English Houses

A drop, in spook parlance, is the passing on of secret information. It's also what happens just before you hit the ground. Old spooks carry the memory of tradecraft in their bones, and when Solomon Dortmund sees an envelope being passed from one pair of hands to another in a Marylebone cafe, he knows he's witnessed more than an innocent encounter. But in relaying his suspicions to John Bachelor, who babysits retired spies like Solly for MI5, he sets in motion a train of events that will alter lives.

Four men. One ritual. A kingdom of supernatural power at stake. Heiress Olivia Blackwood has spent her life as magical royalty, her family ruling the supernatural criminal underworld for generations. Publicly, she plays the perfect daughter; privately, she's her father's most dangerous weapon, her telekinetic abilities honed to lethal precision. But when she uncovers her father's unthinkable betrayal, the carefully constructed façade begins to crumble. Kidnapped by the notorious Valenti brothers, powerful magic users openly challenging her family's throne in the supernatural hierarchy, ...

The twelfth and thirteenth centuries were a time of personal monarchy, when the close friendship or petty feuding between kings and queens could determine the course of history. The Capetians of France and the Angevins of England waged war, made peace, and intermarried. In this lively history, Catherine Hanley traces the great clashes, and occasional friendships, of the two dynasties. Along the way, she emphasizes the fascinating and influential women of the houses—including Eleanor of Aquitaine—and shows how personalities and familial bonds shaped the fate of two countries.

Joe DeMarco always knew that his father, Gino, had a shady job for a local mafioso, but he didn't understand that Gino had been a hit man until he was murdered. Now, nearly 20 years later, one of Gino's former mob associates is dying of lung cancer, and he wants to get something off his chest before retiring to his grave: the truth about Gino's killer. The shocking information, and the powerful position the killer now occupies, sends DeMarco on a mission of revenge with terrible consequences.

When Jules first meets the handsome artist Kirin, she’s still mourning her husband’s death, but a fairytale romance soon sweeps her off her feet. Now she and her daughter Scout are moving out of the city and into Kirin’s once-lonely mansion. He’s thoughtfully updated and adapted the home to match their personalities. But Scout is determined to keep her father’s memory alive by rejecting the new life her mother and Kirin have spun for her.

Detective Jenna Murphy comes to the Hamptons to solve a murder - but what she finds is more deadly than she could ever imagine. No. 7 Ocean Drive is a gorgeous, multi-million-dollar beachfront estate in the Hamptons, where money and privilege know no bounds. But its beautiful gothic exterior hides a horrific past: It was the scene of a series of depraved killings that have never been solved. Neglected, empty, and rumored to be cursed, it's known as the Murder House, and locals keep their distance.

Enjoy this collection of eight Magic Tree House audiobooks: Stage Fright on a Summer Night, Good Morning, Gorillas, Thanksgiving on Thursday, High Tide in Hawaii, A Big Day for Baseball, Hurricane Heroes in Texas, Warriors in Winter, and To the Future, Ben Franklin!

The adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family continue as Pa, Ma, Laura, Mary, Carrie, and little Grace bravely face the hard winter of 1880-81 in their little house in the Dakota Territory. Blizzards cover the little town with snow, cutting off all supplies from the outside. Soon there is almost no food left, so young Almanzo Wilder and a friend make a dangerous trip across the prairie to find some wheat. Finally a joyous Christmas is celebrated in a very unusual way in this most exciting of all the Little House books.

Paige Barrett was living her dream as a journalist in New York City, racking up bylines as a staff writer at The Razor, a cutting-edge online magazine. But when she’s suddenly fired from her job and dumped by her boyfriend, she finds herself back home in the quaint seaside town of Shoreham, Florida, waiting tables and living in her sister’s guesthouse. Restless and itching for something meaningful to occupy her time, she decides to launch a true-crime podcast about the death of Jessica Cady, a beloved teacher who died mysteriously 20 years earlier.

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. Margaret is not most people. Margaret is staying.

