Hull, 1856. James Ripley and his wife Moira have always looked out for the poor of Hull. When, during one stormy night, there is a flood in a nearby cellar - a popular shelter for the homeless - James rushes to help. Among those rescued is a dark-haired little girl who speaks a language no one can understand. Some say that she came to the cellar with her mother, but no one knows where the mother is now. Concerned for the child's safety, James is unsure of what to do. Where has the girl's mother disappeared to? And what can be done to help the homeless who have lost the only shelter they knew?

Monica Eustace and Joan McDonald met as next-door-neighbours living in Mersey View in Liverpool. Though theyre both now married, their friendship is as close as ever, and they happily share Monica's grand house on the other side of the city. But war clouds are gathering, casting a shadow over the happy future they dream of with their young husbands. Meanwhile, in London, Joan's half-sister Bella is overwhelmed with the glitz and glamour of the city while she's training as a singer - but will she forget her friends back home? As war descends on Merseyside, can the women make their back-street dreams reality, or will the close-knit families be torn apart?

Needing to find a job, Betty Dean is sent into service at Stowford House. The work is gruelling, and her dreams of making something of herself seem further out of reach. When Betty is forced to leave after a scandalous incident, she feels that her life is over  until a new job on the trams throws her a lifeline. Meeting fellow tram girls Connie and Jean brings the joy of friendship, even if Betty struggles with having to keep secrets from her new pals. When soldier Duncan Kennedy enters Betty's life, it seems that she may finally find the love she's always wanted. But opening herself up to someone new isn't easy, and when he leaves for the front, she finds herself alone once again. As the Great War rumbles on, Betty's life in the Potteries is full of its battles...

Dover, 1940. As the Battle of Britain rages, the Castles are standing their ground at the heart of the community, running their family cafe. German guns shell Dover and danger lurks around every corner, but despite this, Lily is excited to be starting her nursing career at last. Lily is enjoying her life. She's a good nurse, has a group of friends at the hospital, and there is romance on the horizon. But when she tries to help an injured prisoner of war, she ends up implicated in a crime. With her career, relationships, and reputation at stake, Lily must fight to clear her name - before it's too late. Meanwhile, there are strange goings-on at the cafe. Rumours are circulating, and there are secrets that won't stay hidden for long. Secrets that could tear the Castle family apart - once and for all.

Abandoned as a baby on the steps of a remote inn, Ruby Blake has been raised by the innkeeper's wife Martha Metcalfe, unknowing of the family searching for her. One wild stormy night, Ruby is reunited with her long-lost father, who wants to whisk her away to Banksgill Farm for a happy ending with her true family. Feeling betrayed by Martha, Ruby follows her father for the chance of a new life. However, for being born of gypsy blood, Ruby is quickly cast out by everyone but the charming stable hand Tom Adams. Struck with loneliness in a village of people who find ways to make her miserable, she seeks friendship and love in Tom. But as their relationship blossoms, Ruby is pursued by a local miner - and when rumours begin to spread, she feels more lost and confused than ever...

Lancashire, 1895. When her controlling stepfather suddenly dies, it seems that Elinor Pendleton finally has a chance of freedom. But her hopes are soon dashed when she learns that the thuggish Jason Stafford has inherited every penny, and is determined to have Elinor too. Forced to flee with her beloved maid, Maude, Elinor finds shelter with Maude's distant cousin in the remote village of Ollerthwaite, on the shore of Jubilee Lake. But Walter Crossley has troubles of his own. Having lost his closest family in a tragic accident, he needs one of his grandsons to return from America to inherit his farm - and when practical, kindhearted Cameron arrives, he appears to be the perfect heir. But is this young man everything he seems? And will Elinor's secret wish to have a family of her own ever come true...?

When Inspector Montalbano receives an early-morning phone call it proves to be the start of a very trying day. For the caller expects him to arrive imminently at a rendezvous with some friends. Before Montalbano can reply, the stranger identifies himself as 'Riccardino', and hangs up. Later that day, news comes in of a brutal slaying in broad daylight by an unknown assassin who makes his getaway on a motorbike. And when the inspector learns of the victim's identity - a man called Riccardino - his troubles are only just beginning. Soon he must contend with the involvement of a local bishop, and a fortune-teller who reports some strange goings-on in her neighbourhood. All roads lead to a local salt mine, but the case proves stubbornly intractable - until Montalbano receives another unexpected call...

Following the death of her beloved mother Jennifer Worth in 2011, Suzannah Worth discovered amongst her manuscripts a folder simply labelled 'Fifth Book'. Imagine her excitement when she sat down to read and her mother's distinctive voice came flooding back. She found herself once again immersed in the world of the 1950s East End of London. The voices of much loved, familiar characters spoke loud and clear, particularly that of Fred the boiler man, who features extensively in this joyful collection. From Fred and Maisie's romance, to Fred's little earners including boat tours on the Thames, a fledgling singing career and raising pigs on the allotment, these new stories are as heartwarming and funny as the originals. Published here for the first time and accompanied by a selection of Suzannah's favourite chapters from the original memoirs, featuring Chummy and Sister Monica Joan, this is a very special addition to the CALL THE MIDWIFE family.

A handsome, if slightly shabby, stone house in Upper Oddington is home to Umberto Kingley as well as his three dogs and will be Thea Slocombe's latest house-sitting assignment. Without even a local shop, Thea expects the location to be one of her quietest, until the serene atmosphere is shattered by a fatal hit-and-run. The ensuing high-profile police investigation plunges Thea deep into the victim's complicated family dynamics and the rift that had already torn it apart. And she cannot help wondering if the reverberations of scandal have led to a deliberate and murderous assault.

