John Rain, assassin extraordinaire, is back on the job, despite his desire to begin a new life. Rain is fluent in Japanese, and his half-Japanese, half-American background, with some help from plastic surgery, allows him to pass as Japanese in this multilayered plot involving Japanese mobsters, politicians, and Japan's equivalent of the FBI. Maintaining suspense and tension throughout, Dick Hill manages to capture a rhythm of speech that mirrors Japanese, lending authentic voices to the characters. He moves easily between English and Japanese, reading in a natural style. Modulating well and transitioning smoothly to the description between the action sequences, Hill moves into dramatic mode only when appropriate. It takes some attentiveness to sort out who is who among the many Japanese characters and what's going on, but in the end the listener is rewarded by a very good performance. S.S.R.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2003
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance 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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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