Showing results by narrator "Sophie Aldred" in All Categories

On a snowy February morning, the body of 25-year-old journalist Alice Salmon washes up on a riverbank south of London. The sudden, shocking death of this beloved local girl becomes a media sensation, and those who knew her struggle to understand what happened to lively, smart, and savvy Alice Salmon. Was it suicide? A tragic accident? Or...murder?

Life at the Heart of Power is a very personal portrait of life as a woman at the centre of power. As Brexit discussions rail on, Fall offers an intimate account of the preceding seminal political years from the viewpoint of the ‘staffer’ rather than the more traditional memoirs of the ‘principals’- David Cameron and George Osborne whom she worked alongside. Fall takes us through 11 years of the Cameron project. From its inception and battle to win the soul of the Conservative party, through to life at No 10 during the coalition years.

With the family finances in a parlous state, Flavia's father has rented Buckshaw to a film company for a location shooting. When a heavy snowfall cuts the village off, the actors are talked into staging a benefit performance in the parish hall. But old jealousies surface, and the leading lady is murdered. Flavia, who has been enlisted to help out behind the scenes, finds herself up to her knees in snow - and murder!

Meet our fearless adventurers Cassandra, Otto and Missy AKA the smartest raven in the universe as they set out on their next action-packed Ladybird Audio Adventure! On this adventure, we're entering the world of performance, where we'll learn about different literary legends throughout history! We'll meet William Shakespeare at work at the Globe Theatre, and go behind the scenes of the amazing musical, Hamilton. Let's take to the stage!

Flavia de Luce, the 12-year-old chemist and amateur detective, is eager to turn professional. She and her father's valet, Dogger, have founded a detective agency, Arthur Dogger & Associates, and unexpectedly cut into their first case during the revelry at her sister's wedding reception. After an eventful ceremony with a missing best man and spontaneous ventriloquist act, spirits are high as Feely and her new husband head for the towering and beautifully iced wedding cake. But as Feely slices into the first piece, a scream rings out - the bridal cake contains a severed human finger.

After a disagreement with her stepmother, Sandra is banished to the desolate English countryside to live with an aged aunt. Bored and restless, she escapes to the glamourous seaside resort of Brighton as the cantankerous Dowager Countess of Kyle’s young companion. Sandra meets the handsome, but cynical and sarcastic Earl of Kyle and immediately despises him. Nevertheless, there is a spark between them and Sandra wonders if she could really fall for a man who makes her blood boil so. A classic tale of enemies to lovers played against the backdrop of Regency England.

Flavia is enjoying the summer, spending her days punting along the river with her reluctant family. Languishing in boredom, she drags a slack hand in the water - and catches her fingers in the open mouth of a drowned corpse. Flavia needs to put her super-sleuthing skills to the test to investigate the murder of three gossips in the local church and to keep her sisters out of danger.

The absence of Flavia DeLuce’s mother, Harriet, has always cast a shadow, since her presumed death in a mountaineering accident in Tibet. Now, astonishingly, a specially commissioned train is bringing Harriet back to Buckshaw. But rather than putting the past finally to rest, Harriet's return is set to trigger a further series of bizarre and deadly events, as a most curious group of individuals converge on Buckshaw to pay their respects…

“You frighten me,” the Gypsy said. “Never have I seen my crystal ball so filled with darkness.” For Flavia de Luce, the old gypsy's words open up old wounds and new possibilities. Is she a faker, or is there some truth to her powers? And when the village is rocked by another ghastly murder, how will a growing fascination with gypsy lore help Flavia to solve it?

Ace is apparently killed and her dead Nan appears to help her cross over to 'the other side'. Faced with her own internal demons, how long can she cling to life? And what is 'the other side'? The final track of this download is a 10-minute edition discussion with Bill Baggs and Sophie Aldred, Editor Alistair Lock and Assistant Producer John Ainsworth.

Why won't Alice reveal the real reason for wanting to return home? What is the truth of the planet covered in blood? And who - or what - is Vixxy? As events unfold, a simple visit to Earth becomes a growing nightmare and the time travellers find themselves caught in a complex web of time, space, and emotions - with no choice but to see it through to its chilling conclusion.

Henri Matisse was one of the most important and beloved artists of the 20th century, rivalled only by his friend and competitor Pablo Picasso. Hilary Spurling's The Unknown Matisse and Matisse the Master were together heralded as the definitive biography of the artist, and Matisse the Master went on to win the Whitbread Book of the Year award in 2005. This essential abridged edition of The Life reveals the origins of Matisse's astonishing talent, provides a unique insight into his life and work and places him at the front rank of those who made art modern.

My mummy looks normal, like any other mummy...but she's not. Because she can turn into a fairy. All she has to do is stamp her feet three times, clap her hands, wiggle her bottom and say, 'Marshmallow'...and POOF! She's Mummy Fairy. Ella's family has a big secret - her mummy is a fairy! But sometimes Mummy Fairy's magic goes wrong, and then it's up to Ella to help. 

Some people are born with a natural 'go-get-'em' approach. For most of us, however, selling does not come naturally. This book demystifies the art of getting people to buy - whether it is as simple as convincing your friends to agree to your restaurant recommendation, or as complex as getting people to buy your million- dollar proposal at work. The book is a toolkit for self-exploration, analysis, learning and action plan development framed in a 5-week programme for building your unique sales self.

Ella's family has a big secret - her mummy is a fairy! But sometimes Mummy Fairy's magic goes wrong, and it's up to Ella to help.... In this third book of spellbinding adventures about Mummy Fairy and Ella, you'll find flying cars, enchanted ballet shoes, a unicorn in the kitchen - and, of course, Ella's very own magical wardrobe.

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Daughter by Jane Shemilt, read by Sophie Aldred. I still don't know why we had to check. Did we really think you would be there, curled up and sleeping on the stage? That we would put our arms round you, and take you home? Naomi has vanished, leaving her family broken and her mother Jenny desperately searching for answers. But the traces fifteen-year-old Naomi left behind reveal a very different girl to the one Jenny thought she'd raised.

Materialising aboard the corvette HMS Thunder during the Second World War, the Doctor and Ace join Commander Fitzgerald and his crew as they track an allied submarine in trouble. While the Doctor advises the Captain on navigational matters, Ace joins in a daring mission to rescue sailors in the water. With German planes overhead, no-one's survival is guaranteed....

A brand new version of the classic Hans-Christian Andersen tale. When the evil Snow Queen kidnaps Kay, his best friend Gerda sets out alone on a quest to save him. But even if Gerda can find her friend, will she able to break the Snow Queen's spell before Kay's heart freezes completely?

Celia Frost is a freak. At least, that’s what everyone thinks. Her life is ruled by a rare disorder that means she could bleed to death from the slightest cut, confining her to a gloomy bubble of ‘safety’. No friends. No fun. No life. But when a knife attack on Celia has unexpected consequences, her mum reacts strangely - and suddenly they’re on the run. Why is her mum so scared? Someone out there knows.

The children are saved from the dreaded School Holiday Club in the nick of time! They owe their escape to the elderly Miss Kents, who live in the basement of Paradise House. The Miss Kents have agreed to look after them. How can the children thank their rescuers enough? They hatch a plan that they think will appeal to old ladies. But things don't go quite as planned. Will the surprise be spoilt?