“Beauty Killer” Gretchen Lowell is one sick puppy. Heavily sedated and restrained in Oregon State Hospital, Gretchen sends for her old victim/lover, Archie Sheridan, to convince him to protect a girl she claims is her daughter. Christina Delaine’s performance shows a remarkable range of voices, from Archie’s scratchiness (the result of being tortured by Gretchen years before) to Gretchen’s drugged, sluggish attempts at manipulation to frightened little boy Patrick’s late-night phone calls to each of Archie’s task-force colleagues. Delaine’s intensity is sure to raise goose bumps, and it’ll take a strong stomach to listen to Gretchen’s satisfaction as she retells the nauseating details of her kills. In this fifth Archie/Gretchen matchup, Chelsea Cain’s writing is sharp as a scalpel, and Delaine wields it with deadly accuracy.
Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2012
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Part of the joy of Tom Clancy novels is one's belief that the stories could come true. His latest entry stretches that some as we find international terrorists building a nuclear bomb which is used to set Americans and Russians against one another. Jay Robertson reads with a newscaster's voice, crisp and clear with a light touch of drama. However, he does little to help listeners identify Clancy's huge cast of characters, and dialects seem difficult for him as he occasionally slips in and out of character. Nonetheless, patient listeners are rewarded as the plot unfolds. This will be a welcome addition to any library justifying the price of the multi-cassettte volumes.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 16 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
John Sanford is back with another psychological thriller in his Prey series. Surgeon, psychopath and serial killer Bekker is on the loose again after the easiest jailbreak in recent memory. Ken Howard's reading moves along with all the brooding energy a reader could want from a suspense book. His narration is deep, clear and well-suited to the gravelly voices of retired detective Lucas Davenport and the other cops. While Howard manages good dialects and shifts in character, his female voices leave a lot to be desired. For the most part, the abridgment gleefully throws logic and characterization overboard in favor of thrills, but the basic flavor of many characters is still fairly well maintained.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
