Audiobooks narrated by Natasha Beaumont

The Schoolgirl, Her Teacher and his Wife

Teacher and former rugby league player Chris Dawson appeared to have it all - a loving family and a beautiful home in Sydney's Northern Beaches. But in the summer of 1982 his wife Lynette disappeared and not long afterwards Dawson married a much younger woman a former student. Less than a decade later this young woman escaped the marriage and went to the police to record her suspicions that Dawson had been involved in Lynette's disappearance. A homicide investigation followed but got nowhere until 1998, when Detective Sergeant Damian Loone was handed Lynette's file. For nearly two decades he made it his business to honour Lynette and to find out what had happened to her. His work led to two coronial investigations, but no charges. Around this time Rebecca Hazel was working in a women's refuge on the Northern Beaches when a colleague shared her story of enduring coercive control at the hands of Dawson, when she was his student, and then wife and she shared her suspicions about the fate of his first wife Lynette. These revelations affected Rebecca, and eventually she decided to investigate. Over years, coroners, police and journalists all shared with Rebecca their knowledge of the case, and disappointments that it remained unsolved. Until, in May 2018, Hedley Thomas launched the Teacher's Pet podcast, and in December 2018, Chris Dawson was charged with murder. He was convicted in August 2022. Rebecca Hazel has spent ten years working to ensure that the stories of two women who were misused by Chris Dawson are heard, that their perpetrator is brought to justice and that Lynette's family can properly honour their much-loved sister, aunt, cousin and mother.

Rebecca Hazel (Author), Natasha Beaumont (Narrator)

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Explain That: 31 intriguing reasons why from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald

Have you ever wondered if time travel is actually possible? Or where the Australian accent came from? Or what it feels like to have dementia? If you're an inquisitive person who likes to understand how things came to be the way they are, this collection of thought-provoking explainers from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald has got you covered. Explain That answers some of the year's - and life's - most baffling questions. Thoroughly researched and eloquently set out by some of Australia's finest journalists, it provides nourishment for curious minds and fun facts to share with friends and family. What do sharks want (and why do they bite)? How do you win an Oscar? Who thought up table manners? Funny, weird and insightful topics are inventively illustrated and embellished with diagrams, pictures and factoids. If you like to learn new things, if you enjoy trivia or you want to reflect on some of the big questions, this is the book for you. Absorbing, illuminating and always engaging, Explain That is for anyone who has ever asked how and why?

Felicity Lewis, Felicity Lewis (ed.) (Author), Natasha Beaumont, Sam Smith (Narrator)

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The Newcomer

There's no such thing as a perfect victim. In a hotel room on a sleepy Pacific island, Judy Novak waits. And worries. It isn't the first time 29-year-old problem child Paulina has kept her mother waiting. But Judy can't ignore the island's jagged cliffs and towering pines - or the dread that Paulina has finally acted on her threats to take her own life. When Paulina's body is discovered, Judy's worst fears seem confirmed. Only, Paulina didn't kill herself. She was murdered. So begins a thorny investigation, wherein every man on the island is a suspect yet none are as maligned as Paulina: the captivating newcomer known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and habit of walking alone. But, above all, Paulina is her mother's daughter. And death won't stop Judy Novak from fighting for Paulina's life. 'Unlike many crime novels, the victim sits at the heart of The Newcomer. Woollett shows deep empathy for her characters, while delivering an immersive, utterly gripping story.' MARK BRANDI, AUTHOR OF WIMMERA 'Laura Elizabeth Woollett has done it again. The Newcomer pulls you in from its eerie opening and drags you along with intriguing characters and beautifully wrought prose. As the mystery deepens, you begin to realise things are never clear-cut, and everybody is guilty of something. A cautionary tale inspired by true events by one of my favourite authors.' JP POMARE, AUTHOR OF CALL ME EVIE

Laura Elizabeth Woollett (Author), Laura Elizabeth Woollett, Natasha Beaumont (Narrator)

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The Lost Jewels: A Novel

From the author of The Song of the Jade Lily comes a thrilling story of a family secret that leads to a legendary treasure. Why would someone bury a bucket of precious jewels and gemstones and never return? Present Day. When respected American jewelry historian, Kate Kirby, receives a call about the Cheapside jewels, she knows she’s on the brink of the experience of a lifetime. But the trip to London forces Kate to explore secrets that have long been buried by her own family. Back in Boston, Kate has uncovered a series of sketches in her great-grandmother’s papers linking her suffragette great-grandmother Essie to the Cheapside collection. Could these sketches hold the key to Essie’s secret life in Edwardian London? In the summer of 1912, impoverished Irish immigrant Essie Murphy happens to be visiting her brother when a workman’s pickaxe strikes through the floor of an old tenement house in Cheapside, near St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The workmen uncover a stash of treasure—from Ottoman pendants to Elizabethan and Jacobean gems—and then the finds disappear again! Could these jewels—one in particular—change the fortunes of Essie and her sisters? Together with photographer Marcus Holt, Kate Kirby chases the history of the Cheapside gems and jewels, especially the story of a small diamond champlevé enamel ring. Soon, everything Kate believes about her family, gemology, and herself will be threatened. Based on a fascinating true story, The Lost Jewels is a riveting historical fiction novel that will captivate readers from the beginning to the unforgettable, surprising end.

