An absorbing and exciting listen, and historical fiction at its very best.
Sanjeev Bhaskar makes wonderful work of this brilliant, funny, and thought-provoking thriller. What happens when you mix those classics of Edwardian fiction, Sherlock Holmes and A.J. Raffles, with a mysterious character from the African jungle and recast the story’s narrator as law student Balvinder Singh? Add Winston Churchill to the mix, along with spirited suffragette Maud Adler, and you have the perfect cocktail of narrative delight, brought effortlessly to life by Bhaskar. Set in 1905, the high-water mark of the Edwardian empire, the story centers on the discovery of a grisly murder, which leads to the uncovering of a fiendish plot to attack British society. But which side will Singh be on?
An absorbing and exciting listen, and historical fiction at its very best.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781511388740
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 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
A solid narration.
Each of the preceding two installments of the adventures of Samson Kolechko, a police investigator in civil war-era Kyiv, had a different narrator, and Daniel Henning takes on this entry. A detachment of Red Army soldiers seemingly disappears while visiting a banya. To solve this mystery, Samson and his now-wife, Nadezhda, along with the aid of his fellow policemen, have to thread their way through a labyrinth of corruption, social upheaval, and potentially deadly individuals and circumstances. Henning’s baritone voice is clear and expressive, and his pacing is consistent throughout this production, though he tends to give anglicized pronunciations of many Slavic words and names.
A solid narration.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 37 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063488700
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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