Showing results by narrator "Luke Francis" in All Categories

Not too long ago, Max Best was stuck in a dead-end job, trudging from one day to the next and mourning the fact that his burning love of soccer was getting buried in a landslide of cold statistics and intangible tactics. Then, after saving an old man from a mugging, he was "cursed" with the ability to instantly ascertain a soccer player's attributes on sight and use that knowledge to upgrade his own skills. Now he's making a name for himself as an amateur team manager, but it's not enough for him to ditch his dud of a job.

Max Best was on a roll. After climbing the ranks at Chester FC with his burning desire, innate talent, and the "curse" of a sentient heads-up display with knowledge of all things footie, he was named the club's electrifying new director of football. Seizing the opportunity, he saved the day and led the team out of relegation. But that's when someone tried to murder him . . .

George and Lucas can't stand each other - which makes it very awkward being on the same Cambridge University rowing team. After all, they are polar opposites. The uber-charming, womanising George got parachuted into Cambridge from America for his sporting prowess, not his subpar grades. Economics whizz and sarcasm expert Lucas, meanwhile, worked for everything he's got, which sadly does not include a boyfriend. When George's secret leaks to the press, he is told that this year, he'll have to sit his exams fair and square - Cambridge's reputation is on the line.

I loved my husband, Doctor Drew Devlin, but he betrayed me. And now he’s dead. As I put the key in the lock and open the door to the luxurious new home I’ve purchased with Drew’s life insurance money, I’m certain the worst days are behind me. My secret is safe, and I can’t wait to enjoy my new wealth and freedom.

Football is a game of steps: Quick steps. Trick steps. Even sneaky, slick steps. Whether you're on or off the pitch, you best know your footing. And for Max Best, that's no problem at all. He has the ability to read players to a T—thanks to the sentient stat-tracking display he received after saving an elderly man in the streets. Now, as director of football for Chester FC, everything's falling into place for Max. His team is climbing the ranks. He's executing great transfers and hired a literal old hand for his brand-new women's team. What could go wrong?

Through her own – often bloody-minded – determination and the medical skill of others, April Ashley became the woman she had always believed herself to be. And for half a dozen decades she soared around, over and above momentous and turbulent times, difficult, and changing times when, finally, who you wanted to be and who you could be became the cultural topic of the day. She overcame opprobrium and penury and became renowned and celebrated for one specific achievement: being April Ashley.

This book is a study in high-performance sporting excellence and elite management. But more than that, it is a true insider's guide: to how Manchester City won an unprecedented and historic Treble in 2023, and how a near-perfect footballing machine was built from the ground up. Prepare for The Blueprint: a white-knuckle ride through a sporting dynasty the likes of which the game has never seen before.

Nobody ever knew what happened to the Brindleys. One summer they were there - flashy, loud and beautiful - and then they were gone. A mother, father and two children, vanished into the East Anglian night. Some said the family never made it home from the party; their speeding car thrown off the tracks and the four of them silently buried in the marshes. Others said they had simply moved on. For thirty years, the case remained as cold as the freezing waterways of the Norfolk broads. Until Cam Killick found the car.

Laura is married, she has a good home, and she is due to give birth to her first child any day now. But her perfect world is shattered when her husband comes home flustered and afraid. He's made a terrible mistake. He's done a bad thing. And now the police are going to be looking for him. There's only one way out of this. He wants to run. But he won't go without his wife. Laura knows it is wrong. They should stay and face the music. But she doesn't want to lose her man. She can't raise this baby alone. So she agrees to go with him.

Liverpool and Manchester. Two gloriously independent-minded, eclectic, culturally vibrant places—two cities, both alike in dignity. Yet the inhabitants dislike each other with a passion that is visceral. It is a divide that spans generations, across class and ethnicity. It is a divide that has grown over the years, largely driven by one thing: football. The dark, malignant loathing shared by the followers of Liverpool and Manchester United has seeped into every aspect of life in the two cities.

