Narrator Rebecca Lowman has a friendly, accessible voice that allows listeners to follow this true crime audiobook. In 1989, three young children in Bell, California, were killed when their house caught fire. Their mother escaped the blaze but was convicted of setting the fire in order to murder them. Thirty years later, her conviction, and the evidence that was used to secure it, is under investigation. Lowman sometimes delivers long passages without varying her pitch, which can be monotonous, and there are times when it seems like she is reading each word separately, which interrupts the audiobook's flow. Also, she doesn't create individual voices during dialogue. Nonetheless, her narration ensures that listeners empathize with the story's characters.
Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780525642336
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Buckley offers a reasonable proposal for a national service program without jail or criminal penalties. Narrator Lawrence reads with a slow and careful announcer's voice; one wishes Buckley were reading this one himself. Books on Tape does its usual quality job with formatting, packaging and tape-turning instructions. The reader repeats the last sentence at such times, so you're sure you haven't missed anything. Popular nonfiction collections will appreciate Gratitude, and the topic is likely to prove timely in the years ahead.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 5 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Kozol’s shocking exposé of inequities in the funding of our public schools contrasts white suburban schools with those serving black and Hispanic populations. Interviews with students, teachers, and school administrators add eloquent testimony to Kozol’s disturbing presentation of facts. Narration by Jack Winston is clear and brisk, but the pace is unrelenting, with little pause for transition between scenes or chapters. Winston’s cool, detached voice contrasts with Kozol’s impasssioned and outraged message. The sheer repetition and magnitude of Kozol’s damning evidence is numbing; the narration gives no relief. Powerful medicine, most easily taken in small doses. Music signalling tape changes is jarringly inappropriate.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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