Audiobooks by Christopher Fowler

"An enthralling anthology of 20 CWA Dagger Award-shortlisted gripping and thrilling stories for the most hardened crime fan. Featuring bestselling authors such as Neil Gaiman, Ann Cleeves, Christopher Fowler and Val McDermid. OVER TWENTY CWA DAGGER AWARD-WINNING SHORT STORIES FROM THE BEST OF THE BEST IN CRIME FICTION Legendary editor, Maxim Jakubowski, delivers another chilling anthology collecting stories of cold-blooded murder, revenge and crimes-gone-wrong from the best of the best in crime fiction. Spine-chilling and gripping, these tales will grip you with their devious narrators and crafty twists. Featuring classic stories from Neil Gaiman, Ann Cleeves, Christopher Fowler, Val McDermid, Lavie Tidhar, Chris Simms, Christine Poulson, James Sallis, Victoria Selman, Conrad Williams, Stuart Neville, George Pelecanos, Simon Brett, John Lawton, Ken Bruen, Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins, Peter Robinson, Martyn Waites and Kevin Wignall."

Ann Cleeves, Chris Simms, Christine Poulson, Christopher Fowler, Conrad Williams, George P. Pelecanos, James Sallis, John Lawton, Ken Bruen, Kevin Wignall, Lavie Tidhar, Martyn Waites, Max Allan Collins, Maxim Jakubowski, Mickey Spillane, Neil Gaiman, Peter Robinson, Simon Brett, Stuart Neville, Val McDermid, Victoria Selman (Author), TBD (Narrator)

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The Foot on the Crown

"It is said a legend is just a beautiful lie... In the second half of the first millennium, the legends say that London disappeared for over four hundred years. We know almost nothing about what happened during that time. But if we could shine a light on the city's ruined walls, we would be in for a shock. For here the Romans are long forgotten. King Scarabold now rules what little remains of the city, together with his over-entitled daughter Giniva, her effete brother Leperdandy and their wayward, lunatic relatives - all squabbling and fighting amongst themselves for the future of their corrupted dynasty while trying to hide their most terrible secret. And opposing Scarabold and his wayward family is a horde of bitter enemies - the eerie Sheathwing, Earl of Beetles, the warlike nuns of Étranges Cadeaux, M'Lin the ape, Orobus the serpent, the terrifying Mater Moribund and the sinister child-spies Spackle and Peut - united in their desire to bring the king's troiubled reign to a bloody end. But it's the arrival of a mysterious outsider into the midst of the beleaguered Scarabold's court that seems to offer a semblance of hope. The stranger's name is Watborn and he is a birdcatcher - strong, silent, he will infiltrate the royal family for a purpose that is all of his own . . . As fiendishly-armed warriors gather beneath the walls, the battle for London, its body and its soul is about to begin - and who will be left unscathed at the field's end?"

Christopher Fowler (Author), Toby Longworth (Narrator)

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Film Freak

"It’s the late 1970s and 20-something Christopher Fowler is a film freak, obsessively watching lousy films in run-down fleapit cinemas. He longs to be a famous screenwriter and put his dreams on the big screen. And so he heads for Wardour Street, Britain’s equivalent of Hollywood. But he’s made a spectacular mistake, arriving just as the nation’s filmmakers are falling to their knees, brought low by the arrival of video and the destruction of the old movie palaces. The only films being made are smutty low budget farces and TV spinoffs and instead of being asked to write another 'Bullitt’, he's churning out short films advertising boilers and nylon sheets. Somehow, against the odds, he finds success – although in a very different guise to the one he expected. From the sticky Axminster of the local cinema to the red carpet at Cannes, Film Freak is a grimly hilarious and acutely observed trawl through the arse-end of the British film industry that turns into an ultimately affecting search for friendship and happiness."

Christopher Fowler (Author), Adam Bromley (Narrator)

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Word Monkey

"This is the memoir Christopher Fowler always wanted to write about 'writing'. It's the story of how a young bookworm growing up in a house where there was nothing to read but knitting pamphlets and motorcycle manuals became a writer - a 'word monkey' - and pursued a sort of career in popular fiction. And it's a book full of brilliant insights into the pleasures and pitfalls of his profession, dos and don'ts for would-be writers, and astute observations on favourite (and not-so-favourite) novelists. But woven into this hugely entertaining and inspiring reflection on a literary life is an altogether darker thread. In Spring 2020, just as the world went into lockdown, Chris was diagnosed with terminal cancer. And yet there is nothing of the misery memoir about Word Monkey. Past and present intermingle as, in prose as light as air, he relates with wry humour and remarkable honesty what he knows will be the final chapter in his story. Deeply moving, insightful and surprisingly funny, this is Christopher Fowler's life-affirming account of coming to terms with his own mortality. 'A delight . . . a glorious, witty and life-affirming ragbag of autobiography, cultural commentary and hard-won wisdom.' ANDREW TAYLOR, author of The Shadows of London 'Perceptive, wise and illuminating . . . an unmissable farewell.' Barry Forshaw, FINANCIAL TIMES 'The most hilarious, life-affirming book you’ll read this year.' SAGA magazine"