The charred remains of a child are discovered - a child no one seems to have missed... It's high summer, and the lakes are in the midst of an unrelenting heatwave. Uncontrollable fell fires are breaking out across the moors faster than they can be extinguished. When firefighters uncover the body of a dead child at the heart of the latest blaze, Detective Chief Inspector Jude Satterthwaite's arson investigation turns to one of murder. Jude was born and bred in the Lake District. He knows everyone... and everyone knows him.

It's been years since Zoe last saw them – since they graduated, drifted apart, and lost touch. Years since Zoe ended things with Dan because the memories were too painful to bear. Years since that night – the night an unexpected death shattered their close-knit group of friends. Now, Zoe is invited to Scotland for a wedding – a grand affair at a manor house on a remote island. Apprehensive about the reunion, she hopes the long drive with Lily will help ease her nerves. But things are far from simple.

When a giant sperm whale washes up on the local beach and tells Joe Gunner that death will follow him wherever he goes. Joe knows that the place he needs to go is home. Having stormed out two years ago, it won't be easy. Nor will returning to the river alongside the house where words ripple beneath the muddy black water washing up all sorts of memories and disturbing prophecies. Joe turns to his sister, Birdee, the only person who has ever listened and to Tim Fysh, a local fisherman and longtime lover - but reviving their bond leads to trouble.

The week just started and already you’re playing catch-up. At the end of another busy day, your to-do list is longer than it was this morning. Enter Grip: the book for everyone who has too much to do. This fresh, no-nonsense guide brings clarity and direction to even the most hectic workweek. Using tools you know - like your calendar, to-do list and email - Grip walks you through working smarter, thinking bigger and clearing the way for what matters most.

Lucie Hart is a fledgling actress, her confidence having been shattered by her manipulative ex. Making ends meet by performing Shakespearean monologues full of romance she doesn’t believe in, she can see her dreams getting further out of reach. Theo Larkin has already taken Hollywood by storm and his next conquests are Shakespeare’s greatest works – and his incensed leading lady. Always short of money, Lucie can’t afford to waste the opportunity to bring crowds to her shows. And when a well-publicised bust-up leaves Theo’s reputation hanging by a thread, he is desperate to prove his worth.

Kelsey and Lewis have been best friends for ten years. After her father died suddenly, it was Lewis - then a sweet, scruffy-haired schoolboy—who patiently patched Kelsey back together. A shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, someone to watch Family Guy with when nothing felt funny anymore: he became everything she needed him to be to bring her back to life and has been stitched onto her soul ever since. Nine years later, when Lewis finally kissed her for the first time, Kelsey was sure it was the beginning of their love story.

Benny thought that it would be him and his dad doing the walk. Just him and his father, hiking through the Welsh countryside, like they used to. Only, when his dad got ill, it became obvious that this would never happen. So Benny was forced to consider other options. If Benny is honest, him and Stephen haven't been close since school, but once Benny had drunkenly blurted out the invitation, he couldn't take it back. Now Benny and Stephen are on the walk. A walk Benny has vowed to finish, no matter how hard it is.

From a skinny, ginger-haired kid from Walsall who was bullied at school, to the ‘Queen of Soho’, who would rule London’s drag scene in its most dazzling era. This gripping true story follows an unassuming boy, separated from other children and made to sit by the window, on to a remarkable career, with celeb buddies including Kylie Minogue, The Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, Cyndi Lauper and, of course, Boy George. But behind the glitter, there was a far darker reality.

Dragons of Hallow: Spellhound and Fledgewitch brings you two stories in one from the award-winning author of A Clue for Clara and Museum of Thieves. Book one, Spellhound and book two, Fledgewitch combine in this delightfully pleasing whimsical fantasy audiobook experience for those who love Cressida Cowell or Katrina Nannestad.

People like Ig are born from life-threatening trials that bind periodic elements to the human body, forged in the boiling volcanoes and subterranean passages under Mira's frozen lands. One of the most powerful known elementals, he is forced to work as an enforcer for Magnate Sorrelo Adriann—cursed with a flesh binding—magic that will kill him at the first sign of disobedience. When Sorrelo is overthrown, Ig quickly learns he can do worse—far worse—than what has been asked from him so far.