Showing results by narrator "Des Fitzgerald" in All Categories

While estranged twins Oliver and Theo Wingfield are identical in appearance, they couldn't be more different. Theo, an extrovert verging on arrogant, was always a drifter, a nomad, operating on the fringes of the law. Oliver, intense, creative and introspective, was destined to become a winemaker. Each vintage, every bottle from Oliver's Mudgee-based label, Four Dogs Missing, sells out. And now, after fifteen years without contact, Theo unexpectedly turns up at his brother's vineyard, bearing an invitation that his twin knows nothing about.

1943: the newly formed Homicide division of the Victoria Police has been struggling to counter little-known fascist groups, particularly an organisation called Australia First that has been festering since before the war. And now there's an extra problem: the bitter divide between Catholics and Protestants, which is especially raw in small rural communities. Detective Joe Sable and Constable Helen Lord are working to track down the ruthless George Starling, who in turn is planning to wreak vengeance on them for the downfall of his nationalist group and mentor.

The Kane family, Lorcan, Naiyana and their young son, relocate from Perth to Kallayee, an abandoned mining town in the Great Victoria Desert to start over again, free from their chequered past. The town seems like the perfect getaway: peaceful, quiet, remote. Somewhere they won’t be found. But life in Kallayee isn’t quite as straightforward as they hope. There are noises in the earth, mysterious shadows and tracks in the dust, as if the town is coming back to life. But the family can’t leave. No one can talk sense into them. And now, no one can talk to them at all.

In Canberra, a federal election looms and Cassius Calvert, Minister for Border Integrity, is facing a new hard-line policy regarding asylum-seekers. Off the Indonesian island of Dana, Isi Natoli, skipper of the Java Ridge, and a group of Australian surf tourists are anchored beside an idyllic reef. A few kilometres away, Roya and her mother are amongst the passengers fleeing persecution aboard the Talakar. When a storm breaks, these stories collide with chilling consequences....

What would the city of the future look like if we tried to build a better life from the ground up? And would anyone want to live there? Here, Des Fitzgerald takes us on an urgent, unforgettable journey into the future of urban life, from shimmering edifices in the Arizona desert to forest-bathing in Japan, and from rats in mazes to neuroscientific studies of the effects of our surroundings. Along the way, he reveals the deep-lying and often problematic roots of today's green city movement, and offers an argument for celebrating our cities as they are.

Former FBI profiler James Fitzgerald talks about his work on the Unabom Task Force that ultimately helped lead to the arrest of Ted Kaczynski on April 3. 1996. Fitzgerald also discusses how his story was turned into the character portrayed so convincingly by actor Sam Worthington throughout the eight episodes of Discovery Channel’s original scripted series, Manhunt: Unabomber.

There's no rest for the wicked… or the dead they've left behind. It's been four years since the Hartnett House Massacre. Four years since Whitley Adams rescued her sister, Nora, from a nightmare she herself still struggles to escape. When a documentary filmmaker expresses interest in telling their story, Whitley's sister believes it could be the answer to all their troubles. A chance to finally confront their past, and move on with their lives once and for all. The past isn't the only thing waiting at Hartnett House.

In 2004, the body of a young Perth woman was found on the grounds of a primary school. Her name was Rebecca Ryle. The killing would mystify investigators, lawyers, and psychologists - and profoundly rearrange the life of the victim's family. It would also involve the author's family, because his brother knew the man charged with the murder. For years, the two had circled each other suspiciously, in a world of violence, drugs, and rotten aspirations.

Mary Brown is in lockdown. She’s all nothing for weeks, and is living on a diet of cake and wine. She’s really up before midday and spends her time eating every box that she can get her hands on. Then, she has an idea.... Instead of just eating the cake, why doesn’t she judge it? She should organize a World Cup of cakes. With Juan, her trusty sidekick, she sets up the competition with meticulous detail, and the whole thing goes viral. Featuring: home dyed hair, talking to potatoes, internet shopping, and birdwatching. And loads of cake.