Christopher Fowler (Author), Sean Pertwee (Narrator)

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Bryant & May’s Peculiar London

"As the nation's oldest serving detectives, we know more about London than almost anyone. After all, we've been walking its streets and impulsively arresting its citizens for decades. Who better to take you through its less savoury side? We'll be chatting about odd buildings, odder characters, lost venues, forgotten disasters, confusing routes, dubious gossip, illicit pleasures and hidden pubs. We'll be making all sorts of odd connections and showing you why it's almost impossible to separate fact from fiction in London. With the help of some of our more disreputable friends, each an argumentative and unreliable expert in his or her own dodgy field, we'll explain why some streets have genders, why only two Londoners got to meet Dracula, how a department store and a prison played tricks on your mind, when a theatre got stranded in the past, how a building vanished in plain sight, what excited Charlotte Brontë about the city and where the devils hide in London. We hope to capture something of the city's restless spirit by wilfully wandering off course, and it goes without saying that we'll bluff and bamboozle you along the way but that's all part of the fun. History is what you remember. London is what you forget (and we've forgotten a lot). So please do join us on this magical mystery tour of our city. Who knows where we'll end up?"

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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Bibliomysteries Volume 4

"A must-listen collection of four bibliomysteries by bestselling and award-winning authors Bibliomysteries Volume 4 includes: ● 'Reconciliation Day' by Christopher Fowler ● 'Hoodoo Harry' by Joe R. Lansdale ● 'The Traitor' by Martin Edwards ● 'The Last Honest Horse Thief' by Michael Koryta"

Christopher Fowler, Joe R. Lansdale, Martin Edwards, Michael Koryta (Author), David De Vries (Narrator)

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Hot Water

"She sees everything, but can never tell anyone… a wickedly compulsive thriller from the bestselling author of the Bryant & May series. At a beautiful villa in the south of France, Hannah Carreras works as a maid. Under strict instructions never to speak to the guests, she blends into the background – but she sees everything. Including the mistress Summer, lounging by the pool awaiting the arrival of her married lover, Steve. When Steve finally shows at the villa – with his family unexpectedly in tow – Summer has vanished. Steve claims he never saw her. But Steve’s wife is no fool: she knows there’s something going on. Whose tiny bikini lies by the pool? Whose perfume is in the bathroom? Before long, the local police start asking questions, and the villa’s occupants have something to hide. Only Hannah, always listening, watching, saw broken glass and blood near the pool the day Summer disappeared. Only Hannah thinks she knows what lies are being told… “Witty, brooding and highly entertaining.' ANN CLEEVES 'A wickedly clever mystery – tense, atmospheric and laced with Christopher Fowler’s pitch-black humour.” ANTONIA HODGSON PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR: “Devilishly clever.” VAL MCDERMID “A first-classs thriller, but don’t expect any sleep.” SUNDAY TELEGRAPH “The writing is as ever fluid and pacey, the characterization deft and the plot fresh and ingenious.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY"

Christopher Fowler (Author), Rachel Atkins (Narrator)

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Bryant & May - London Bridge is Falling Down

"91 year-old Alice Hoffman died alone in her top floor flat. Social services say she slipped through the cracks in a failing system. But detectives Arthur Bryant & John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit have their suspicions. Mrs Hoffman was not as innocent as she appeared. A former government security expert, she had once worked for their own unit, but there's no-one left who can remember her. And when they uncover a link between her and a diplomat desperate to leave the country it begins to look as if someone might have committed an impossible murder. But Mrs Hoffman wasn't acting alone. Arthur Bryant is convinced that a group of talented women have been working together for decades and now the others are in danger. With the help of some of his more certifiable contacts and historical experts, he and John May embark on an investigation that will lead them down forgotten alleyways to riverside buildings and on to the city's oldest bridge. But just when the case appears to have been solved and unit chief Raymond Land can congratulate everyone on ending a threat to international security, the detectives discover that they've been the victims of the biggest deception of all. For even after her death, Mrs Hoffman would prove too clever for them . . . Bryant & May's twentieth anniversary case brings an ending and a new beginning to London's most peculiar crimes unit and all who work there."

