Audiobooks by Hallie Rubenhold

Story of a Murder: The instant Sunday Times bestseller by the author of THE FIVE

"Brought to you by Penguin. BY THE AUTHOR OF MULTI-AWARD-WINNING #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER: THE FIVE, THE WOMEN KILLED BY JACK THE RIPPER An epic examination of the historical true-crime story of infamous wife-murderer Dr Crippen in Edwardian England, brought to justice by an extraordinary group of strong women No murderer should ever be the keeper of their victim's story … On 1 February, 1910, vivacious musichall performer, Belle Elmore, suddenly vanished from her north London home, causing alarm among her circle of female friends, the entertainers of the Music Hall Ladies’ Guild who demanded an immediate investigation. They could not have known what they would provoke: the unearthing of a gruesome secret, followed by a fevered manhunt for the prime suspect: Belle’s husband, medical fraudster, Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen. Hiding in the shadows of this evergreen tale is Crippen’s typist and lover, Ethel Le Neve – was she really just ‘an innocent young girl’ in thrall to a powerful older man as so many people have since reported? In this epic examination of one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century, prizewinning social historian Hallie Rubenhold gives voice to those who have never properly been heard – the women. Featuring a carnival cast of eccentric entertainers, glamorous lawyers, zealous detectives, medics and liars, STORY OF A MURDER is meticulously researched and multi-layered, offering the reader an electrifying snapshot of Britain and America at the dawn of the modern era. 'A unique combination of sleuthing, storytelling and compassion' Lucy Worsley 'Under her pen, history comes alive' Professor Dame Sue Black 'An exceptional achievement. I was gripped from the very first page' The Secret Barrister 'Reads like a great thriller. I inhaled it' Bella Mackie 'Fascinating. It's about time Belle became the hero of her own story' Val McDermid 'As compelling as any crime drama' S J Parris ‘I couldn't put it down' Bonnie Garmus 'I had my hand over my wide-open mouth' Rachel Joyce 'Takes us beyond the world of Dr Crippen into the lives impacted by him and the society in which he moved. Terrific' Ian Rankin 'Compelling to the very last page' Denise Mina © Hallie Rubenhold 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Hallie Rubenhold (Author), Juliet Stevenson (Narrator)

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Mistress of My Fate: By the award-winning and Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FIVE

"Brought to you by Penguin. For fans of BBC TV's hit series HARLOTS My tale is not for the faint of heart. Born illegitimate in eighteenth-century England, Henrietta Lightfoot reveals the truth about the events that shaped her in this candid confessional of a wide-eyed girl's journey to worldliness. Forced to flee her childhood home for the capital, Henrietta falls face first into a demi-monde of rakes, rogues, wits, pimps and courtesans. It is not long before she realizes that true liberty is a privilege to be enjoyed by men. But Henrietta is determined to find independence. In this deliciously deviant novel, Rubenhold illuminates the dark lives of the women written out of eighteenth-century literature by the great male writers. Vibrant and full-blooded, it is an unputdownable picaresque story for our times 'A remarkable picture of a fascinating age' DAILY EXPRESS 'A full-blooded historical' INDEPENDENT 'Two parts Lizzie Bennett and Tom Jones's Sophia Western to one part Moll Flanders' INDEPENDENT 'Combines extraordinary bawdiness with silky sophistication' DAILY EXPRESS © Hallie Rubenhold 2011 (P) Penguin Audio 2021"

Hallie Rubenhold (Author), Jane Mcdowell (Narrator)

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[Italian] - Le cinque donne

"Londra, 1887: l’anno, recitano i libri di storia inglese, del Giubileo d’Oro, dei festeggiamenti per il cinquantenario dell’ascesa al trono della regina Vittoria. L’anno, però, anche di una storia di cui pochissimi sono a conoscenza, e che i più preferiscono dimenticare: la storia di una senzatetto, Mary Ann Nichols, detta Polly, che bivaccava come tanti a Trafalgar Square. A differenza della monarca, la sua identità sarebbe presto caduta nell’oblio, anche se il mondo avrebbe ricordato con grande curiosità il nome del suo assassino: Jack lo Squartatore. Polly fu la prima delle cinque vittime «canoniche» di Jack lo Squartatore, o di quelle la cui morte avvenne nel quartiere di Whitechapel nell’East End. Al suo omicidio seguì il ritrovamento dei cadaveri di Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes e Mary Jane Kelly. La brutalità degli omicidi di Whitechapel sconvolse Londra, soprattutto perché l’assassino riuscì a darsi alla macchia senza lasciare indizi circa la sua identità. Mentre il cosiddetto «autunno del terrore» volgeva al termine, Whitechapel si riempì di sedicenti giornalisti intenti a cavalcare l’onda. I giornali andarono a ruba e, in mancanza di informazioni certe da parte delle autorità, le pagine furono sommerse di infiorettature, invenzioni e voci infondate, come quella secondo cui i pensionati di Whitechapel fossero «bordelli di fatto, se non di nome», e quasi tutte le donne che vi risiedevano, con pochissime eccezioni, fossero delle prostitute. Per centotrenta anni le vittime di Jack lo Squartatore e le loro vite sono dunque rimaste invischiate in una rete di supposizioni, pettegolezzi e ipotesi inconsistenti, cosicché oggi, le storie di Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Kate e Mary Jane portano ancora impressi il marchio e la forma che i valori vittoriani hanno dato loro: maschili, au-toritari e borghesi. Valori elaborati in un’epoca in cui le donne non avevano né voce, né diritti. Ma chi erano queste donne, e come hanno vissuto prima che la loro esistenza venisse barbaramente spezzata dalla mano di un feroce assassino?"

