O'Connell sets up a compelling storyline, and narrator Barbara Rosenblat draws listeners in, keeping them hooked from her very first words. NYPD Special Crimes Unit detective Kathy Mallory, a no-nonsense woman who appears cold and occasionally twisted, investigates the kidnapping of a nun and a 12-year-old blind boy. Before the kidnappings, four bodies were dropped on the mayor's lawn at Gracie Mansion, their hearts having been surgically removed. Rosenblat makes each character identifiable and completely credible--from Mallory's partner, Riker, to the hit man, Iggy; from the nun, Angela, to the blind boy, Jonah. Distracting sounds of Rosenblat's swallowing and breathing aren't edited out and tend to be intrusive, but, otherwise, this well-plotted mystery and Rosenblat's top-notch performance are well worth hearing.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2016
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781501924156
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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