Estranged

Explicit content warning

06/15/24 • 52 min

2 Listeners

1950’s L.A. Sixteen year old Henry Blomqvist is the son of an aspiring actress and stepson of a millionaire businessman. He is an embarrassment to his parents, a useless layabout who is constantly getting arrested for cruising the parks.

But his vices pale in comparison with the dark secrets in his parents’ lives. The kidnapping of Henry’s stepfather triggers a series of events which expose the skeletons in their closets and finally give Henry the chance to step up to the mark and show them what he’s really made of.

This is a pitch black noir mystery, featuring juicy language and unsavory characters. The story deals with themes of abuse and exploitation. Listener discretion is advised.

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This is a pitch black noir mystery, featuring juicy language and unsavory characters. The story deals with themes of abuse and exploitation. Listener discretion is advised.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

The Ornamental Hermit 9

1 Recommendations

The year is 1890. Detective Sergeant John Billings is an honest and hard working man who has risen swiftly through the ranks to become one of Scotland Yard's youngest detectives. But in his private life he struggles with the demons of loneliness and morphine addiction.

While Scotland Yard is in the midst of foiling a Russian counterfeiting operation, Billings is asked to investigate the cold blooded murder of Lord Palmer. The main suspect is a rough looking vagrant called Brendan Lochrane who was employed by Lord Palmer to live as an 'ornamental hermit' in a grotto in his estate. When Billings visits Lochrane in his holding cell, he is moved by the look in the man's eyes. This is not the 'Wild Man' the press have made him out to be. Lochrane is mute, docile and unresponsive. A gut feeling leads Billings to suspect that the man is being framed. But who is framing him? And why?

Billings travels the length and breadth of Britain investigating the case. As he pieces together the fragments of Lochrane's extraordinary life, he slowly finds himself becoming embroiled in a web of corruption and deceit which goes right to the heart of Scotland Yard.

'The Ornamental Hermit' is a thrilling mystery which leads the listener on a colourful journey into Victorian England.

CAST

David Ault as Billings

Shaun Medum as Desk Sergeant/Clerk/Oswald Crooke

Karim Kronfli as McMurphy/Jonas Cranson

Matt Sykes as Sebastian

Mike Young as Barnabas Crooke

Aubrey Parsons as Lord Palmer

Sarah Bowers as the Nurse/Mrs Clarkson/Jimmy

Anthony Hewson as Jacobs

Tanya Rich as Mrs Jacobs/Mrs Appleby

Laura Mirsky as Mrs Forester

Bob Lawrence as Clarkson

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Next Episode

Something Sinister 1

On the 21st of November 1890, Julius Dunne-Smythe – a wealthy coffee manufacturer – his wife, his sister in law and his butler creep quietly out of their home in the middle of the night, sneak into a carriage and drive off, never to be seen again.

When a few weeks later Dunne-Smythe’s business partner discovers some discrepancies in the company’s book keeping, Dunne-Smythe is suspected of embezzling the company and running away. The case is swiftly handed over to Detective Sergeant John Billings of Scotland Yard.

As Billings delves deeper into the case, he finds that all the clues to the mysterious disappearance lead back to one man; the enigmatic German butler who had recently been employed by Dunne-Smythe. The butler appears to have had a disproportionate amount of influence on the family. After looking into the butler’s past, Billings discovers a dark and disturbing secret which may well put the lives of Dunne-Smythe and his relatives in danger. What initially seemed like a simple case of theft, now looks like something far more sinister.

CAST

Billings - David Ault

Desk Sergeant - Tim Keogh

Rachel Kemp - Tanya Rich

Clarkson - Bob Lawrence

Jack - Sarah Bowers

Flynt - Ivan Wilkinson

Miss Carew - Sally Swift

Cook - Flloyd Kennedy

Willy Guntz - Aubrey Parsons

Mrs Dunne-Smythe - Sarah Bowers

Eugene - Luke Mulloy