When Isabel Dalhousie sees a man fall from a balcony after a concert, she feels obliged to find out why he plummeted--was he pushed, did he jump, did he simply fall? As she says, "I was the last person that young man saw--don't you think that the last person you see on this earth owes you something?" Davina Porter creates a wonderful range of Scottish accents and delivers a fine-tuned narration in her native English voice for this first in Alexander McCall Smith's new series about Isabel Dalhousie, Scottish philosopher and sleuth. Porter's narrative skills are particularly important, as this book emphasizes description and gives its characters more philosophical reflection to perform than active sleuthing. Porter's varying tone and pacing keep the listener involved, and her interpretation of well-born but broad-minded Isabel is adroit. One finds that although Isabel ponders (one might even say dithers) somewhat excessively, one anticipates meeting her again.
Pub Date: 2004
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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
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