The best part of BAD BIRD is the opening minutes, when the principal character, Jackie, witnesses the crash of a small plane and recovers a briefcase tossed out by the pilot. Narrator Deanna Hurst handles these first tense moments dramatically. But like the plane, the story stalls, and Hurst can't make it recover. Was the crash an accident, or was it murder? The story meanders through a subplot extensively before addressing these questions. Hurst’s clear, distinct delivery works well for the narrative. But her male voices and her accents are poor. When she plays "The Great Khan,” a character who is insane, her reading goes way overboard, making him a caricature one can't take seriously as a threat.
Pub Date: April 12, 2011
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781609982201
Publisher: AudioGo
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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