Narrator Barrie Kreinik's skill with accents and dialects comes in handy in her narration of this historical mystery, which takes place in London at the turn of the eighteenth century. Hart provides a window onto a time when wealthy men wore wigs and pursued a passion for collecting oddities from across the globe. Into this very traditional world appear two very nontraditional women, Cecily Kay, an unhappily married woman with a special interest in botany, and her childhood friend, Meacan Barlow, an illustrator. The two team up to solve the murder of Sir Barnaby Mayne. While Kreinik cleverly differentiates the many male and female characters through accents and tone, listeners will have to follow closely to keep track of their comings and goings.
Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2020
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250751898
Publisher: Macmillan 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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