Eilidh Beaton's performance is stellar. With panache she takes on the roles of strong-willed aristocratic ladies; stuffy, self-important lords; and capable staff. Self-proclaimed spinster and freethinker Lady Petra becomes concerned when she learns her highborn women friends are disappearing into asylums--or dying. The men are unperturbed. Beaton's spellbinding narration is most disturbing when Lady Petra falls into the clutches of the smarmy, smooth-talking doctor who runs the asylum. He drugs and experiments upon the women and tortures them--all while blackmailing their husbands. Beaton casts a spell on listeners as she disappears into the aristocratic and working-class characters. Shifting tempo, she captures the fear of the women as they become helpless pawns manipulated by the evil doctor.
Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2023
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250291639
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
For someone whose vocal palette contains so few colors, Edward Asner is a surprisingly effective narrator. His familiar, pleasant growl compels attention and bespeaks authority. He has his faults though. As an audiobook performer, he has but one personality, whatever the narrative voice of his text. One gets the impression that he enters the studio underprepared, taking his time to discover the book as he reads it. Thus it is with An Isolated Incident, a taut, suspenseful murder mystery set in Puget Sound. Other readers could better explore all the beats of this rich page-turner, but few could hold an audience as effortlessly.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Time Warner AudioBooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Kay Scarpetta takes on more than routine investigations as her job of medical examiner involves her once again in a search for an unknown killer. The story is riveting from the opening chapters, and Sheila Hart never lets the intrigue subside. However Hart doesn't use enough vocal range, and male voices sound tinny and high-pitched. The dialogues with tough yet, endearing, Lt. Pete Marino have perfect cadence, accent and speech pattern, but sound somewhat thin and insubstantial. Telephone conversations and flashbacks are set off by effective sound enhancement, a useful addition. The overall presentation is very good driven strongly by the author's contribution.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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