Jayne Entwistle exuberantly portrays 11-year-old Flavia de Luce, the precocious daughter of an English widower in the 1950s. Entwistle depicts Flavia’s willingness to plunge into the mystery that develops when a curious dead bird, a threatening stranger, and a dead body lead to her father's arrest for murder. Flavia says it’s “the most interesting thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life." As Entwistle's involving narration lets listeners' ears linger on the details of time and place, her secondary characters effectively convey class. Sparring with her older sisters, quoting literary sources, and exhibiting equal parts scientific and historical curiosity, Flavia makes for an adventuresome young crimesolver.
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Novelist Benet Archdale and housemaid Carol Stratford are two young, single parents who have no reason to know each other. They become tangled in a nightmarish spiral of kidnap, fraud, family violence and death. Ruth Rendell creates psychological suspense in thrillers that are compulsively readable or, in this case, listenable. British actress Imelda Staunton's reading is perfectly paced, and the characters are well defined. You'll have a hard time turning it off.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Emerson and Peabody are at it again! Uncovering antiquities takes a back-seat as the romantic archaeologists track down the master criminal who is stealing Egypt's ancient treasures. With the help of their precocious son, Ramses, the intrepid pair unravel this mystery in crowded bazaars, desert camps and the heart of the Black Pyramid. Barbara Rosenblat's reading fully measures up to the tale. She is a master of timing and nuance. Rosenblat's power for character interpretation has grown with each book in this amusing series. This is the best one yet.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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