Narrator

Tim Bruce

Tim Bruce
  • Delve into the world of fourteenth-century England in this thrilling historical mystery, the fifteenth in the brilliant Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton.

    Edmund Harkins has gone missing.

    Few in Bampton liked him, knowing him to be a wife-beater and distinctly unsavory character, so when some hungry pigs unearth his corpse from a shallow grave, there is hardly an outpouring of grief.

    As bailiff, it is Hugh de Singleton’s duty to bring Edmund’s killer to justice. But where is he to start investigating when almost everyone in the village has a motive? And when everyone is pleased to see the scoundrel dead, who knows how far they might go to help someone get away with murder?

    To further complicate Hugh’s life, the Bishop of Exeter has appointed his nephew as Bampton’s new vicar. But as well as an obsession with discovering any heretical views Hugh might hold, he could not be more unpriestly—he not only acts appallingly with Lady Katherine’s maid, but is contributing to the unhealthy atmosphere of suppression and suspicion that has come to pervade the village …

    Fast paced and full of twists and turns, Suppression and Suspicion is a brilliant medieval murder mystery perfect for fans of Susanna Gregory and Peter Ellis. Mel Starr paints an immersive and atmospheric picture of fourteenth-century England, and weaves a compelling mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

    The fifteenth volume in the Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Suppression and Suspicion will be thoroughly enjoyed by long time fans of the series but can also be read as a standalone novel. 

  • One of Master John Wycliffe’s scholars is found dead after a thunderstorm. Was he struck by lightning, or was there something more sinister to his death?

    Scholar Richard Sabyn, a particularly obnoxious fellow, was believed to have been struck by lightning. However, Master Wycliffe believes otherwise and calls upon Sir Hugh de Singleton for help. Sir Hugh shares Wycliffe’s suspicions and launches a private investigation, learning that it might indeed be possible to make it look as though a man has died from a lightning strike. But who would go to all that effort, and why?

    When fellow scholar Simon Duby dies, it raises even more questions and suspicions. What is the connection between the two men? Sir Hugh believes a bronze pot, a bucket of urine, and a small quantity of charcoal and brimstone may hold the answer. During a bleak 1375, can he survive the insidious plague and several attempts on his life as he continues his quest for truth?

  • Keeping watch over the Easter Sepulchre, where the Host and crucifix are stored between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, is considered a privilege. So it is shocking when it is discovered that Odo, the priest’s clerk, has abandoned his post. But as the hours pass and Odo is not found, Hugh de Singleton is called upon. 

    It is Hugh that finds the dried blood before the altar, and fear grows for the missing man … Will Hugh be called upon to investigate another murder, or will the man be found hale and hearty? But if so, where has the blood come from?

  • Master Hugh won the Black Prince’s favor when he helped to ease the Prince’s illness. Now, in the autumn of 1372, the prince is suffering a relapse and sends to Bampton for Master Hugh to attend him. While at dinner in Kennington Palace, Sir Giles, the knight who escorted Hugh to London, is stricken and dies. Poison! Sir Giles is not popular, and there are many who would gladly see the fellow done away with, except for Prince Edward. The Black Prince feels a debt to the slain man because of his heroic behavior at the Battle of Crécy, where the knight stood firm with the prince when the fight seemed of uncertain outcome. Despite caring little for Sir Giles, Master Hugh must once again place himself in jeopardy and seek to uncover the perpetrator of the crime.

  • When Bampton’s coroner, Hubert Shillside, does not return from a trip to Oxford, Master Hugh de Singleton is called. Concerned for his old friend, Hugh takes to the road to investigate. Travel is safer than in times hence but, out of sight of prying eyes, it is still unwise to travel alone.

    Hugh finds a body, stabbed and left to rot, but it is not the body he was expecting to find. Indeed, reports of pillage, attacks, and chaos on the roads out of Oxford suddenly seem rampant. Hugh must ascertain whether the incidents are random, or whether something darker is afoot.

    The guilty cannot afford to be caught, but what lengths will they go to to cover their tracks, and will Hugh escape unscathed?

  • King Charles of France has announced that he is confiscating Aquitaine, and Prince Edward has sent for knights and men at arms from England to assist him in opposing the French king. Lord Gilbert Talbot is required to provide five knights, twelve squires, and twenty archers and men at arms, and wishes his surgeon—Hugh de Singleton—to travel with the party, while Hugh’s wife Kate oversees the castle. Among the party will be Sir Simon Trillowe, Hugh’s old nemesis and Kate’s former suitor, who had once set fire to Hugh’s house. After a brawl on the streets of Oxford, Sir Simon had nearly lost an ear; Hugh had sewn it back on but it had healed crooked, and Simon blamed Hugh for the disfigurement. Finding himself in the same party, Hugh resolves not to turn his back on the knight—but it is Sir Simon who should not have turned his back.

  • Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas CarolA Ghost Story of Christmas in Five Staves when he was 31; the first edition was published on 19th December 1843 and had sold out just four days later and by the end of 1844, there were already 13 reprints. Now with numerous adaptations for film, television, radio, stage, and indeed, audiobooks, A Christmas Carol has, for many, become an essential part of Christmas!

    Raconteurs Audio has created this audio anthology to include Dickens’ two Christmas novellas, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth, as well as a collection of his lesser known short stories with a Christmas theme.

    A Christmas Carol

    Stave 1 - Marley’s Ghost read by Liam Gerrard
    Stave 2 - The First of Three Spirits read by Tim Bruce
    Stave 3 - The Second of Three Spirits read by James Gillies
    Stave 4 - The Last of the Spirits read by Greg Wagland
    Stave 5 - The End of It read by Malk Williams

    Music

    Stave 1 - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - English Traditional
    Stave 2 - The Three Kings - Peter Cornelius
    Stave 3 - Gabriel’s Message - Basque Noel
    Stave 4 - A Coventry Carol - English Traditional
    Stave 5 - This Is the Truth - English Traditional
    Finale - In Dulci Jubilo - German Traditional

    Original music arranged and produced by Kelvin Towse for this audiobook production.

