THE AMERICAN BOY

By Andrew Taylor

Synopsis

Set in England in 1819, Thomas Shield is a master at a school near London attended by a young American boy and his friend, Charles Frant. Thomas, drawn to Frant's beautiful mother, is caught up in her family's deadly tangle of sex, money, murder and lies. At the heart of all this is the American boy, but what is the secret about him?

Sample Player

Narrator	Alex Jennings
Length	16hrs 30mins
Catalogue No.	6707
Publisher	BBC/ Chivers Audio

Other audiobooks by Andrew Taylor

AN AIR THAT KILLS

1st Lydmouth mystery. Lydmouth is an ancient town on the Welsh English Borders. In the early 1950's workmen demolishing a building find a baby's body. Jill Francis, a journalist new to the town, finds herself unwillingly drawn into the investigation led by D.I. Thornhill.

THE ANATOMY OF GHOSTS

London, 1786: John Holdsworth has nothing to lose. His wife and son are dead. His business is in ruins. Known to many for his sceptical views about ghosts, John is approached by a wealthy widow and offered a reward to cure her son of a terrible delusion.

THE ASHES OF LONDON

London, September 1666. The Great Fire rages through the city. Among the crowds watching its destruction is James Marwood, reluctant government informer. In the aftermath of the fire, a semi-mummified body is discovered in the ashes of St. Paul’s, in a tomb that should have been empty. Marwood is tasked with hunting down the killer across the devastated city...

THE BARRED WINDOW

One evening in 1967, Thomas Penmarsh lost everything he valued. Now, 25 years, on he sleeps in a room with a barred window, looked after by Cousin Esmond. This psychological drama hints at madness, fear and sudden death without spilling a drop of blood.

BLEEDING HEART SQUARE

It is said that the Devil once danced in Bleeding Heart Square. Formerly the site of a medieval palace, it is now a decaying North London cul-de-sac. There, in a lodging house, live a collection of tenants with equally colourful histories.

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In the close-knit community of the respectable market town of Lydmouth, a terrible crime is about to be discovered... Two provincial newspapers are in the throes of a bitter circulation war. And there's no pleasure left in the life of DCI Richard Thornhill. Only a corpse, a television set and the promise of truth to come...

THE COAL HOUSE

Whitbread Children's Novel Award. Thirteen year old Alison is determined to dislike the rambling old house her father has bought, until she is drawn into an unsolved mystery.

DEATH'S OWN DOOR

When a widower is found dead with a bottle of whisky beside him the verdict should be suicide but Inspector Thornhill and reporter Jill Francis soon realise that there is much more to consider.

THE FIRE COURT

The Great Fire has ravaged London; James Marwood, son of a traitor, is thrust into a treacherous environment when his ailing father claims to have stumbled upon a murdered woman – in the very place where the Fire Court sits. Then his father is killed ... and determined to uncover the truth, Marwood is forced to confront a vicious killer whose actions threaten the future of the city itself. Sequel to 'The Ashes of London' (11355).

FIRESIDE GOTHIC

A collection of three wonderfully atmospheric gothic novellas - spine tinglers that cry out to be read in the flickering light of a wood fire…

THE FOUR LAST THINGS

Angel is a childminder who preys on young children. Things get out of control when she steals her latest victim Lucy Appleyard. Angel has murdered innocents for many years and now wants someone to know.

THE JUDGEMENT OF STRANGERS

Set in the small village of Roth in Middlesex in the 1970s. David Byfield, widowed parish priest, meets and marries Vanessa. Soon the murders begin but can Byfield get to the truth before tragedy destroys everything.

THE KING'S EVIL

London 1667. In the Court of Charles II, it’s a dangerous time to be alive – a wrong move could lead to disgrace, exile or death. The discovery of a murder at Clarendon House, the palatial home of one of the highest courtiers in the land, could have catastrophic consequences. James Marwood, a traitor’s son, is ordered to cover up the murder. But if he makes a mistake, it could threaten not only the government but the King himself…

THE LAST PROTECTOR

No one in England wants a return to the bloody days of the Civil War. But Oliver Cromwell’s son, Richard, has abandoned his exile and slipped back into England. James Marwood, a traitor’s son turned government agent, is tasked with uncovering Cromwell’s motives. But his assignment is complicated by his friend Cat Lovett – who knew the Cromwells as a child, and who now seems to be hiding a secret of her own about the family. When Marwood and Cat find themselves on a top secret mission in the Palace of Whitehall, they realise they are risking their lives…and could even be sent to the block for treason.

THE LOVER OF THE GRAVE

When a partially-clothed man's body is found dangling from the Hanging Tree, both DI Richard Thornhill and reporter Jill Francis become involved. Is this a case of suicide, murder or accidental death?

THE MORTAL SICKNESS

When a spinster is found bludgeoned to death in the church and a valuable chalice is missing, suspicion falls on the new vicar. Journalist, Jill Francis, soon finds herself involved despite the antagonism of Inspector Richard Thornhill.

NAKED TO THE HANGMAN

As a young police officer, Inspector Richard Thornhill saw and did things that still haunt his dreams and make him fear for his sanity. Now, in Lydmouth, the past has come back to claim him and he is under suspicion of murder. His wife Edith and his former lover Jill Francis form an uneasy alliance and try to help him.

A PLUM IN YOUR MOUTH

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THE SECOND MIDNIGHT

As Europe teeters on the brink of war, Alfred Kendall is tasked with carrying out a minor mission for the British Intelligence Service. Travelling to Prague, he takes his troubled young son, Hugh, as cover. A terrible choice… When Hitler invades Czechoslovakia, Alfred is given an ultimatum by the Czech Resistance. They will arrange for him to return to England, but only if he leaves his son Hugh behind as collateral. A young boy stranded in Nazi terrain… Hugh is soon taken under the wing of a Nazi colonel – Helmut Scholl. But even though Scholl treats Hugh well, his son, Heinz, is suspicious of this foreigner. And as the war across the continent intensifies, they are set on a path that will ultimately lead towards destruction…

THE SILENT BOY

Paris, 1792. The city writhes in the grip of revolution. Edward Savill, working in London, receives word that his estranged wife Augusta has been killed in France, leaving behind ten-year-old Charles, who is brought to England. The boy has witnessed horrors beyond his years, but what terrible secret haunts him so deeply that he is unable to utter a word?

A STAIN ON THE SILENCE

Twenty-four years ago James had an affair with Lily, his best friend’s mother, now she confesses that they have a daughter, Kate, who is wanted for murder and needs his help. James has also been keeping a secret - a dark and deadly one.

THE SUFFOCATING NIGHT

The presence of squatters at a disused Army base near Lydmouth attracts the attention of London journalist Cameron Rowse. When he is found murdered in the Bathhurst Arms, D I Richard Thornhill has to solve a case which has no shortage of suspects.

WHERE ROSES FADE

When a young woman's body is found in the swollen river, the police have to decide how it got there. She is identified as Mattie, a waitress, but why are Lydmouth's leading citizens so keen to prove that her death was accidental?