Kirsty Manning (Author), Natasha Beaumont (Narrator)

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Special: Antidotes to the obsessions that come with a child's disability

Special is an uplifting, candid companion for those in the early stages of navigating a child's disability. Featuring antidotes to the obsessions at the forefront of a special-needs parent's mind: Why has this happened to me? Will I ever stop comparing my child to typical children? How will my relationship survive? Should I have another baby? And the big one: What will my future look like? Inspired by Melanie Dimmitt's own crash-landing into special-needs parenthood, and shaped by her conversations with parents of children with wide-ranging disabilities, alongside specialists and researchers, Special shares real stories and expert guidance to soothe anyone whose life has taken an unexpected turn. Melanie Dimmitt's debut is a ground-breaking insight into life as a special-needs parent. "Special is so beautifully written, touching, helpful and insightful. I wish, wish, wish I had it ten years ago! If I had known the joy and happiness being a special-needs mother would bring, my blanket of suffering would have been lifted. It's going to be a lifesaver for special needs parents." ONDINE SHERMAN "Raw, brave and compelling. This book airs a parent's most guilt-riddled thoughts and then turns them on their head." MIA FREEDMAN "Bold, honest, sometimes funny and always illuminating without being didactic, Special will shatter your heart and put it back together again. This book will do much good in the world." LEE KOFMAN "This exceptional book is a must read for all special-needs parents... This beautifully and skilfully written book shares the raw and honest emotions in raising a child with disability from parents across the globe. Written with humour and a light-hearted approach, Special explores many concepts from diagnosis to relationships and community." EMMA PRICE, CEO Source Kids "Melanie captures perspectives of raising a child with different needs like no other book has done before." HEATHER RENTON, Founder and Executive Office, Syndromes Without A Name (SWAN) Australia "As a therapist with over 40 years experience it is the first of its kind that I have read. It will make a great addition to the arsenal of tools that we use to help parents though the haze of a new diagnosis." DEBRA EVANS, Director, Therapies for Kids "Melanie captures both the high highs and the low lows of raising a child with special needs, in a book that delivers equal doses of relief and hope sandwiched in amongst one, big reality shock. Special is slap-in-the-face honesty at its absolute best - it will open you up to explore all corners of your emotions." PAUL POZZOBON, Managing Director, NAPA Centre "Special is an honest, beautifully written, and realistic account of the important issues that preoccupy the minds of families. This incredibly hopeful book combines the experiences of families with the latest evidence in positive psychology into a compelling message. It provides the reassurance and guidance that I needed when I was in this situation almost three decades ago, and so I believe this book is essential for those who have found themselves on this unexpected pathway." SYLVANA MAHMIC, CEO Plumtree Children's Services "Special shares authentic, frank and emotional perspectives that will surely resonate with many new parents to children with disabilities. Beyond the openness and candor, this book builds into a positive, practical and optimistic story of hope and validation that gives the rest of us a glimpse into, as Melanie puts it, 'the love, joy and total, transformative awesomeness of parenting a child with disability." JORDAN O'REILLY Co-founder and CEO at Hireup

Melanie Dimmitt (Author), Melanie Dimmitt, Natasha Beaumont (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Killing of Louisa

Queensland Literary Award Winner To lose one husband may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like murder. In New South Wales in1888, Louisa Collins was sentenced to hang after being tried multiple times for the alleged murders of her two husbands. The testimony of her young daughter helped to decide her fate. This clever and compelling novel recreates Louisa's time in her Darlinghurst prison cell as she reflects on her life and on the grief and loss that delivered her to this place. Despite difficult marriages, financial hardship and the deaths of several children, she remains resilient and determined to have her own identity. But as she faces her final days, will Louisa confess to her crimes? Or is an innocent woman about to be hanged? "A superb debut" Melissa Ashley, author of The Birdman's Wife

Janet Lee (Author), Natasha Beaumont (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Birdman's Wife

In 1838, Englishwoman Elizabeth Gould - wife of celebrated ornithologist, John Gould - made a trailblazing tour of Australia to collect and illustrate our curious birdlife. Inspired by real-life letters and weaving the discovery of some of the country's unique species' with her own personal journey, The Birdman's Wife is an intimate memoir about the struggles and demands of art, the needs of children and what it's like to live with an ambitious and demanding genius.

Melissa Ashley (Author), Natasha Beaumont (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Natasha Beaumont