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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Fantastic Crimes: Four Bibliomysteries by Bestselling Authors

"Book-centered mystery novellas from four masters of the craft. From Anne Perry, the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, comes The Scroll: Hapless bookseller Monty Danforth's recent discovery of a millennia-old manuscript plunges him into a cutthroat conspiracy. Christopher Fowler, author of the Bryant and May mysteries, presents Reconciliation Day: One man's obsession with a lost edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula sends him on a dangerous journey to Transylvania. From F. Paul Wilson, the New York Times bestselling creator of Repairman Jack, comes The Compendium of Srem: Prior Tomás de Torquemada yields the ultimate power, deciding who lives and dies during the Spanish Inquisition, but an ancient, evil tome is about to change that. Elizabeth George, the New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Lynley novels, brings you The Mysterious Disappearance of the Reluctant Book Fairy: A woman's gift for immersing herself in the plot of whatever book she likes draws overwhelming fame—and misfortune."

Anne Perry, Christopher Fowler, Elizabeth George, F. Paul Wilson (Author), Nicole Poole, Steven Crossley (Narrator)

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Oranges and Lemons: Bryant & May Book 17

"One Sunday morning, the outspoken Speaker of the House of Commons steps out of his front door only to be crushed under a mountain of citrus fruit. Bizarre accident or something more sinister? The government needs to know because here's a man whose knowledge of parliament's biggest secret could put the future of the government at stake. It should be the perfect case for Bryant & May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit, but unfortunately one detective is in hospital, the other is missing and the staff have all been dismissed. It seems the PCU is no more. But events escalate: a series of brutal crimes seemingly linked to an old English folk-song threatens the very foundation of London society and suddenly the PCU is offered a reprieve and are back in (temporary) business! And if the two elderly detectives, ‘old men in a woke world', do manage to set aside their differences and discover why some of London's most influential figures are under life-threatening attack, they might not just save the unit but also prevent the entire city from descending into chaos . . . 'The most consistently brilliant, entertaining and educational voice in contemporary British crime fiction.' CATHI UNSWORTH, author of That Old Black Magic"

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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England's Finest

"The Peculiar Crimes Unit has solved many extraordinary cases over the years, but some were hushed up and hidden away. Until now. Arthur Bryant remembers these lost cases as if they were yesterday. Here, then, is the truth about the Covent Garden opera diva and the seventh reindeer, the body that falls from the Tate Gallery, the ordinary London street corner where strange accidents keep occurring, the consul’s son discovered buried in the unit’s basement, the corpse pulled from a swamp of Chinese dinners, a Hallowe’en crime in the Post Office Tower, and the impossible death that’s the fault of a forgotten London legend. Expect misunderstood clues, lost evidence, arguments about Dickens, churches, pubs and disorderly conduct from the investigative officers they laughingly call ‘England’s Finest’!"

Christopher Fowler (Author), Tim Goodman (Narrator)

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Exit Wounds: Nineteen Tales of Mystery from the Modern Masters of Crime

"Exit Wounds is a thrilling anthology of crime stories written by masters of the genre, including Dean Koontz, Val McDermid, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Elly Griffiths, Dennis Lehane, Joe R. Lansdale, and others. After an introduction by the editors, Paul B. Kane and Marie O’Regan, this collection includes the following stories: “The Bully” by Jeffery Deaver“Dead Weight” by Fiona Cummins“Like a Glass Jaw” by Mark Billingham“On The Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier” by John Connolly“The Pitcher” by Sarah Hilary“Disciplined” by Martyn Waites“The Consumers” by Dennis Lehane“Voices through the Wall” by Alex Gray“Wet with Rain” by Lee Child“Happy Holidays” by Val McDermid“Fool You Twice” by Steph Broadribb“Lebensraum” by Christopher Fowler“Dancing towards the Blade” by Mark Billingham“Kittens” by Dean Koontz“Take My Hand” by A. K. Benedict“Dressed to Kill” by James Oswald“Booty and the Beast” by Joe R. Lansdale“The New Lad” by Paul Finch“The Recipe” by Louise Jensen"

A. K. Benedict, Alex Gray, Christopher Fowler, Dean Koontz, Dennis Lehane, Fiona Cummins, James Oswald, Jeffery Deaver, Joe R. Lansdale, John Connolly, Lee Child, Louise Jensen, Mark Billingham, Martyn Waites, Paul Finch, Sarah Hilary, Steph Broadribb, Val McDermid (Author), Alan Smyth, Alison Larkin, Austin Rising, Courtney Patterson, Derek Perkins, Helen Lloyd, James Langton, Jennifer Woodward, John Mclain, Justine Eyre, Kate Reading, Marisa Calin, Matthew Lloyd Davies, Peter Noble, Rachel Jacobs, Ralph Lister, Robert Fass, Ron Butler, Shiromi Arserio (Narrator)

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