Audiobooks narrated by Mark Elstob

Mussolini's War: Fascist Italy from Triumph to Collapse, 1935-1943

Brought to you by Penguin. While staying closely aligned with Hitler, Mussolini remained carefully neutral until the summer of 1940. Then, with the wholly unexpected and sudden collapse of the French and British armies, Mussolini declared war on the Allies in the hope of making territorial gains in southern France and Africa. This decision proved a horrifying miscalculation, dooming Italy to its own prolonged and unwinnable war, immense casualties and an Allied invasion in 1943 which ushered in a terrible new era for the country. John Gooch's new book is the definitive account of Italy's war experience. Beginning with the invasion of Abyssinia and ending with Mussolini's arrest, Gooch brilliantly portrays the nightmare of a country with too small an industrial sector, too incompetent a leadership and too many fronts on which to fight. Everywhere - whether in the USSR, the Western Desert or the Balkans - Italian troops found themselves against either better-equipped or more motivated enemies. The result was a war entirely at odds with the dreams of pre-war Italian planners - a series of desperate improvizations against Allies who could draw on global resources and against whom Italy proved helpless. This remarkable book rightly shows the centrality of Italy to the war, outlining the brief rise and disastrous fall of the Italian military campaign. © John Gooch 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

John Gooch (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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Corrupt Bodies: Death and Dirty Dealing in a London Morgue

In 1985, Peter Everett landed the job as Superintendent of Southwark Mortuary. In just six years he'd gone from lowly assistant to running the UK's busiest murder morgue. He couldn't believe his luck. What he didn't know was that Southwark, operating in near-Victorian conditions, was a hotbed of corruption. Attendants stole from the dead, funeral homes paid bribes, and there was a lively trade in stolen body parts and recycled coffins. Set in the fascinating pre-DNA and psychological profiling years of 1985-87, this memoir tells a gripping and gruesome tale, with a unique insight into a world of death most of us don't ever see. Peter managed pathologists, oversaw post mortems and worked alongside Scotland Yard's Murder Squad - including on the case of the serial killer, the Stockwell Strangler. This is a thrilling tale of murder and corruption in the mid-1980s, told with insight and compassion.

Kris Hollington, Peter Everett (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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The Western Front: A History of the First World War

Brought to you by Penguin. In the annals of military history, the Western Front stands as an enduring symbol of the folly and futility of war. However, The Western Front, by bestselling military historian Nick Lloyd, reveals that the story is not, as so many assume, one of pointlessness and stupidity. Rather, it is an epic triumph against the odds. With a cast of hundreds and a huge canvas of places and events, Lloyd tells the whole tale, revealing what happened in France and Belgium between August 1914 and November 1918 from the perspective of all the main combatants - including French, British, Belgian, US and, most importantly, German forces. Drawing upon the latest scholarship on the war, wrongly overlooked first-person accounts, and archival material from every angle, Lloyd examines the most decisive campaigns of the Great War and explains the achievements that have been too long obscured by legends of mud, blood and futility. Far from being an arena of static, stale attrition - and despite mistakes and wrong turns along the way - the Western Front was a 'cauldron of war' that saw unprecedented innovation, adaptation and tactical development. Lloyd conveys the visceral assault of the battlefield, and skilfully moves the focus in and out, giving both the bigger picture and telling detail. He recreates the decision-making and experiences of the war as it was at the time as well as with hindsight, and in doing so redefines our understanding of this crucial theatre in this monumental tragedy. © Nick Lloyd 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Nick Lloyd (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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Hard Choices

A groundbreaking exploration of the difficult decisions Britain faces outside the EU in a fast-changing world. After decades of peace and prosperity, the international order put in place after World War II is rapidly coming to an end. Disastrous foreign wars, global recession, the meteoric rise of China and India and the COVID pandemic have undermined the power of the West's international institutions and unleashed the forces of nationalism and protectionism. In this lucid and groundbreaking analysis, one of Britain's most experienced senior diplomats highlights the key dilemmas Britain faces, from trade to security, arguing that international co-operation and solidarity are the surest ways to prosper in a world more dangerous than ever. "Peter Ricketts has used his experience as one of the best diplomats of his generation to produce a book that is magisterial in its scope and analysis -- and in its recommendations for how the UK can use the realities of the post-Brexit era to its advantage. Essential reading for all who care about Britain's position in the world." JACK STRAW, former Foreign Secretary "A clarion call for a post-Brexit national conversation and a new national strategy. Written with grace and clarity, Hard Choices is a book for every informed citizen concerned for Britain's future in a dangerous and unpredictable world." VERNON BOGDANOR, CBE FBA, Professor of Government, King's College, London

Peter Ricketts (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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Chums: How a Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories Took Over the UK

