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PORTRAIT OF AN UNKNOWN WOMAN

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Narrator Edoardo Ballerini returns to perform the 22nd addition to the Gabriel Allon series. The retired legendary spymaster Allon is now living in Venice, enjoying family life. At the request of a friend, Allon investigates the mystery behind a supposed masterpiece and is drawn into the dark, lucrative side of the art world. Ballerini demonstrates his talent for accents as Allon's adventures take him through Europe and to the U.S. Ballerini smoothly pronounces foreign place names, shifts accents, and conveys the many nationalities. He skillfully voices Allon's talented and seductive female partners and adversaries. While fans may miss the high tension of the spy business, they will find that Silva's storytelling paired with Ballerini's performance makes for a wonderful listening experience.

Pub Date: July 19, 2022

Duration: 10 hrs, 15 mins

DD ISBN: 9780062835048

Publisher: Harper Audio

Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026

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    THE FRENCH ILLUSION

    Grisham fans will hang in there until the end, but for many, this may prove a challenging listening experience.

    What happens when American couples enjoying their dream honeymoons in Paris are kidnapped? Grisham, the master of the legal thriller, delivers a complex thriller of global terrorism. While narrator Michael Beck is excellent at male characters with American accents, his female characters and his pronunciation of French place names and words are jarring. Further, listeners will need to pay close attention in order to follow the shifting points of view and the introductions of new characters and settings. Unfortunately, the writing has the emotional intensity of an after-action report. The exceptions are the brutal torture scenes, which are painful to listen to.

    Grisham fans will hang in there until the end, but for many, this may prove a challenging listening experience.

    Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026

    Duration: 12 hrs, 14 mins

    DD ISBN: 9780593830154

    Publisher: Random House Audio

    Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2026

    Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026

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      THE SHADOW FRIENDS

      From the The Martini Club series , Vol. 3

      With her talent for distinct voices, Huber will keep listeners fully engaged and entertained from beginning to end.

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      In this third addition to The Martini Club series, narrator Hillary Huber masterfully performs the returning characters plus many new players—the good and the just pretending to be good. Martini Club member and former CIA agent Ingrid Slocum is managing a conference on potential global health disasters. When one of the prominent speakers, a Russian defector, is murdered, the Martini Club members are forced to return to their spy roots, sending Ingrid and former and current colleagues on a precarious adventure. With the assistance of the local chief of police, they investigate a series of murders mysteriously tied to a botched operation from their past.

      With her talent for distinct voices, Huber will keep listeners fully engaged and entertained from beginning to end.

      Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026

      Duration: 10 hrs

      DD ISBN: 9781511354622

      Publisher: Brilliance Audio

      Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026

      Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026

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