With his rich baritone and impeccable pacing, Simon Vance gives voice to the return of Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. Characters from Cornwall to South Africa benefit from Vance's facility with accents as he delineates the many personalities and their disparate backstories, only some of which relate directly to a horrific murder. Michael Lobb, who was brutally stabbed in his workshop, is discovered by the man who is trying to buy his property for lithium mining. Lynley and Havers, who are both dealing with their own issues, don't appear until well into the investigation. There's plenty going on here: sexual abuse, infidelity, a custody battle, and more. Vance's consummate performance pulls it all together into a cohesive narrative.
Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
Duration: 20 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217163823
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Peter Noble coolly performs this twisty crime novel. Using a narrative tone that is distant and objective, he still manages to inhabit each character, providing credible male and female voices while instilling each with appropriate emotion. In this story filled with betrayals, secrets, and stunning surprises, he handles the Scandinavian pronunciations with ease. The investigation of the murders of two young people in December 1999 reveals the darkness and bitterness hidden behind the facade of a Swedish town. Despite police efforts, the murders go unsolved. Twenty years later, another murder with connections to the earlier case lures one of the original detectives out of retirement to investigate the cold case. Noble offers an especially effective performance of this deftly written mystery by criminologist Carlsson.
Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2025
Duration: 12 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217159284
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Suzanne Toren has been the crisp, approachable voice of Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson since the beginning of this series 10 books ago. Toren also portrays Fergusson's husband, former police chief Russ Van Alstyne, and the denizens of Millers Kill. Toren's accents, tone, and cadence are immediately recognizable for listeners who know these characters, and she does equal justice for those newly introduced. Clare and Russ, along with Officer Hadley Knox, take on a white supremacist militia bent on domestic terrorism. Joined by Native American forest ranger Paul Terrance and rookie attorney Yíxn "Joy" Zháo, they combat misogyny, domestic violence, racism, and antisemitism. Set during the four Sundays of Advent, this timely mystery may be best enjoyed by those familiar with the series.
Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
Duration: 12 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250417589
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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