finds herself homeless.With no employment or roof over her head her future seems uncertain until she's offered a residency at the Orchard Cottage Hospital in Norton Dene, Somerset. a town where quarrying and coal mining scar the land.It's a far cry from London and towns narrow minds are not so welcoming of a young, female Doctor, but she's determined to win through.At first sight the town seems quaintly old fashioned, a place where nothing much happens but there are secrets and sins bubbling beneath the surface plus a mystery she's determined to solve.

Orchard Cottage Hospital

A New Doctor at Orchard Cottage Hospital - Orchard Cottage Hospital, Book 1 (Unabridged)

With no parents to protect her, Darcy Earnshaw must make her own way in the world.After the death of her beloved mill-owner father, thirteen-year-old Darcy Earnshaw is left in the care of her lascivious uncle Abe. Not only is he determined to steal her inheritance, but as she blossoms into a captivating young woman, he longs to steal her innocence too. Desperate to avoid his advances, Darcy decides to flee.Alone and homeless, she is soon taken under the wing of John Carver, a kind-hearted beloved street performer and his family who is captivated by Darcy's beautiful voice. But it's Danny, an Italian singer, who captures Darcy's heart and finally seems to offer the promise of a happy future.But, when war breaks out, and the pressure on Danny and John to enlist mounts, all Darcy's dreams start to crumble. And with her evil uncle Abe still determined to wreak his terrible revenge on her, surely now there can be no happy ending for the orphan songbird?Heartbreaking, heart-warming, page-turning and uplifting, Chrissie Walsh's brilliant stories are perfect for fans of Katie Flynn, Dilly Court and Kitty Neale.What readers are saying about Chrissie Walsh:'Loved this book from the beginning to the end. I wanted the story to go on for ever and a brilliant read.''A brilliant read, I really enjoyed it, it is definitely five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, looking forward to more books from this author.''I was so totally engrossed and invested in the characters, written as though I were there myself. It really is a story to be appreciated and devoured... I absolutely loved it.''I have loved every minute of this book, tears of sadness and tears of joy, a very enjoyable story, will read more from this author.''Loved this book and there was nothing I didn't enjoy. Beautiful love story. I can't wait to read more from this writer.'

The Orphan Songbird - Will she ever find a place to call home? (Unabridged)

When Dot McCann, playing with her pals, decides to hide in Butcher Rathbone's almost empty dustbin, she overhears a conversation which could send one man to prison and the other to the gallows – and suddenly finds herself in possession of stolen goods. Dot lives with her aunt and uncle, abandoned after her parents died. She feels very alone, until she meets up with Corky who has run away from a London orphanage. They join forces with Emma, whose jeweller's shop has been burgled, and Nick, a young reporter who is investigating the crime. The four of them begin a plot to catch the thieves. But Dot and Emma have been recognised, and soon both are in very real danger...

The Cuckoo Child

As a longstanding fan of bestselling author Jivan Childering, aspiring young novelist Jessica Lord is dismayed on encountering the man himself to find him stand-offish. But, some months later, many thousands of miles away in Western Australia, Jessica's path is destined to cross with Jivan's once more and she begins to see a different side to this talented yet reserved and private man. For his part, Jivan finds himself increasingly drawn to the unpretentious Jessica, and impressed by her single-minded determination to follow her dreams. But following a bitter divorce, Jivan has vowed never to get romantically involved with a woman again. Can Jessica break down his emotional barriers?

Tomorrow's Path

1939. Eve Armstrong is being evacuated to Devon. As the train pulls out of London she takes a last look at the crowded platform, the shabbily dressed evacuees, and a rude little boy sticking his tongue out. At first Eve is happier than ever at Drake's Farm. It's a different world that invites fresh starts, and so when Eve runs into the boy from the station, Johnny Durrell, they call a truce and soon become firm friends. The war might be a distant reality, but the arrival of Connie Hale makes every day a battle. Connie is stuck up and spiteful – and Johnny's new best friend. Will Eve fight for Johnny or concede defeat?

A Christmas Candle

A Christmas party is punctuated by a gunshot under a policeman's watchful eye. A jewel heist is planned amidst the glitz and glamour of Oxford Street's Christmas shopping. And lost in a snowstorm, a man finds a motive for murder…This collection of mysteries explores the darker side of the festive season from unexplained disturbances in the fresh snow, to the darkness that lurks beneath the sparkling decorations. With neglected stories by John Bude and E.C.R. Lorac, as well as tales by little-known writers of crime fiction, Martin Edwards blends the cosy atmosphere of the fireside story with a chill to match the temperature outside. This is a gripping seasonal collection sure to delight mystery fans.

British Library Crime Classics

The  Christmas Card Crime

Working at a tiny village school in rural Yorkshire has its own unique set of challenges – but when teachers Lydia Knight and Jake Immingham are tasked with getting the children to put on a Christmas play for the local elderly people's home, they know they're in for a tricky term! But in between choreographing sugar plum dance routines, reindeer costume malfunctions and trying to contain Rory Scott's wannabe rap star aspirations, Lydia realises that, even as a teacher, she isn't past being taught a couple of things – and one of those things is a much-needed lesson in Christmas spirit.

Christmas at the Little Village School

When war broke out, 17-year-old Christie could have stayed down on the family farm in Norfolk, where she was wanted and needed. So why had she joined up? Come to that, why had Meg from Cheshire, and Sue, very much the big city girl from Liverpool, and Shanna, the life-toughened product of a broken home in Glasgow? Mixed reasons. Very mixed backgrounds. But no time to think now. Not with the sergeant shouting and the station air-raid siren beginning to wail . . .

We'll Meet Again

Liverpool, 1917. When Irish seaman Michael Gallagher docks in Liverpool after years of fighting with the British Navy, he never expects to fall in love. But the moment he glimpses Stella Bennett, all thoughts of returning to his homeland vanish. Determined to be together, the young couple defy Stella's parents' wishes. But their plans to marry are soon derailed by the arrival of baby Ginny. Her crop of fiery red hair plants a seed of doubt in her father's mind and it's not long before their world begins to fall apart.

A Kiss and a Promise

A few days before Christmas Tess Williams rushes into Albert Payne's tobacconist shop, with two boys in hot pursuit, saying she's a thief. Albert chases the boys away, and though Tess does not realise it, this incident changes her life. Tess lives with her grandmother, Edie, in a small flat on Heyworth Street. She has recently returned from Bell Farm, where she was evacuated during the war. When the handsome Snowy White comes to her rescue she thinks her troubles are over, and returns to Bell Farm for a working holiday. This leaves Edie to her own devices, however, and Tess is jealous of the friendship which blossoms between her grandmother and the tobacconist.

A Christmas to Remember

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