A glittering event full of A-listers, hosted by Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh, a celebrity couple who'd conquered both Hollywood and Broadway. And now Eve Dallas has made her entrance - but not as a guest. After raising a toast, Brant falls to the floor and dies, with physical symptoms pointing to cyanide, and the police have crashed the party. Brant wasn't the kind of star who made enemies. Everyone loved him, even his ex-wife. And since the champagne cocktail that killed him was originally intended for Eliza, it's possible she was the real target - with a recently fired assistant, a bitter rival, and an obsessed fan in the picture. As one who's not fond of the spotlight herself, Eve dreads the media circus surrounding a case like this. All she wants is to figure out who's truly innocent - and who's only acting that way...

Bellbird River, 1998. Teacher and single mum Alex has arrived in the small town of Bellbird River after escaping the city, in search of a change of pace and the chance to reconnect with her young daughter. Across town, well-known matriarch Victoria and her globe-trotting, opera-singing cousin Gabrielle find themselves at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives, while local baker Janine and newcomer to the area Debbie are each secretly dealing with the consequences of painful pasts. With its dusty streets, lone pub and iron-lace verandahs, Bellbird River could just be a pit stop on the road to somewhere else. But their town holds secrets and surprises, and it has a heart: the Bellbird River choir. Amid the melodies and camaraderie of the group, each of these women will find the courage to leave the past behind.

In Unamurra - a drought-scarred, one-pub town deep in the outback - two men are savagely murdered a month apart, their bodies elaborately arranged like angels. With no witnesses, no obvious motive, and no apparent connection between the killings, how can lone police officer Detective Dana Russo - flown in from hundreds of kilometres away - possibly solve such a brutal, baffling case? Met with silence and suspicion from locals who live by their own set of rules, Dana must take over a stalled investigation with only a week to make progress. But with a murderer hiding in plain sight, and the parched days rapidly passing, Dana is determined to uncover the shocking secrets of this forgotten town - a place where anyone could be a killer.

Princess of Mycenae, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, sister of the sacrificed Iphigenia and the cursed Orestes. Electra is forced to flee her home after witnessing the shocking revenge-murder of her father, by her mother, on his return from the Trojan War. Life beyond the palace is frightening, and the scandalous behaviour of her foreign companions disturbs her, but she needs the help of the Trojan Cassandra, and her two lovers, to survive. Driven by her own desire for vengeance, Electra's life becomes one of adventure, peril, pleasure, tragedy and love.

During a deadly snowstorm, Hannah awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. Evacuated from a secluded boarding school, her coach careered off the road, trapping her with a handful of survivors. Meg awakens to a gentle rocking. She's in a cable car stranded high above snowy mountains, with five strangers and no memory of how they got on board. Carter is gazing out of the window of an isolated ski chalet that he and his companions call home. As their generator begins to waver in the storm, the threat of something lurking in the chalet's depths looms larger. Outside, the storm rages. Inside one group, a killer lurks. But which one? And who will make it out alive?

Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has just inherited one of the most notorious cases of her career. Almost two years ago, a former beauty queen's body washed up on the shore of Wallops Island, Virginia. She was last seen on a boat with her fiance, who has since been held in jail while awaiting trial. Scarpetta must act as the expert witness for the case: an investigation previously botched by another forensic pathologist. After a gruelling cross-examination by the prosecutor, Scarpetta leaves the court - only to discover that the sister of the judge on her case has been found dead. Now she finds herself facing a powerful, invisible enemy, who's planning the unthinkable...

Christmas at Sandringham is going to be murder... A human hand and a bag of drugs are found washed up on a beach next to the Queen's estate at Sandringham. The Queen identifies the 70-year-old victim, Edward St Cyr, from his signet ring. But the search for his killer is not so straightforward. Suspects include the Queen's horse groom, a shady land agent, and an aristocrat neighbour - as well as the victim's many cousins and relations. The investigation leads the Queen - with her trusted assistant Rozie - to a local pigeon racing club, back to London, and to the ancient Godwick Hall. But how do the seemingly disparate pieces of the puzzle fit together? And who is the next victim?

When two people secretly love each other, arranging their marriage of convenience should be a simple matter. But when Sir Henry Watson's beautiful daughter and his faithful steward lose the estate that binds them together, they risk losing each other, too. Can Julia and Morgan overcome past traumas and admit their true feelings? Or will they be parted forever?

Lucies job is to safeguard and assess VIP properties. She's employed to check on various worldwide homes belonging to the rich Hepburn family. The oldest son, Matthew, shuns romantic relationships since his ex-fiancee two-timed him; Lucie finds him arrogant. When checking a house on an island, Matthew turns up unexpectedly...but so do insurgent rebels. Matthew and Lucie are forced to hide in the jungle. Will they survive? And will Matthew admit his feelings for Lucie, even when his ex-fiancee resurfaces?

It seems odd that Letty's boss is so keen for her to learn the outmoded skill of shorthand. But when her teacher Miss Kemp suffers a serious fall, Letty's skill and eye for detail lead her - along with Miss Kemp's gorgeous nephew Adam - into finding clues to a decades-old crime. And that could put them both, and their friends, in grave danger...

Heidi Manelli arrives in Italy on a mission. A letter and documents given to her on her 21st birthday revealed that her true family name is Soleari, and she has family living in Bologna. Orphaned, she is unsure how her estranged relatives will receive her. Standing outside the Villa Rosa, she encounters the quietly charismatic yet aloof Stefano. He's suspicious of her sudden appearance and disinclined to believe who she is. After pleading from her cousin Rosa, Heidi reluctantly agrees to stay at the villa, where she swiftly discovers further mystery and danger. She turns to Stefano for help - but will he come through? Is their developing relationship a holiday romance, or something deeper? And is her holiday in Bologna going to change her life forever?