Narrator Edoardo Ballerini's confident, masculine voice is well suited to narrate this 1950s murder whodunit featuring private eye Aloysius Archer. Visiting an aspiring actress friend in Los Angeles, Archer is approached by a screenwriter who fears for her life, and then disappears. His investigation leads him beyond glamorous Hollywood to Chinatown and the surrounding desert, where he crosses paths with dangerous criminals. Brittany Pressley delivers the dialogue of all the female characters. She employs stereotypical bombshell voices for most of them, falling short of the opportunity to portray depth in some multilayered women, including Archer's sharp-witted friend, Liberty. Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable listen for noir fans.
Pub Date: April 19, 2022
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781549160615
Publisher: Hachette 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
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