A damning look at the university clique-turned-Commons majority that will blow the doors of Westminster wide open and change the way you look at our democracy forever. Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, David Cameron, George Osborne, Theresa May, Dominic Cummings, Jacob Rees-Mogg: Whitehall is swarming with old Oxonians. They debated each other in tutorials, ran against each other in student elections, and attended the same balls and black tie dinners. They aren't just colleagues - they are peers, rivals, friends. And, when they walked out of the world of student debates onto the national stage, they brought their university politics with them. Eleven of the fifteen postwar British prime ministers went to Oxford. In Chums, Simon Kuper traces how the rarefied and privileged atmosphere of this narrowest of talent pools - and the friendships and worldviews it created - shaped modern Britain. “'A searing onslaught on the smirking Oxford insinuation that politics is all just a game. It isn't. It matters” -MATTHEW PARRIS

Simon Kuper (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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Johnson at 10

After his sudden rise to power in the summer of 2019 amid the Brexit deadlock, Boris Johnson presided over the most dramatic period of British history in almost a century. From the controversial prorogation of Parliament in August 2019 to the historic landslide victory later that year, the agonising upheaval of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic - and the scandals unleashed by both - the Afghanistan crisis, and the conflict in Ukraine, Johnson's premiership was more turbulent than any other in living memory. This gripping work of contemporary history maps Johnson's time in power across ten decisive moments and sheds light on the most divisive and inscrutable prime minister since Margaret Thatcher. Based on major interviews with key aides and allies, Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell give the first full account of Boris Johnson's explosive time in office.

Anthony Seldon, Raymond Newell (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World

Marx and Engels were right when they observed in the Communist Manifesto that free markets had in a short time created greater prosperity and more technological innovation than all previous generations combined. A century and a half later, all the evidence shows that capitalism has lifted millions and millions from hunger and poverty. Today's story about global capitalism, shared by right-wing and left-wing populists, but also by large sections of the political and economic establishment, does not deny that prosperity has been created, but it says it ended up in far too few hands. This in turn has made it popular to talk about the global economy as a geopolitical zero-sum game, where we have to fight to control new innovations, introduce trade barriers and renationalise value chains. While, more broadly, capitalism is accused of fuelling glaring inequality, populist revolts, climate change and China's global conquest. In this incisive and passionate investigation, Johan Norberg instead states the case for capitalism and the vital role played by the free market in today's uncertain world. Ultimately, he argues that that a move away from global capitalism would not only squeeze the growth out of the economy but also deepen an already large social exclusion for the vulnerable - for the world's poor, it would be a killing blow.

Johan Norberg (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin

A major international bestseller. The little-known true story of a Nazi plot to kill Winston Churchill, President Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin at the height of World War II, and how it was averted. In 1943 only three men stood in Hitler's way; Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. As the war against Nazi Germany raged, the Allied leaders desperately needed to meet face-to-face and discuss their strategy. Facing extreme danger, they travelled to Tehran to meet in secret. Yet when the Nazis found out about the meeting, their own covert plan took shape-an assassination plot. A true story filled with daring rescues, body doubles, and political intrigue, The Nazi Conspiracy details this pivotal meeting of the Big Three and the deadly Nazi scheme that could've changed history. In page-turning detail, it shows the greatest political minds of the twentieth century at work and reveals how they strategized to defeat the enemy, all whilst coming close to world-shattering disaster.

Brad Meltzer, Josh Mensch (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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The Forgotten Child

Based on a true story, The Forgotten Child is a heart-breaking memoir of an abandoned newborn baby left to die, his tempestuous upbringing, and how he came through the other side. It's a freezing winter's night in 1954. A baby boy, a few hours old, is left by his mother, wrapped in nothing but two sheets of newspaper and hidden amongst the undergrowth by a canal bank. An hour later, a late-shift postman is walking wearily home when he hears a faint cry. He finds the newspaper parcel and discovers the newborn, white-cold and whimpering, inside. After being rushed to hospital and against all odds, the baby survives. He's baptised by the hospital chaplain as Richard. Everything feels as though it's looking up; Richard is put into local authority care and regains his health. However, after nearly five blissful years in a rural care home filled with loving friends, it soon unfolds that his turbulent start in life is only the beginning... Based on a devastating true story, this inspirational memoir follows Richard's traumatic birth, abusive childhood, and search for the truth.

