Janine Birkett's captivating narration does full justice to Ann Cleeves's masterful storytelling in the latest installment of this mystery series. Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope and her team arrive at Northumberland's Holy Island in response to an apparent suicide. The victim is one of a group of aging schoolmates who have reunited every five years on the island for the past 50 years. When the death proves to be murder, Vera must unravel the stories of the remaining friends, who are all hiding sins and secrets from the past. Birkett is superb at creating voices for the diverse cast of relatable characters who are imbued with unique accents and distinct personalities. Her engaging narrative style sweeps the listener along, generating suspense and a thoroughly compelling listen.
Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250866950
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
C.J. Box writes about life in wild Wyoming, short stories of people living a rugged life by choice or by circumstance. David Chandler narrates in a rough-edged whiskey voice that suggests summer heat, bitter winters, and windswept prairies, guiding the listener through 10 adventures of men like Fish and Game Officer Joe Pickett. Chandler brings the listener into this strange world where, more often than not, men have to create their own justice. His performance of the economical stories, some rarely seen, is perfect. The tale of the frozen body of a Native American basketball player turned speed freak, her arm reaching through the ice of a lake in a final jump shot, is one of the most fascinating in the collection.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781470392796
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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