Benjamin Black is the pen name of Booker Prize-winning author John Banville. From narrator Timothy Dalton’s first words, listeners sense the overwhelming bleakness and despair of life in 1950s Dublin and the grim outlook of the hero pathologist, Garret Quirke, a recovered alcoholic who expects life to deliver few comforts and little joy. The story concerns the disappearance of a doctor who is a friend of his daughter. This is Black’s third Quirke novel. As always, the mystery takes a backseat to Black’s primary interest—the inescapable maw that is the past. Dalton embraces all the dolefulness of the novel’s atmosphere perfectly.
Pub Date: April 13, 2010
Duration: 9 hrs
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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