Jayne Entwistle is irresistible as Flavia de Luce; she portrays the almost-12-year-old English amateur detective with terrific comic timing and deadpan outrageousness. When Flavia discovers a recent corpse in a saint’s ancient tomb under the village church, her delight in detecting is matched only by her delight in outpacing the local constabulary. Entwistle deftly shifts from Flavia’s astute observations to her more peevish moments and shares the frustration of Flavia’s sisters and father with élan. The post-WWII villagers are equally well characterized, particularly as some shift from innocuous to menacing. Flavia not only must fend off diabolical choir members and grave robbers, she must also try to save the family manse from the tax man.
Pub Date: 2013
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780307879509
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ayla, one of the "others," is adopted by a clan of Neanderthal cave people. She struggles to conform to their ways, but her advanced human traits overwhelm and threaten their primitive culture in this initial installment of an immensely popular series. Although the story might benefit from abridgment, Rowena Cooper easily carries out the formidable task of enlivening the mostly silent and stereotypical characters with consistent, diverse personalities and human dimension. Through skillful phrasing and inflection, she maintains the reader's interest and suspense, especially with Ayla and her plight, throughout this rambling and imaginative story.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This lyrical, sensual novel of woman's lot in Manchu, China, is as well researched as it is well written. Authentic in tone, it's nonetheless written for Westerners by a Western expert on China. Moreover, Susan Clark performs the demanding text superbly, with only occasional signs of fatigue. For the most part she not only sustains the quaint diction and Asian atmosphere, but also, creates whole worlds with her voice. She acts the book, rather than reads it, and, in so doing, turns a pretty trifle into a stupendous beauty.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Literature
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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