Richard Gallear (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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Napoleon's Run

One man against an armada London, 1798. Late one night, a junior naval officer at the Admiralty intercepts a coded despatch, marked with blood: Napoleon Bonaparte is about to launch the largest invasion fleet in history. Target: unknown. England is vulnerable, bereft of allies, and the Sea Lords fear a direct assault on Britain. Admiralty Intelligence sounds the alarm and prepares to unleash Nelson and the Mediterranean squadron. But before they can, they need vital information. They need a special officer to infiltrate by land or by sea to uncover the destination of Napoleon's armada a man who never stops. Marine Lt William John Hazzard. But will he agree to help them? Betrayed by the Admiralty at the African Cape three years earlier, Hazzard has vowed never to trust them again. Bitter memories poisoned his return home, and his devoted fiancé Sarah, unable to bear his pain any longer, disappears in Naples never to be seen again. But the Admiralty knows just how to get him back. They know where Sarah is, and her life is in danger! From pitched sea-battles to back-street duels in a covert war, this is the epic adventure of the new hero of Napoleonic fiction: Hazzard. Perfect for fans of Seth Hunter, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forester. Never give up the boat. - Jonathan Spencer is from south-east London, the great-grandson of a clipper-ship captain who brought tea from China. He served in the Canadian army, studied ancient and modern history, and has lectured at universities and private associations on the subject of Napoleonic Egypt. He writes historical non-fiction under the name Jonathan Downs, his major work a revised account of the British acquisition of the Rosetta Stone, Discovery at Rosetta, (London 2008; Cairo 2020). He speaks several languages, has trained with the former Russian National fencing coach, and has lived and worked abroad all his life. He currently lives in the Western Cape in South Africa.

Jonathan Spencer (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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Emperor of Dust

The sands of Egypt carry whispers of rebellion... The much-anticipated third novel in Jonathan Spencer's best-selling William John Hazzard series. Egypt, September 1798. After tragedy at the Battle of the Nile, Hazzard is possessed by a dark vengeance: with the marines of 9 Company and their Bedouin allies he scours the Nile Delta for his enemy, the French spy-catcher Citizen Derrien. However, among the sacred ibis and ever-shifting sands, Hazzard catches wind of something far more deadly: the stirrings of revolt in Cairo, the outbreak of plague, and the cold hand of Admiralty Intelligence. When riot explodes in the capital, Hazzard fears he is simply too late. Abandoned by the French Government, Napoleon and his army are now trapped in Egypt. When Bonaparte discovers that Al-Djezzar 'the Butcher' of Acre is gathering his forces to attack, he accepts the challenge. Riding with the Mamluk and the beautiful Shajar al-Durr, Hazzard engages French cavalry in the shadow of Ozymandias in ancient Thebes - and the Admiralty calls upon him once more as Napoleon launches his bloody crusade on Syria and the Holy Land to become the new Emperor in the East. From flaming battle at sea with the blockade fleet to massacre at the walls of Jaffa and Acre, this is Napoleon's desperate bid to seize the Orient - and the next explosive chapter of the French occupation of Egypt. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow and Seth Hunter. In the words of J.D. Davies this is the follow-up to a 'Hornblower meets Mission: Impossible' storyline. - Jonathan Spencer is from south-east London, the great-grandson of a clipper-ship captain who brought tea from China. He served in the Canadian army, studied ancient and modern history, and has lectured at universities and private associations on the subject of Napoleonic Egypt. He writes historical non-fiction under the name Jonathan Downs, his major work a revised account of the British acquisition of the Rosetta Stone, Discovery at Rosetta, (London 2008; Cairo 2020). He speaks several languages, has trained with the former Russian National fencing coach, and has lived and worked abroad all his life. He currently lives in the Western Cape in South Africa.

Jonathan Spencer (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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The Eagle and the Lion: Rome, Persia and an Unwinnable Conflict

The epic story of the imperial rivalry between two of the greatest empires of the ancient world - Parthian and Persian - and how they rose and eventually fell. The Roman empire shaped the culture of the western world against which all other great powers are compared. Stretching from the north of Britain to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic coast to the Euphrates, it imposed peace and prosperity on an unprecedented scale. However, the exception lay in the east, where the Parthian and then Persian empires ruled over great cities and the trade routes to mysterious lands beyond. This was the place Alexander the Great had swept through, creating a dream of glory and conquest which tantalised Greeks and Romans alike. Caesar, Mark Antony and a long succession of emperors longed to follow in Alexander's footsteps. All failed. Only here did the Roman empire slow down and eventually stop because it was unable to go any further. Following seven centuries of conflict that, ultimately, neither Rome nor Persia would win, The Eagle and the Lion delves into the clash, context and journeys of these entities of great power and the people caught in their wider struggle. Praise for the author: 'As successful in meeting its ambitions as Philip's kingship, as sweeping as Alexander's conquests' TOM HOLLAND 'By pairing the two giants of Macedonia, Goldsworthy helps the reader understand Alexander's life all the better, and sheds light on the achievements and character of Philip' ASPECTS OF HISTORY 'Contributes significantly to making these scholarly developments accessible to a very wide audience, through engaging narratives which capture the political complexity of the Greek world' TLS 'Sterling scholarship, engaging prose, insightful analysis, and unbiased assessment' VICTOR DAVIS HANSON 'Belongs on the (sturdy) shelf of any reader interested in military, political or social history' MINERVA MAGAZINE

Adrian Goldsworthy (Author), Mark Elstob (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Mark Elstob