Showing results by narrator "Cathy Dobson" in All Categories

Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863 – 1935) was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 230 books on a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction. He was one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Victorian "Golden Age" of the short story. "The Earl, the Warder and the Wayward Heiress" is the story of a ten thousand pound bet between young gentlemen in their club.

Robert O'Hara Burke (1821-1861) was one of the great Victorian explorers. In 1860 he was appointed to lead the Victorian Exploring Expedition, which aimed to cross the Australian continent from south to north. The expedition left Melbourne on Monday, 20 August 1860 with a total of 19 men, 27 (rum fuelled) camels, and 23 horses. The expedition was dogged by disputes and poor leadership decisions from the start. Even at the first staging post the second in command and the medical officer resigned.

When the body of the eccentric painter Sir Owen Cram is found on a deserted beach next to his easel, a murder enquiry is launched. It is clear that the injury which has killed him could not have been self-inflicted. Nor is the murder weapon anywhere to be found. But most mysterious of all, there is only one set of footprints in the sand leading up to the body, and these are Sir Owen's own. Even the scientists and police investigators are struggling to conceive how the murder has been committed.

A breathtaking werewolf story by the master raconteur Guy de Maupassant. Two brothers with a shared obsession for hunting, attempt to pursue a werewolf which is ravaging the neighbourhood. One brother is killed in the chase, but when the werewolf appears, the other brother's rage is such that he undertakes the hunt of his life.

When Joseph Gibson, an oil and colourman from London, faces bankruptcy, he seizes the opportunity to take the bargain lease on Stape Hill near Poole in Dorsetshire. The deal turns out to be less a bargain than a swindle. The farm is worth nowhere near the price paid for it. The grasping owner, a retired lawyer, Arthur Blagden, had charged him more than twice the property's worth. Gibson and his delicate daughter face ruin next Michaelmas day when the next annual rent payment is due.

When the king advertises for a herdsman to look after his gigantic herd of hares, the deal sounds too good to be true. A fair wage and the chance to win the hand of the princess in marriage. But there is a catch. If any of the hares should be lost out on the hills, then instead of wages and the princess, the herdsman should receive a harsh beating. Three brothers each try their luck...but one has a secret magic pipe to help him, as well as the sharp wits and cunning needed to outwit the king and queen.

When a letter of great significance is stolen from the royal palace in Paris, the prefect of police is at great pains to discover its whereabouts. The identity of the thief is known, but try as the detectives will, they are unable to pinpoint the hiding place where the incriminating letter is secreted. When the Prefect approaches Dupin for his advice on the matter, the latter sees the solution immediately. An insight from which he is able to profit handsomely. Poe at his most ingenious!

When the young American Henry Adam accidentally finds himself alone and penniless in London, he unwittingly becomes the subject of an astounding bet between two brothers. He is presented with a bank note for one million pounds, to use as he pleases for a month. One brother believes the note will prove useless to him. The other believes that, even though nobody will be able to offer him change, the American’s mere possession of the bank note will mean that plenty of people will offer him credit.

A cruel nobleman grants permission for the marriage of two of his serfs only on condition that the bride spins her wedding gown and a death-shroud for himself from nettles - and that the wedding should not take place until after his death. Every time the girl spins the cloth for his shroud, he becomes violently ill - and his attempts to stop her are thwarted by strong magic. There are many twists to the tale as the magic spinning wheel steers the characters towards their destinies.

When Theophil Eshley, the bovine painter, is called upon by his neighbour Adela Pingsford to remove a stray ox from her garden things go inevitably and comically wrong. No oxen are harmed in the course of this story, but sadly the same cannot be said of assorted chrysanthemums, drawing rooms and egos.

A quartet of short stories by the mastermind of practical jokes, Hector Hugh Munro, better known under his pseudonym “Saki”. This collection brings together four of his most ingenious tales, all of which involve one character playing a prank on the others. The results range from the comic to the macabre… but all are brilliantly narrated with Saki’s superb ironic wit. The Stampeding of Lady Bastable.

When master chef Monsieur Aristide Saucourt presents his signature dish to diners at the Grand Sybaris Hotel, he anticipates they will acknowledge this as the pinnacle of his career. But the moment does not go as planned and ends in a fatal tragedy involving hot soup.

Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) was a prominent modernist writer of short fiction and a close associate of D. H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf. 'The Tiredness of Rosabel' is a beautiful and poignant tale of a milliner who weaves glimpses of inspiration from her day's humdrum experiences into a wistful and romantic dream.

A grisly collection of despicable crimes told by some of the world's best writers.

Edith Nesbit is best known as the author of children's classics, such as The Railway Children. She was also a renowned author of ghost stories and othertales of terror, the macabre and the supernatural. In this collection of spine-chilling narratives, Nesbit presents us with a truly masterful set of tales of love which reaches out beyond the grave, ghosts, eerie incarnations, evil deeds and uncanny happenings. Perfect bedtime listening.... if you dare!

Bobby is an accomplished and charming pianist who has befriended a number of rich elderly widows and spinsters, each of which he refers to as 'aunt'. He already has his own Bechstein grand piano, plus another concert grand which was (touchingly but highly inconveniently) left to him by a late 'aunt'. Now various of his other 'aunts' are also keen to offload their grand pianos on him....

A fascinating collection of classic short stories featuring unusual ways of making a living, including 'The Umbrella-Mender' by Beatrice Harraden, 'The Triumphs of a Taxidermist' by H. G. Wells, 'A Pair of Silk Stockings' by Kate Chopin, 'A Skinful of Trouble' by Arthur Morrison, 'White Magic' by Ella d'Arcy, 'A Deal in Ostriches' by H. G. Wells, and many more.

A fast-paced and varied collection of captivating short stories ranging from action thrillers to poignant tear-jerkers to the downright weird, including: "Jerry Bundler" by W. W. Jacobs, "The Umbrella Mender" by Beatrice Harraden, "Green Ink" by J. S. Fletcher, "Why Herbert Killed His Mother" by Winifred Holtby, "The Red Mark" by Israel Zangwill, "The White Kid Glove" by J. S. Fletcher, "Sophy Mason Comes Back" by E. M. Delafield, plus many more.

'The Red Mark' tells the tale of Bloomah Beckenstein, whose family's many demands on her continually prevent her from getting to school on time. Week after week her lateness prevents her class from winning the attendance prize. But Bloomah is determined that her class should win the prize and have the honour of displaying the school banner on the classroom wall for a week. By Thursday it seems as if nothing can go wrong...but then a postcard arrives....

Lady Bessie Kyffin-Taylor was an English writer famous for her outstanding supernatural stories which were published in a single volume in 1920, just two years before her death. Room Number Ten tells the story of Peter Maxton, a literary gentleman invited to join a house party at a remote house in Scotland. The driver taking him to the house from the station comments that the house is full, and they may have to use room number 10, and he pities whoever has to sleep there.