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Audiobooks Narrated by Mark Elstob
Browse audiobooks narrated by Mark Elstob, listen to samples and when you're ready head over to Audiobooks.com where you can get 3 FREE audiobooks on us
"After almost a decade and a half of Tory rule, the 2024 General Election saw the Conservatives suffer their worst-ever defeat: they received 7.14 million fewer votes than in 2019; 23.7 per cent is their lowest ever vote share; and their current 121 MP contingent is their smallest since 1832. Meanwhile, the rise of Reform threatens the party's very existence.
How did it all go wrong so quickly, following Boris Johnson's record-setting win in 2019?
From taking office amidst the cost of living and energy supply crises and the panic caused by Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget, through the agenda-dominating Ukraine and Gaza wars and the Rwanda Asylum Plan, to the stunning 2023 local election results, Sunak at 10 is the definitive and jaw-dropping window into Rishi Sunak's premiership."
"The latest book in Alexander McCall Smith's entertaining and hilarious Professor von Igelfeld series
Professor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld is not just any German professor - he is the author of that great work of scholarship, Portuguese Irregular Verbs. His eminence in language studies is widely recognised, even if it is rarely acknowledged by his colleague, Professor Detlev-Amadeus Unterholzer, author of a much less important work on the subjunctive. Their rivalry bubbles away under the surface, but is apt to come into the open if something unusual disturbs the calm waters of the institute in Regensburg in which they both work.
One such event is the arrival from New Orleans of two visiting scholars. These ladies, Professor Pom Pom Boisseau, and her friend, Professor Alice Martinique, are both experts in the Provençal language as well as being keen bikers. When they choose to arrive on large, noisy motorbikes, Unterholzer is shocked, but von Igelfeld is rather taken with Pom Pom. In fact, he is very taken with her, even to the extent of going for a ride with her on her motorbike.
Anybody can tell that this infatuation will lead to disappointment, if not worse. But for von Igelfeld, disasters often arrive in twos and threes. The great professor is invited to attend a student occasion in which the old habit of duelling rears its head. He is handed a sword...
Von Igelfeld may suffer humiliation after humiliation, but at the end of it all there is the promise of a visit to Louisiana, a culinary paradise, where important research is being undertaken into communication among oysters."
"The Vikings have discovered the riches of the Cotentin Peninsula and are not going to be moved without a fight. Sailing the seas they raid the Caliphate of Cordoba as well as Wessex and Aquitaine. When the Norns send them new drekar the jarl of the Clan of the Horse can go on the offensive and take more land from King Louis the Pious. A fast moving and action packed novel set in Ninth Century Normandy."
"As bodies continue to fall and the past bleeds into the present, Dr Alan Twist must confront a killer no one can see and a crime that defies logic.
Three young ladies are thrown into raging waters, seemingly pushed by an invisible hand. Six years later, when a famous actor is flung from his window, eye witnesses agree: it was as if he was shoved from behind by an unseen murderer, imitating the inexplicable death of a young lady in the same house over fifty years earlier. Renowned sleuth Dr Alan Twist and his partner Inspector Hurst go to the eerie landscape of Dartmoor to investigate. But invisible killers are hard to bring to justice…"
"Bloomsbury presents Duel of Beasts by Boyd and Beth Morrison, read by Mark Elstob.
Savage beasts, fabulous treasures, perilous duels, and deadly treachery abound in this thrilling adventure novel set in medieval Spain.
Málaga, Spain, 1352. Knight-errant Gerard Fox and his daring wife Willa seek young noblewoman Madelena to deliver news of her brother's death: an innocuous mission, yet one that plunges the couple into a fight for their lives against their most dangerous adversaries yet.
Madelena's sister-in-law Helvira desires two things that Madalena now possesses: a considerable inheritance, and a letter that provides grounds for Helvira's execution in both the Christian and Muslim worlds. With everything at stake, Helvira will stop at nothing to seize both.
Fox and Willa soon find themselves in a desperate battle to survive on a journey that will take them from the royal court at Seville to the mighty complex of the Alhambra Palace. To save Madelena and reveal the truth, the duo must outwit Helvira and her allies at every turn – and escape the ferocious creatures of Helvira's deadly menagerie.
The unmissable new novel in the Tales of the Lawless Land series, combining thrilling historical action and clever puzzles, from New York Times bestselling author Boyd and expert medievalist Beth Morrison.
