A quaint mystery set in a Welsh village filled with quirky residents should offer a narrator a great opportunity to shine. However, Anne Flosnik's narration doesn't bring this story and its characters to life. Penny Brannigan, a Canadian emigrée who is part owner of a hair and nail salon, discovers the body of a teen she recently manicured and gets involved in the murder investigation. A Canadian-Welsh accent makes for confusing listening, while the other characters' accents are just odd enough to be distracting. Characters are difficult to distinguish from one another, making conversations hard to follow. Scenes that should be suspenseful--such as the one in which the murderer is revealed--simply fall flat due to narration that sounds forced.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2012
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Dreamscape
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
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