If Elmore Leonard is a high-performance car, Ron McLarty is the skilled driver who can handle it. He understands the determined independence of Leonard's classic heroes, as well as their earnestness, humor, and essential decency. He also seems to delight in the singularity of Leonard's villains. They may be bad, but they're human, not monsters, and as such, they're thoroughly recognizable. Here, real estate agent Carmen Colson and her ironworker husband, Wayne, unwittingly get caught in the middle of an extortion scheme and end up the targets of a couple of low-end killers. In McLarty's reading, each of these characters, and several others, is fully realized, fully alive. M.O.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2003
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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