Reviews for Boyd and Beth Morrison
'This duo knows all the right chords to touch' Steve Berry
'Will dazzle fans of The Da Vinci Code' Lee Goldberg
'Full of authenticity and thrills' Mark Greaney P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC C 2026 Boyd Morrison"
"Bloomsbury presents Flirting with Evil by Ambrogio A. Caiani, read by Mark Elstob.
The history of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century is one of spies, scandals and bad political choices. It’s a shadowy, ornate world of cover-ups and hidden motives. In this book, Ambrogio Caiani lifts back the heavy velvet curtains of the chancel and peers behind the locked mahogany doors of the Vatican to reveal the shocking truths that make up a century of Catholic corruption.
For many, Catholicism’s flirtation with evil has become impossible to ignore: a pope courting Nazi officials and, horribly, turning a blind eye to the Holocaust; the Vatican becoming embroiled in a series of dodgy financial dealings; the child abuse continuously perpetrated by members of the clergy. Time and time again, Catholic figures have made terrible choices in private and preached in public about goodness and morality.
This is the first history that focuses exclusively on Catholicism throughout the twentieth century, sketching not only scandalous stories of corruption but also lively portrayals of Catholicism’s key characters – from a beret-clad communist revolutionary priest to the bizarre morning routine of the pope who followed a daily cold bath with dry unbuttered toast. Caiani, a critical Catholic himself, takes a frank and sceptical look at the trajectory of global Catholicism and wrestles with vital questions about the future of the church. Taking in the wider socio-political contexts of a world at war and the accumulating momentum of social progress, this brilliant history traces the evolution of the Catholic church alongside the development of our modern society right up to the election of Pope Leo XIV in 2025. P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC C 2026 Ambrogio A. Caiani"
"Bloomsbury presents Constantinople: Capital of Byzantium by Jonathan Harris, read by Mark Elstob.
Jonathan Harris’ new edition of the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title, Constantinople, provides an updated and extended introduction to the history of Byzantium and its capital city. Accessible and engaging, the book breaks new ground by exploring Constantinople’s mystical dimensions and examining the relationship between the spiritual and political in the city.
This second edition includes a range of new material, such as:
* Historiographical updates reflecting recently published work in the field
* Detailed coverage of archaeological developments relating to Byzantine Constantinople
* Extra chapters on the 14th century and social ‘outsiders’ in the city
* More on the city as a centre of learning; the development of Galata/Pera; charitable hospitals; religious processions and festivals; the lives of ordinary people; and the Crusades
It is an important volume for anyone wanting to know more about the history of the Byzantine Empire. C 2017 Jonathan Harris P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"
"'Well-researched and enthralling, Peter Ricketts brings the wartime Foreign Office to life.' - Tim Bouverie
'The gripping story of how the men and women of the Foreign Office secured Britain's victory in the Second World War and created a new international order.' - Professor Helen McCarthy
Discover the untold story of the British diplomats who shaped WWII-and the peace that followed-in this vivid exploration of a transformative moment in modern history.
While military exploits and Churchill's leadership dominate history books, Peace Makers reveals how the men and women of the Foreign Office forged alliances, supported resistance movements, managed refugee crises, and laid the groundwork for the post-war international order.
From the rooftops of Whitehall during the Blitz to embassies under siege across Europe and Asia, diplomats and their families demonstrated extraordinary resilience and ingenuity. They evacuated civilians, backed resistance networks, gathered intelligence, and waged battles of persuasion. Some endured years apart from home; others, like staff in Tokyo, survived internment. Figures such as Archibald Clark Kerr in Moscow and Sir Alexander Cadogan in London steered critical alliances and helped shape the world to come.
Peace Makers also explores how the war transformed the Foreign Office itself, sweeping away the barriers that had kept women out of top jobs. Through vivid portraits of pioneers like Freya Stark, Nancy Lambton, and Elizabeth Wiskemann, you'll learn how women began to rise to senior diplomatic ranks. It also features the first published account from the only surviving member of the wartime Foreign Office, who shares her extraordinary story of travelling with Anthony Eden to the great wartime Summits.
Peace Makers brings these stories together in a compelling narrative that blends fresh research with vivid storytelling. It offers a new lens on the war-one that highlights diplomacy as a frontline force and reveals how its legacy continues to shape our world.
This is essential reading for anyone interested in history, international affairs or the human stories behind global change.
