Narrator Charlie Hardwick gleefully captures the grumpy personality, sharp tongue, and hidden heart of gold of Vera Stanhope, a police detective in the north of England. In this installment, Vera is investigating a murder at a writer's program, and the list of suspects includes Vera's hippie neighbor, Joanna. Hardwick's timing is impeccable for Vera's honest and self-deprecating humor. Periodically, the author shifts perspective, and Hardwick adjusts her accent and tone to distinguish the different characters. Vera's sidekick, Joe Ashworth, quietly questions Vera's conflict of interest and exhibits flashes of impatience. Hardwick adopts a softer tone for tutor Nina Backworth to denote the measured academic but adds fearful notes when Nina is threatened. A whodunit further elevated by an appealing and energetic narrator.
Pub Date: April 24, 2018
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781427288585
Publisher: Macmillan 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
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