Autumn, 1671: war looms with Holland, while discontent grows with England's dissolute monarch, Charles II. Meanwhile, Betsy Brand, celebrated actress with the Duke's Theatre, has a predicament. Beset by financial troubles, she is obliged to leave London and undertake a dangerous venture as a spy for her country. What starts out as a fact-finding mission to the Low Countries soon turns into a deadly game, in which Betsy must use all her acting skills. Though she meets her match in Captain Mullin, a reckless fellow-agent, the two find they must work together to confront an unseen killer, and unravel a plot that strikes at the very heart of England itself...

Born in 1800, George Hudson rose from farmer's son to the rich and powerful Lord Mayor of York - friend to royalty and owner of half of the railways in the kingdom. But Hudson was driven by greed as well as ambition and a dark secret lurked within his past - a youthful indiscretion...and an illegitimate child. That child, Milly, has been brought up, quietly and lovingly, by her mother Jane, who dreams of taking revenge on her careless begetter. By a quirk of fate, both Jane and Milly work in the Hudson household. Will Jane's revenge be sweet? Or will life - and unexpected love - get in the way?

December, 1380. When the corpse of Sir Robert Kilverby is discovered in a locked room, Brother Athelstan accompanies the King's coroner to investigate. For the late Sir Robert had in his possession a sacred bloodstone which he was planning to donate to the Abbey of St Fulcher-on-Thames. The bloodstone has disappeared and the Regent is taking an uncomfortably close interest in the case. Athelstan is sceptical of rumours of a curse hanging over Kilverby and his comrades of the Wyvern Company. But then it is discovered that a second old soldier has been slain on the same night. As Athelstan begins to uncover the dark secrets surrounding the Abbey of St Fulcher, the bloodstone curse seems all too real.

When Sergeant Fred Mason of the Maritime Royal Artillery eventually locates his new ship SS Radgate, he finds the little coaster quite a contrast to his previous posting. Despite the difficulties of working during the London bombing raids, the crew must get themselves ready for the invasion of France. Through the confusion, agony and bloodshed of D-Day, against the ever-present threat of mines, bombs and shells, the story switches from London to the Normandy beaches and Mulberry harbour as the little crew weathers storms and tragedies.

Meet Tom Fernald, the gutless sheepherder of Mount Griffon. The townsfolk scorned him for being slow-witted, so he kept to himself, mostly. And Tommy never fought back when it came to bandits - maybe because he had nothing to lose. A freak accident on a wintry night turned Tom into a rancher of mysterious wealth. He stole a dead man's fortune and wanted it for keeps. Only Bill Ransome, the reformed reprobate, knew the truth and was intent on seeing Fernald behind bars. To survive, Tommy had to become Mount Griffon's most feared gunfighter!

Gosport, 1941. Fourteen-year-old Vera has led a sheltered life with her overbearing mother. But her world is turned upside down with the arrival of the Lovell family. Vera quickly befriends the daughter, Angela, who opens Vera's eyes to what she has been missing. But Vera invites the unwanted attention of Angela's father, with devastating consequences. Outraged at the news that her teenage daughter is pregnant, Vera's mother sends her to a home for wayward girls. After giving birth, Vera manages to escape, only to end up homeless. Alone and struggling to make ends meet, Vera is determined to give her son a better life. But just as their fortunes seem to change for the better, everything Vera has worked for is threatened...

Dr Steven Dunbar has left his job with the Sci-Med Inspectorate and now works for a pharmaceutical company. He is persuaded to return when his old boss falls seriously ill and requests that he take a look into the suspicious deaths of a number of people. Steven makes good progress and is beginning to share his old mentor's concerns when the UK comes under attack. A nightmare disease is let loose on major cities. Steven is co-opted to help out in what seems destined to become a losing battle against a rampaging infection. He is relieved however, when the police arrest the young Islamic fundamentalists responsible for the attacks, ensuring that there will be no new outbreaks. But something is not quite right...

Tony Freeman rescued Mersiha when she was fighting for her life in war-torn Yugoslavia. Now she is his adopted daughter, the perfect all-American girl - and the past is another country. Or so it seems. But Mersiha has been trained to kill. And when she discovers that Freeman's company is subject to a sinister takeover bid, she decides to help. Whatever the risks. The consequences of her actions are lethal - for Mersiha has unearthed a conspiracy of terrifying proportions...

1907, County Durham Lorna Robson works long and tiring hours in her aunt's hat shop in a small pit village. Although she tries not to complain, the genteel poverty they live in, and her lack of freedom, depresses her. But when she discovers that a relation has left her a large dilapidated property, her aunt is strangely furious. Lorna knows she can never return. However, it is only when she sees Snow Hall - and falls in love with it - that her situation truly dawns on her: selling the house is unthinkable, but without money or friends, how can she survive?

1794. Free from jail, John Pearce is not free from the smugglers whose boat he stole. While lying low, Pearce soon has other pressing concerns on his mind. Granted a commission by William Pitt, John Pearce evades his pursuers by undertaking a dangerous mission in France. As rebellious ambition turns to bloody disaster, Pearce must try to rejoin Admiral Howe. Also serving with Howe is Ralph Barclay - who has somehow contrived to yet again press Pearce's friends Charlie and Rufus into his crew. The danger for the Pelicans is only just beginning, however, as Howe's collision with the French fleet climaxes in one of the greatest battles of the Revolutionary War.

While Bea Abbot worries that she's lost control of her domestic agency, she's asked to find some domestic help for an eccentric little musician falsely accused of murder. She doesn't realize how dangerous this might be until Jeremy - fleeing from attempts on his life - lands up on her doorstep. Researching the gang who'd used an attractive girl to entrap Jeremy, Bea finds traces of them throughout high society... Can Bea keep Jeremy - and herself - alive, while all he thinks about is composing a song for pretty, dead Josie.

An abandoned infant on her doorstep is the last thing Manchester private eye Sal Kilkenny needs as she faces the challenge of her current case. Sal's client Libby Hill is trying to put her life back together after the brutal killing of her love and the conviction of petty criminal Damien Beswick who confessed to the murder. But now Beswick has retracted his confession - exactly what game is he playing? The evidence against him seems damning, but is there more to this case than meets the eye? And how can Sal pursue her investigations with an unexpected abby to look after? Then things get up close and personal - and there are further bombshells to come with fall-out that threatens everything Sal holds dear.

Michael Simkins is the ultimate Sunday cricketer - passionate, obsessive, technically inept and hopelessly deluded. When an injury rules him out, he decides to set off on an odyssey across the counties of England. It's a journey that begins at the birthplace of cricket, takes in the burial site of his favourite ground and even stops along the way to flirt with the love child of WG Grace and Kerry Katona that is Twenty20. It ends with the ultimate cricketing zenith - returning to the field of play to bowl an over to Freddie Flintoff in fading light in front of a capacity crowd. So can cricket still bring comfort and meaning to his life or is Old Father Time about to call for Michael's bails?