Emily Pike Stewart's performance evokes the misty hollers of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Private investigator Annie Gore takes on a cold case in a rural Appalachian town. Ten years earlier, three girls vanished; apple head dolls were left in their place. As Annie questions the local townsfolk, she begins to suspect that whoever took the girls may still be lurking. Stewart captures Annie's blend of vulnerability and grit as her voice shifts seamlessly among Annie's perspective and the various characters' dialogue. She seasons her narration with a credible Southern Appalachian accent and captures the rising tension, keeping listeners engaged.
Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2025
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250402905
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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