Surely eighteenth-century Brits spoke with the sonorous tones with which narrator John Lee imbues this well-written historical mystery. In the ninth of Bruce Alexander's acclaimed series, blind Judge John Fielding and his assistant, Jeremy Proctor, investigate how a packet of letters stolen from a prominent London residence ends up in the Colony of Massachusetts. Could the visiting Benjamin Franklin have anything to do with it? Lee's Judge Fielding is wise and reflective, his Franklin an amusing mix of charm and petulance, his Jeremy a naively enthusiastic young man. The female characters, too, are believable--an achievement that's always tough for a male narrator. Lee's measured reading pace seems just right for the horse-and-coach gait of the Georgian period.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
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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