Acclaimed explorer Rob Nash has lost his way. Grieving the death of his wife, and blaming himself, he sees no reason to carry on. But when 'Uncle' Frank Douglas offers him the chance to lead a cave-diving expedition in the jungles of Papua, Nash can see some light at the end of the tunnel. But the expedition might not be what it seems. With a decades-old Japanese submarine buried deep in a cavern, and a team hellbent on unleashing the treasures it hides, Nash finds himself on a ship heading for danger.

Deaf PI Caleb Zelic has always been an outsider, estranged from family and friends. But when he receives a message that his brother, Anton, is in danger, Caleb sees it as a chance at redemption. He tracks Anton down to a small, wind-punished island, where secrets run deep and resentments deeper. When a sniper starts terrorising the isolated community, the brothers must rely on each other like never before. But trust comes at a deadly price …

Terry Lyon, assistant head keeper of Southwood Zoo, trusts animals because most people think he’s a waste of space. But as the zoo lurches towards bankruptcy, his future looks bleak. As if managing hungry elephants and contrary polar bears wasn’t complicated enough, the humans in Terry’s life pose their own challenges. Having had to move back in with his parents after his divorce, life becomes complicated when Terry’s ex Margaret starts seeing his best friend Richard.

Who would you believe is capable of murder: the man you almost married or the man whose life you saved? British soldier, Aimee Price, is hailed as a hero for saving a man’s life. But traumatic flashbacks of the explosion, and a loss of confidence, force her to hide from the limelight. Twelve years later, Jones, the man she saved, is arrested for a murder he claims he didn’t commit. Can she believe him when she has a history with the victim and Jones has a tendency for violence?

Hope’s mum died over a year ago and she misses her terribly. Her twin elder sisters have each other, and her dad has just started dating again, but Hope is lonely.c A growing interest in the environment becomes an out-of-control obsession as Hope tries to find solace and meaning in her life, driving her family mad in the process. First, she tries to turn them all vegan, and then suggests limiting shower time and selling the family car to walk everywhere. The more fed up her family get, the more misunderstood Hope feels.

We know the European story from diaries, journals and letters. For the first time, this is the other side. Who were the people watching the Endeavour sail by? How did they understand their world and what sense did they make of this strange vision? And what was the impact of these first encounters with Europeans? The answers lie in tales passed down from 1770 and in truth-telling of the often more brutal engagements that followed.

1911, on a winter's night in arid New South Wales wool country, mounted trooper Augustus Hawkins discovers the bodies of three young people. They are scions of the richest family in the district, savagely murdered on a road that Hawkins should have been patrolling, had he not been busy bedding the local schoolteacher.

Recovering from betrayal and loss, Jack and Kiera have found a safe haven to recuperate and train until they are ready to make their move. But nowhere is safe for long. Not when you are up against the most powerful witch who ever lived and a pair of ancient Witch Hunters awakened from their 500-year slumber. It will take all their strength and training to protect the return of witchcraft, and each other. With fresh danger and new allies, Blood of the Witch continues Jack and Kiera’s quest to rebuild a world that has long since been forgotten. One where magic can flourish.

The Bureau has to overcome some tricky magical graffiti while Imogen is worried because Darra has gone missing. At a sleepover at Lily’s, Kyra has a vision of Darra in trouble, then is magically snatched to a warehouse where she saves Darra from attack by a mysterious Cobra statue. With no idea what is happening, Kyra is chased by a fairy and an elf, and is shocked to find she is in Bangkok.

We do not see the ocean when we look at the water that blankets more than two thirds of our planet. We only see the entrance to it. Beyond that entrance is a world hostile to humans, yet critical to our survival. The first divers to enter that world held their breath and splashed beneath the surface, often clutching rocks to pull them down. Over centuries, they invented wooden diving bells, clumsy diving suits, and unwieldy contraptions in attempts to go deeper and stay longer.

From improving her painting to perfecting her garden, exploring family histories and reclaiming her mother’s art of tea-making, Alice Taylor discovers the challenges and pleasures of living alone.