    Festive Tales

    The Haunted House read by Greg Wagland
    A Christmas Tree read by Nigel Patterson
    The Chimes read by James Gillies
    The Christmas Goblin read by Liam Gerrard
    The Cricket on the Hearth read by Helen Lloyd
    Nobody’s Story read by Malk Williams
    A Child’s Dream of a Star read by Tim Bruce
    What Christmas Is as We Grow Older read by James Gillies

    These stories originally published between 1843 and 1871 are in the public domain. The traditional music is also in the public domain.

  • Master Hugh, Kate, and their children attend the Midsummer’s Eve fire. Early next morning, Hugh hears the passing bell ring from the Church of St. Beornwald, and moments later is summoned. Tenants collecting the ashes to spread upon their fields have found burned bones. Master Hugh learns of several men of Bampton and nearby villages who have gone missing recently. Most are soon found, some alive, some dead. Master Hugh eventually learns that the bones are those of a bailiff from a nearby manor. Someone has slain him and placed his body in the fire to destroy evidence of murder. Bailiffs are not popular men; they dictate labor service, collect rents, and enforce other obligations. Has this bailiff died at the hand of some angry tenant? Hugh soon discovers this is not the case. There is quite another reason for murder …

  • “My life would have been more tranquil in the days after Martinmas had I not seen the crows. Whatever it was that the crows had found lay in the dappled shadow of the bare limbs of the oak, so I was nearly upon the thing before I recognized what the crows were feasting upon. The corpse wore black.”

    Master Hugh is making his way towards Oxford when he discovers the young Benedictine—a fresh body, barefoot—not half a mile from the nearby abbey. The abbey’s novice master confirms the boy’s identity: John, one of three novices. But he had gone missing four days previously, and his corpse is fresh. There has been plague in the area, but this was not the cause of death: the lad has been stabbed in the back. To Hugh’s sinking heart, the abbot has a commission for him …

  • Herbert George Wells was one of the most prolific and visionary British writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. H. G. Wells, as he is universally known, is now best remembered for his science fiction novels, although he wrote across many genres, including nonfiction. His fiction embraces history, science fiction, horror, satire, fantasy, and social commentary. Wells was also a futurist, foreseeing air travel, tanks (as in “The Land Ironclads”—part of this anthology) space travel, nuclear weapons, and even satellite television. Amongst his writings are dozens of short stories; some are very well known, others less so.

    When planning this collection, Raconteurs sought stories that we enjoyed ourselves and which embody the range of H. G. Wells’s imagination and talent. This collection of thirteen short stories includes gothic horror, fantasy, ghost stories, science fiction, satire, and stories of domestic and social commentary. It is a collection that we hope will intrigue and entertain you—and leave you wanting to hear more.

    H. G. Wells’s Short Stories - Volume One is produced by Raconteurs in partnership with Spoken Realms and includes:

    “The Magic Shop” – read by James Gillies
    “The Remarkable Case of Davidson’s Eyes” – read by Nigel Patterson
    “The Door in the Wall” – read by Greg Wagland
    “The Man Who Could Work Miracles” – read by Malk Williams
    “The Story of the Late Mr Elvesham” – read by Tim Bruce
    “The Diamond Maker” – read by Liam Gerrard
    “Miss Winchelsea’s Heart” – read by Helen Lloyd
    “A Moonlight Fable” – read by James Gillies
    “The Red Room” – read by Nigel Patterson
    “The Star” – read by Greg Wagland
    “The Land Ironclads” – read by Malk Williams
    “The Jilting of Jane” – read by Tim Bruce
    “The Cone” – read by Liam Gerrard

  • A collection of eighteen crime stories with a diverse range of characters and scenarios, from guilt-ridden fraudsters to lovesick murderers.

  • A highly imaginative and relatable guide for anyone who needs the reassurance that suicide is never worth it.

    Are you inclined to escape the crumminess of everyday life into fantasy worlds? Are you smart and imaginative in a way that isn’t really suited to your surroundings? Are you definitely misunderstood, likely angry, and almost certainly depressed? Set Sytes, hailing from the UK, would prefer you stay alive and sort things out rather than the alternative, thanks. He figures there are better opportunities for you out there and lays it all out in a way that’s compelling, funny, sharp, and useful. This zine turned book (please don’t call it a self-help guide, asks the author) is ultimately about how to be a person in the world. It can be done non-miserably, we promise.

  • Winston Churchill possessed an iron will and a subtle conscience. His staunch patriotism, tenacity, appetite for a fight, and, above all, his towering rhetoric inspired the British people to mount a gallant defense of their island nation. Having set a new bar for national heroism, he earned a place in the pantheon of the world’s greatest leaders.

    Churchill, a fearless soldier, was a veteran of countless battles and a rider in one of Britain’s last cavalry charges. He was also a gifted writer, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, whose war reporting made his name and whose books outlived him. A bon vivant who loved his brandy and cigars, he was also a devoted husband whose marriage was a lifelong love affair. By any measure, Churchill was a giant.

    But the man was far from perfect. He was a hero, yes, but a human one. He could be petty, irascible, and self-centered; it was bred in his bone that white Englishmen were born to lead the world and all others to be led. His mistakes cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives, but he had courage and a born politician’s sense of the public stage.

    In the end, Churchill became a regal figure whose life came to symbolize defiance of tyranny in the face of impossible odds. Here is his story.