After years of questioning her sanity, Kat Delancey reluctantly returns to the old family manor as its legal owner, hoping desperately to silence the doubts in her mind and leave the home's tragic past behind her once and for all. But it turns out to be harder than she expected, and not just because of the estranged step-family waiting for her - because maybe Kat's mind was never playing tricks on her after all, and maybe the manor harbors a far more malevolent presence than she ever dreamed...

Ever wondered how to master your home's heating and air conditioning for year-round comfort? Are you finding yourself lost in a maze of HVAC terms and diagrams? Fear no more! "The Beginners' HVAC Bible" is the ultimate guide you need to simplify heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems into easy-to-understand concepts and actionable steps. Written by industry expert Mike Thompson, this 4-in-1 guide is tailored for homeowners eager to conquer the complexities of HVAC without the headache. Discover how to: Decode HVAC jargon with easy-to-understand definitions. Select the perfect ...

As a renowned chef, single-dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive. Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when Mayor Kelly suggests Archer is looking for a nanny, and Iris might be available. But in need of money she reluctantly agrees. As Archer and Iris get used to their new roles, is it possible that they might have more in common than they first thought, or is Olive just determined to play match-maker…

Ten years ago, half-Fae, half human Kerrigan Argon was discreetly dropped off onto the steps of Draco Mountain with nothing but a note. Her life changes completely as she's swept into the care of the House of Dragons-an elite training program for gifted Fae. On the year of her 17th name day, each student will be chosen by one of the 12 tribes of Alandria to enter society. Everyone is chosen, except Kerrigan.

Trapped in an elevator in a borrowed apartment, a young woman battles to keep her sanity while attempting to come to terms with all she has lost. When Laura's friend Marianne suggests she joins her for a few days in a multi-million-dollar apartment on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, it doesn't take Laura long to think about the offer and come up with a yes. However, soon after Marianne leaves at the end of what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation, Laura finds herself alone and trapped between floors in the apartment's private elevator. This should be Laura's worst nightmare but things go ...

It’s the spring of 1938 and no longer safe to be a Jew in Vienna. Nineteen-year-old Elise Landau is forced to leave her glittering life of parties and champagne to become a parlor maid in England. She arrives at Tyneford, the great house on the bay, where servants polish silver and serve drinks on the lawn. But war is coming, and the world is changing. When Kit, the son of Tyneford’s master, returns home, he and Elise strike up an unlikely friendship that will transform Tyneford - and Elise - forever. An irresistible World War II story of a forbidden romance in a great English country house.

A gripping history of banking and the booms and busts that shaped the world on both sides of the Atlantic, The House of Morgan traces the trajectory of the J. P.Morgan empire from its obscure beginnings in Victorian London to the crash of 1987. Ron Chernow paints a fascinating portrait of the private saga of the Morgans and the rarefied world of the American and British elite in which they moved. Based on extensive interviews and access to the family and business archives, The House of Morgan is an investigative masterpiece.

When a shipwreck washes up on a beach across from Marlow House, Frederickport residents wonder what happened to the ship's crew. Danielle discovers the ship brought a stowaway - a spirit with ties to Frederickport that go back to the 1920's when Walt, Marlow House's resident ghost, was still alive.

St Philomena's military hospital has been abandoned for over three years. Now Lilian Chesterfield, who works for one of the most successful building companies in England, is in charge of developing it into a luxury housing complex. But as soon as she and her colleagues start work in the Jacobean-style mansion, their dream turns into a nightmare. They hear screaming from wards full of empty beds. They hear doors slamming and find cutlery scattered over the kitchen floor. Then they see faces peering at them from the mullioned windows.

Mike Gray is still reeling from the sudden death of his father when he inherits Willow House, his father’s childhood home. Keen to move out of the city, Mike decides to move his young family to the small, quaint town of Fairview. But not all is right at Willow House. There are dark forces at work, which threaten to destroy what remains of the Gray family. The curse at the heart of Willow House has lain dormant for decades, but is about to be reawakened and unleashed.