Two story lines converge in Larson’s latest nonfiction. One follows Guglielmo Marconi and the development of wireless telegraphy. The other traces the life of Hawley Crippen, a patent medicine salesman who gruesomely killed and dismembered his wife. When Crippen fled to North America, Marconi’s transoceanic wireless led to his arrest. The celebrated murder case did much to promote wireless telegraphy. Bob Balaban is solid as narrator. He has a clear, easygoing style. However, Larson writes for the eye rather than the ear. This means some of his intricately constructed sentences are difficult to read aloud. Balaban is left wondering where to pause. Also, Balaban himself sometimes pauses at awkward moments. But these are minor flaws that don’t interfere significantly with listening pleasure.
Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2006
Duration: 12 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780739339664
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A clear, enraging audiobook about a dangerous abuser, narrated skillfully and with care.
One of Gabra Zackman's strengths is her ability to narrate nonfiction so eloquently. This deeply researched audiobook unwinds a tragic and enraging story about a master manipulator. Paul Skalnik spent decades getting close to people, deceiving them with lies about his accomplishments, taking advantage of them, and disappearing. He never truly paid for his crimes, which included falsely implicating others and abusing multiple women and girls. He was aided by a legal system all too willing to give him lenient sentences and no real accountability. Zackman conveys this work with a humanity that connects with the heart of the injustices committed and the people who were affected.
A clear, enraging audiobook about a dangerous abuser, narrated skillfully and with care.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 58 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217159673
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
Through no fault of the narrator, the audiobook as a whole isn’t that compelling.
This investigation into the rise and fall of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is detailed but less than thrilling. The author, a sociologist and journalist, thoroughly describes ELF’s targeted acts of arson, which began in the mid-’90s. ELF members' motivations to save Western forests from the death spiral of logging andgeneralconsumption of the natural world are well explored. Dan John Miller’s voice is arresting, and his pacing keeps the audio moving briskly. But the ELF members’ backstories aren't interesting or memorable, and their eventual capture by law enforcement isn’t dramatic. More salient is hearing how the group’s arson attacks led the Department of Justice to begin prosecuting any act of environmental protest as terrorism. Wolfe narrates the epilogue with heartfelt dejection, cataloging current environmental catastrophes that ELF members were so impassioned to prevent.
Through no fault of the narrator, the audiobook as a whole isn’t that compelling.Pub Date: June 23, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 22 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217338771
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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