Janine Birkett returns to narrate the ninth book in Ann Cleeves's Vera Stanhope series, made popular by the TV series. Birkett rises to the task of voicing men and women, seniors and teenagers, imperious aristocrats and farmworkers. The whodunit, set in winter in the atmospheric Northumberland countryside, forces Vera to confront the pain and pleasures of family. Listeners will ride along with Vera and her team as they solve the mystery of a young mother found dead at the ancestral home of the Stanhopes--who are distant relatives of Vera herself. The story reveals more of Vera's background and allows her subordinate, Holly, a bit of the limelight. Birkett nicely captures the feisty, rough-edged Vera.
Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250771469
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
For someone whose vocal palette contains so few colors, Edward Asner is a surprisingly effective narrator. His familiar, pleasant growl compels attention and bespeaks authority. He has his faults though. As an audiobook performer, he has but one personality, whatever the narrative voice of his text. One gets the impression that he enters the studio underprepared, taking his time to discover the book as he reads it. Thus it is with An Isolated Incident, a taut, suspenseful murder mystery set in Puget Sound. Other readers could better explore all the beats of this rich page-turner, but few could hold an audience as effortlessly.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Time Warner AudioBooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Kay Scarpetta takes on more than routine investigations as her job of medical examiner involves her once again in a search for an unknown killer. The story is riveting from the opening chapters, and Sheila Hart never lets the intrigue subside. However Hart doesn't use enough vocal range, and male voices sound tinny and high-pitched. The dialogues with tough yet, endearing, Lt. Pete Marino have perfect cadence, accent and speech pattern, but sound somewhat thin and insubstantial. Telephone conversations and flashbacks are set off by effective sound enhancement, a useful addition. The overall presentation is very good driven strongly by the author's contribution.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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