Liars' League

The Replacement by Neil James

Read by Oliver Yellop (third story in podcast at 29m 45s)

Two hours until the fight. An empty dressing room – the loneliest place on earth. The officials, promoters and cornermen have all gone. Now it’s just Darren Steel and his young daughter, Charmaine. Time alone, like he requested. He needs to be present – to focus on her, not on the fight. Not on Viktor Kovalyov.

“Sally’s daddy says you’re fighting a bad man,” Charmaine says, perched on his left knee. She threads plastic charms onto a necklace.

“He’s not a bad man, sweetheart. Just a boxer, like me.”

The Other Holly Williams by Hannah Noyce

Read by Kim Scopes (second story in podcast, at 15m 40s)

Holly Williams lived alone. She liked it that way. She certainly preferred it to the flat-shares she had endured when she first moved to London, with their stilted conversations in grimy kitchens, and furious notes about stolen milk. After a few years, she was delighted to find that she could afford to put a front door between herself and her fellow renters; and, two promotions later, she finally bought herself a door to which she had the only key.

War with Troy, aka Year 9, Friday, Period 4 by Brian Kelly

Read by Matthew McAloone (final story in podcast, at 1h 15m)

They’re meant to be reading in silence. Just come in, take out a book and do ten minutes of silent reading. Part of the school literacy drive. Bridge the vocabulary gap, instil a love of books: all that crap. But somebody has taken Zach’s pen lid. Not the actual pen. Just the shitty little plastic cap, and Zach is finding this bare jarring. Triggered by the fact that despite mad threats, Ruby, Max, Miriam and Brandon remain chill.

Why Zach even has a pen out is not clear. This is after all silent reading, but shouting this at him, while barking at Maruf to stop spinning on his chair, and screaming at Amira to finish her little circumnavigation of the classroom, is adding very little to the situation.

Power Restored by John Istel

Read by Dan Starkey (first story in podcast, at 3m 45s)

It’s 8:45 in the morning, we’re in the middle of the worst drought in New York history, and the F train can’t seem to get any momentum as it hiccups from station to station. I’m running late to my meeting with Janiyah and Mel, who are presenting their plan on using TikTok influencers for my biggest account, a new men’s scalp lotion. It’s a rare hair product because it works. Sort of. For me at least lately, it’s starting to work.

The Golden Hell by Maria Kyle

Read by Rose Biggin (4th story in podcast, at 57m 35s)

St James’s Street, Piccadilly: April-morning mist and distant birdchirp, as two young dandies stumble from the sort of gentlemen’s club of which families disapprove, into dawn’s accusatory brightness. A shabby four-wheeler cab clops up in hope, but they wave it on despondently.

“Well, Eli, I’m cleaned out,” the first declares. He is broad-built, copper-headed, and pale as wax from the night’s amusement.

His taller, dark-curled friend rummages the pockets of his exquisite coat. “Damn that last ace, Charles! We should’ve quit the table when it struck three.”