This dark story of child abduction set in the Boston area would have been better served by a reading less broad than the one provided here by Robert Lawrence. Too many simple, one-note interpretations undercut the subtlety of the well-drawn, complex characters and make those that are broad to begin with almost intolerable to be heard. Fortunately, the result is not completely ruinous, as Lawrence's one well-conceived performance is of the first-person narrator, private investigator Patrick Kenzie, whose engaging combination of thoughtful intelligence and streetwise savvy is communicated well to the listener. This only makes me curious about why so many of the other characters in this complex tale involving hoodlums, murderers, violence and pedophilia sound like refugees from a Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1998
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance 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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