'A fascinating account of how the Foreign Office helped turned wartime victory into postwar peace.' - Professor David Reynolds
'Places the dedicated men and women in the British Foreign Office in the pantheon of WWIl heroes.' - Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell
'Who better than a former Permanent Secretary to take us on a riveting tour of the Foreign Office at war?' - Professor Peter Hennessy
'A fascinating account of the ingenuity and courage required of diplomats in wartime.' - Lord Hague
"
"Bloomsbury presents Athens and Sparta by Adrian Goldsworthy, read by Mark Elstob.
Two great cities. One fierce rivalry. Countless untold stories.
Athens and Sparta were the two big players in Ancient Greece. United, they helped lead the Greeks in defeating the great Persian invasion. Divided, they spread conflict and destruction throughout the eastern Mediterranean. They were not simply rivals for power, but polar opposites in culture and ideology: Athens was the outward looking, radical democracy with a maritime empire whilst Sparta was militaristic, rigidly disciplined and brutal. Both were experiments in how to run a state, epitomising the extremes of the Greek longing to excel.
This is a story of politics and war, but also of culture. In Athens, philosophers dissected the physical and moral world, writers spun forth comedy and drama, and new ideas filled the city. Athens could be vulgar and cruel, but no other state has ever allowed thousands of citizens to debate its laws freely. Sparta was innovative in other ways, with a society divided into strict class groups and an astonishing focus on military training. Both cities were paradoxes – they were at once remarkably ordered and surprisingly prone to savagery.
Athens and Sparta tells a remarkable story of the drama and extremity of human behaviour. It draws on ancient sources and modern discoveries and boasts a wide-ranging cast of characters – statesmen, lawgivers, rabble-rousers, philosophers, artists, courtesans, wives and heroes. The history of these cities truly is a microcosm of the human experience, in all its wonder and horror. P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC C 2026 Adrian Goldsworthy"
"Thomas Mann regarded his monumental retelling of the biblical story of Joseph as his magnum opus. He conceived of the four parts-The Stories of Jacob, Young Joseph, Joseph in Egypt, and Joseph the Provider-as a unified narrative, a 'mythological novel' of Joseph's fall into slavery and his rise to be lord over Egypt. Deploying lavish, persuasive detail, Mann conjures for us the world of patriarchs and pharaohs, the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine, and the universal force of human love in all its beauty, desperation, absurdity, and pain. The result is a brilliant amalgam of humor, emotion, psychological insight, and epic grandeur.
Now the award-winning translator John E. Woods gives us a definitive new English version of Joseph and His Brothers that is worthy of Mann's achievement, revealing the novel's exuberant polyphony of ancient and modern voices, a rich music that is by turns elegant, coarse, and sublime."
"In Nero's Rome, ambition is a dangerous thing...
Agricola has won renown for his military exploits in Britannia. Now returned to Rome with his new family, he seeks to rise further - but life in the greatest city on earth proves more difficult than he expected. Roman politics are on a knife-edge - often literally. The Emperor Nero is unpredictable, the manner of his rule unstable.
Agricola soon finds himself posted to the troublesome province of Asia Minor. The local governor is ambitious and dangerous. Falling foul of such a man could mean certain death... and yet a rebellious young warrior like Agricola cannot stay silent for long.
When Agricola experiences personal tragedy, he seeks revenge. Rome, meanwhile, burns in a great fire... but further tumult is to come in the wake of Nero's death. Agricola must tread a careful path to stay alive through the Year of the Four Emperors... a year of blood and ruin throughout the empire."
"Bloomsbury presents The Shabbat Effect by Alan Morinis, read by Mark Elstob.
What if one day of rest could transform your entire life?
One of the most important biblical mandates, so significant that it numbers among the Ten Commandments, is the directive to observe a weekly day of rest. The Shabbat Effect illuminates how the practice of a day set aside for rest brings about a deep, lasting, and pervasive transformation of character, not just on that seventh day but every day. Drawing on venerable Jewish sources as well as the experiences of contemporary practitioners, this user-friendly and accessible guide explores the eight essential traits that reflect the true meaning of Shabbat.
Rooted in the 1,100-year-old Jewish tradition of Mussar as well as the experiences of contemporary practitioners, this accessible guide offers a radical and moving exploration of how the practice of Shabbat enhances and refines core traits of character. Readers will find that it contributes immeasurably to their enjoyment of life, as well as helping them fulfill their highest human potential. C 2026 Alan Morinis P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"
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