1878. Paris. The Crime of the Century sends Papa Gauche of the Paris police on the maiden voyage of the luxury liner LEVIATHAN. Somewhere on the ship is a murderer. Boarding in Port Said is Erast Fandorin, the handsome, clever detective/diplomat first seen in Russian writer Boris Akunin’s THE WINTER QUEEN. Michael Kramer displays impressive vocal pyrotechnics, bringing Akunin’s eccentric group of sleuths and suspects to life. He is genteel as Fandorin applies meticulous logic, and terribly French conveying Gauche’s gaucherie. In this Christie- like period piece, personal revelations come via interior monologues from an unstable baronet, a much maligned officer in the Imperial Japanese Army, a neurotic pregnant woman, and a drab English heiress. Thanks to Akunin’s cerebral, mischievous wit and Kramer’s bravura performance, stereotypes become originals, and nothing is ever dull.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ayla, one of the "others," is adopted by a clan of Neanderthal cave people. She struggles to conform to their ways, but her advanced human traits overwhelm and threaten their primitive culture in this initial installment of an immensely popular series. Although the story might benefit from abridgment, Rowena Cooper easily carries out the formidable task of enlivening the mostly silent and stereotypical characters with consistent, diverse personalities and human dimension. Through skillful phrasing and inflection, she maintains the reader's interest and suspense, especially with Ayla and her plight, throughout this rambling and imaginative story.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This lyrical, sensual novel of woman's lot in Manchu, China, is as well researched as it is well written. Authentic in tone, it's nonetheless written for Westerners by a Western expert on China. Moreover, Susan Clark performs the demanding text superbly, with only occasional signs of fatigue. For the most part she not only sustains the quaint diction and Asian atmosphere, but also, creates whole worlds with her voice. She acts the book, rather than reads it, and, in so doing, turns a pretty trifle into a stupendous beauty.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Literature
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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