Ashburner is off on an adventure. His conscience nags at him as he prepares to leave his wife, home, and dog for an intense two weeks with Nina, but he shrugs off the guilt and carries on. Michael Tudor Barnes is the ideal reader for this novel--his discreet narration allows the plot to be the center of the listener’s attention as Ashburner’s dalliance leads him on a tangled path. He tells his wife he is off on a fishing trip, but instead he boards a plane for Moscow with Nina, his unlikely mistress. (Even he cannot understand why he sought out her dark, animated beauty and why she might be interested in his heavy, aging mediocrity.) This novel grabs the listener’s attention right away and holds it the entire way.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 5 hrs
Publisher: ISIS Audio Books /Soundings
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Reader Michael Prichard delivers a convincing rendition of Archie Goodwin, the burly right hand of the portly Nero Wolfe, world-renowned gourmand and detective. Prichard preserves the 1970s setting and 1950s origins of the story, bringing listeners a well-paced narration of murder and politics--a combination of elements that usually guarantees an exciting listen. This audio entertainment is as well formed and fragrant as one of Wolfe's hothouse orchids (the stout sleuth cultivates them by the hundreds in his town house greenhouse) as Goodwin walks us through an explosive murder investigation and political wheeling and dealing in a tough yet intelligent read.
Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2006
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Partners
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This collection of eight short stories contains gentle tales of fantasy and magic--not the magic of wizards and wands, but of wishing mats and enormous cats and gifts brought by the winds. In a lovely English accent, Lizza Aiken quietly narrates these stories in which magic and good fortune often come to those who deserve it. Although her pitch changes little, she registers a range of emotions--from the sadness of a girl whose necklace of raindrops has been stolen to the joy of a child who moves from a hard life and a ramshackle trailer to a happy home amid the clouds. A NECKLACE OF RAINDROPS would make a soothing choice for a family car trip after a long day.
Ages 6+Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
Duration: 1 hr, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101915721
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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