What fun to be back in 1950s Los Angeles with Philip Marlowe as imagined by Benjamin Black, aka acclaimed Irish author John Banville. Dennis Boutsikaris narrates with marvelous aplomb. In this new take on Raymond Chandler’s iconic P.I., he meets a cool blonde and acquires a dangerous case. She walks in one hot summer day and asks Marlowe to find her vanished boyfriend. Marlowe agrees to look and meets a whole lot of trouble along the way. Boutsikaris nails the cool but inviting tone, the clipped tempo, the razor and the velvet of such a tale. He differentiates between characters without overacting, and does a more than passable female—shades of Lauren Bacall, in fact. This is a perfect weekend listen.
Pub Date: March 4, 2014
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781427233370
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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