Other books that might interest you

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  A Medical Crime - From their...

  J Storer Clouston

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  The bookshelves of British literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors.  From these Isles their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure.  Among them is J Storer Clouston.

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  The Murderer - Bulgakov expertly...

  Mikhail Bulgakov

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  Mikhail Bulgakov was born on 15th May 1891 in Kiev, in the Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire, into a Russian family.  He was one of seven children. 
   
  In 1901, Bulgakov attended the First Kiev Gymnasium, and developed a keen interest in Russian and European literature, theatre and opera.  After the death of his father in 1907, his mother assumed responsibility for his education.  After graduating Bulgakov entered the Medical Faculty of Kiev University and then took up a post as physician at the Kiev Military Hospital. 
   
  At the outbreak of the First World War, he volunteered as a doctor and was sent directly to the front, where he was badly injured at least twice.  To suppress chronic pain, especially in the abdomen, he injected morphine.  It took years to wean himself off. 
   
  He now took up medical posts in various towns and in 1919, he was mobilised by the Ukrainian People's Army and assigned to the Northern Caucasus.  There, he became seriously ill with typhus and barely survived.  
   
  After this illness, Bulgakov abandoned his medicine to pursue writing.  He moved to Vladikavkaz and had two plays staged there with great success.  He wrote too for various newspapers and other outlets, but his critics were many.  And growing. 
   
  When a Moscow's theatre director severely criticised Bulgakov, Stalin personally protected him, saying that a writer of Bulgakov's quality was above ‘party words’ like ‘left’ and ‘right’.   Indeed, it is said that Stalin watched ‘The Days of the Turbins’ at least 15 times. 
   
  It was not to last and by March 1929, Bulgakov's career was ruined when Government censorship stopped publication of any of his work and plays. 
   
  In despair, Bulgakov wrote a personal letter to Stalin.  He requested permission to emigrate.  He received a phone call from the Soviet leader, who asked the writer whether he really desired to leave. He replied that a Russian writer cannot live outside of his homeland.  Stalin thus gave him permission to continue working. In May 1930, he re-joined the theater, as stage director's assistant.  
   
  During the last stressful decade of his life, and in poor health, Bulgakov continued to work on ‘The Master and Margarita’, wrote plays, critical works, stories, and continued translations and dramatisations of novels.  Many of them were not published, others were derided by critics.  
   
  On 10th March 1940, Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov died from nephrosclerosis.  He was 48. 
   
  ‘The Master and Margarita’ was not published in any form until the mid-1960’s 
   
  Here Bulgakov relates a story as told by a doctor describing the terrible things that humanity is capable of doing in times of war.

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  The Murders in the Rue Morgue

  Edgar Allan Poe

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  Dive into the origins of detective fiction with "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," the seventh part of an Edgar Allan Poe short story collection, narrated by Jake Urry. This groundbreaking tale follows C. Auguste Dupin, a brilliant detective, as he investigates the brutal and baffling murders of two women in a Parisian apartment. With no apparent motive and clues that defy explanation, Dupin uses his keen analytical mind to unravel the mystery. 
  Jake Urry's engaging narration brings Poe's pioneering detective story to life, capturing the intrigue and intellectual challenge of Dupin's investigation. His voice lends depth and suspense to this classic tale, making it an essential listen for fans of mysteries and classic literature alike.

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  Hand and Heart - From their pens...

  Elizabeth Gaskell

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  Elizabeth Stevenson was born in Chelsea in London on 29th September 1810.  
  Both parents embedded their strong Unitarian beliefs into Elizabeth who rebelliously was often reluctant to display these religious convictions.  
  The early death of Elizabeth’s mother saw her sent away to be brought up by her maternal aunt in Knutsford, Cheshire.  
  Her father now remarried but Elizabeth spent most of her childhood in Cheshire away from her father and his new family but was supportive towards her half-siblings.  
  Elizabeth’s aunt encouraged her education and particularly to read and express herself through writing.   
  In 1828, her brother John, who worked in the merchant navy, disappeared on a journey to India. This disastrous loss depressed her father, and she went to his household to nurse him for the next year before he died.  
  In 1832, she fell in love with William Gaskell, a Unitarian minister like her father, and married him.  They settled in Manchester. This booming industrial city had a great impact on Elizabeth who felt the need to speak up for poor workers and their exploitation by large industrial companies. A collection of poems and short stories, ‘Sketches among the Poor’ appeared in 1837, co-authored by her husband.  Her first major work, under a pseudonym, was ‘Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life’ published in 1848. 
  During her career she worked continually with Charles Dickens and published much in his various magazines. With him she published ‘Lizzie Leigh’ in 1850 which dealt with the taboo subject of prostitution.  She was an excellent writer and impressed her many Victorian literary peers. Much of her writing reflects her work as a social critic highlighting the exploitation of the working class and the situation of women in society.  
  On 12th November 1865, Elizabeth Gaskell died in Holybourne, Hampshire, after suffering from a heart attack a month earlier.

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  Diary of a Mad Man

  Guy de Maupassant

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  Title: The Diary of a Madman 
  Author: Guy de Maupassant 
  Narrator: Jonathan Dunne 
  Original Publication: 1885 
  Public Domain: Yes 
  Series Placement: Number 14 in the Timeless Terrors series 
  Description: 
  The Diary of a Madman by Guy de Maupassant is a chilling study of psychological horror and the fragility of sanity. First published in 1885, it presents the private writings of a respected judge whose outward civility hides a dark descent into obsession and cruelty. 
  Told through the intimate form of diary entries, the story reveals the gradual unraveling of a mind — a voice both rational and terrifyingly unhinged. Maupassant strips away the veneer of normalcy to expose the horrors lurking within the human psyche. 
  This recording, narrated by Amazon bestselling horror author Jonathan Dunne, captures the eerie intimacy and creeping dread that defines Maupassant’s tale. While the text is in the public domain, this performance is an original work and copyright © 2025 Jonathan Dunne. 
  This audiobook is part of Timeless Terrors, a dedicated series bringing classic horror back to life — stories from the great masters of the macabre, narrated afresh to haunt a new generation. 
  Listeners should be prepared for an unsettling exploration of madness, hidden violence, and the shadows that dwell in ordinary men.

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  MARY ELLEN - A Short Story

  Deena Thomson

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  A Psychological Thriller Short Story 
  After almost twenty years, Mary Ellen’s return to her hometown is like entering a surreal and haunting nightmare. She had thought she left this all behind for good. The reason for her return? Her father’s funeral. But this trip back is more than just grieving and receiving condolences - it’s a reckoning with the ghosts of a past she worked hard to forget. Merrily, her sister, known for her wild nature, seems even crazier than Mary Ellen remembers. If not more. Her quirks have grown more pronounced, giving Mary Ellen a glimpse into a mind seemingly on the verge of unravelling.As Mary Ellen navigates the familiar yet alien corridors of our childhood home, she realizes that Merrily’s oddities might be the key to the very secrets she escaped all those years ago.

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