In her sixteenth Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery, Deborah Crombie sets up a convoluted puzzle, and Gerard Doyle’s performance keeps listeners riveted. At St. Pancras Station, in the midst of a music concert, a white phosphorus grenade explodes, injuring many and proving fatal for the man holding the grenade. Doyle’s intensity reflects the urgency Scotland Yard Superintendent Kincaid faces as he tries to fit the confusing pieces of the attack together. DI James, meanwhile, is involved with a murder/kidnapping, while at home she deals with the couple’s children, who have rescued a cat and her four starving kittens. Doyle softens his delivery for Gemma and is convincing as the children connive to keep the cats. Crombie’s plotting is credible, fast paced, and smart, and Doyle’s narration is terrific, as always.
Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062308795
Publisher: Harper Audio
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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