Hallie Rubenhold (Author), Silvia Giulia Mendola (Narrator)

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The Covent Garden Ladies: The inspiration behind ITV show HARLOTS

"The book that inspired BBC2’s HARLOTS, now with a new preface read by the author. From the bestselling author of The Five. 1757 - Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, a salacious publication detaling the names and 'specialities' of the capital's prostitutes, eventually became one of the eighteenth century's most successful literary works as well as an essential accessory for any serious gentleman of pleasure. Beyond its titillating passages lay a glimpse into the sex lives of those who lived and died by the List's profits during the Georgian era. The Covent Garden Ladies tells the story of three unusual characters whose colourful lives were brought together by this publication. Its story plunges the reader down the dark alleys of eighteenth-century London's underworld, a realm populated by tavern owners, pimps, punters, card sharks and of course, a colourful range of prostitutes and brothel-keepers. 'Rubenhold proves herself both a keen researcher and a writer who understands narrative tension...a compelling and ingenious book.' The Independent 'Scrupulously researched and cleverly structured...Among the scurrilous tales of 18th-century low life...this one is the most intriguing.' The Daily Telegraph"

Hallie Rubenhold (Author), Emily Pennant-Rea, Hallie Rubenhold (Narrator)

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The Scandalous Lady W

"It was the divorce that scandalised Georgian England... She was a spirited young heiress. He was a handsome baronet with a promising career in government. Their marriage had the makings of a fairy tale but ended as one of the most salacious and highly publicised divorces in history. For over two hundred years the story of Lady Worsley, her vengeful husband, and her lover, George Maurice Bisset, lay forgotten. Now Hallie Rubenhold throws open a window to a rarely seen view of Georgian England, one coloured by passion, adventure and the defiance of social convention. The book behind the major new BBC drama starring Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay). 'A fabulous story and Rubenhold tells it beautifully' (Daily Telegraph) 'Hallie Rubenhold is in a league of her own. She keeps you glued to the very last page when, exhausted, exasperated and elated, you can at last put the book down and get yourself some sleep.... Nothing else in the genre is close to being this good' (Literary Review) 'Hallie Rubenhold's account of the elopement is gripping but this is far more than an 18th-century bodice-ripper. Rubenhold combines narrative skill with historical expertise, and she traces the knife-edge that women walked between social success and public disgrace with subtlety and assurance' (Spectator) Hallie Rubenhold is a social historian and an authority on women's lives of the past. She has worked as a curator for the National Portrait Gallery and as a university lecturer. Her books include Lady Worsley's Whim, dramatized by the BBC as The Scandalous Lady W, and Covent Garden Ladies: The Extraordinary Story of Harris's List, which inspired the ITV series Harlots. She lives in London with her husband."

Hallie Rubenhold (Author), Emily Pennant-Rea (Narrator)

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The French Lesson: By the award-winning and Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FIVE

"Brought to you by Penguin. Fear your neighbour. Praise the Republic. Preach liberty. Hate monarchy. Speak in whispers. Trust no-one. Revolutionary Paris, 1792: As the city spirals into bloodshed, Henrietta Lightfoot a young Englishwoman runs for refuge to the sumptuous home of Grace Dalrymple, notorious courtesan to the aristocracy. But loyalties are tested when she meets Agnes de Buffon, committed revolutionary and mistress of the most powerful man in France. Trapped in an unpredictable game between two dangerous women, Henrietta is about to learn a brutal lesson. A tale of friendship and loyalty in tumultuous times, The French Lesson is a gripping drama of female power and influence, as the women written out of history tell their own astonishing story of ingenuity and sacrifice. 'A thrilling novel of female intrigue, betrayal and revenge. Read it!' LUCY WORSLEY 'Dark and delicious' Red Magazine 'Utterly gripping and highly relevant' SIMON SEBAG-MONTEFIORE 'A gleefully modern retelling of a juicy chapter in history' The Times 'Rubenhold unfolds a complicated plot with great dexterity' Sunday Times © Hallie Rubenhold 2016 (P) Penguin Audio 2016"

Hallie Rubenhold (Author), Julie Teal (Narrator)

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Audiobooks by Hallie Rubenhold

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