There are no weak links in this multivoiced performance of a mystery told from several points of view. The story is centered on the disappearance of 2-year-old Bella from her front garden. Hannah Curtis narrates the chapters from the titular widow's perspective. She varies the texture and quality of her voice to reflect London hairdresser Jean Taylor's changing moods as she thinks about the Bella case and her late husband's incarceration and later acquittal for kidnapping and sexual predation. Nicholas Guy Smith, narrating from DI Bob Sparkes's viewpoint, skillfully conveys the detective's frustrations and anger over the unsolved crime. The smooth transitions among the five performers and the slow revelation of both the clues and the characters' personalities keep listeners fully invested in this dark character study.
Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2016
Duration: 10 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780147525185
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Part of the joy of Tom Clancy novels is one's belief that the stories could come true. His latest entry stretches that some as we find international terrorists building a nuclear bomb which is used to set Americans and Russians against one another. Jay Robertson reads with a newscaster's voice, crisp and clear with a light touch of drama. However, he does little to help listeners identify Clancy's huge cast of characters, and dialects seem difficult for him as he occasionally slips in and out of character. Nonetheless, patient listeners are rewarded as the plot unfolds. This will be a welcome addition to any library justifying the price of the multi-cassettte volumes.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 16 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
John Sanford is back with another psychological thriller in his Prey series. Surgeon, psychopath and serial killer Bekker is on the loose again after the easiest jailbreak in recent memory. Ken Howard's reading moves along with all the brooding energy a reader could want from a suspense book. His narration is deep, clear and well-suited to the gravelly voices of retired detective Lucas Davenport and the other cops. While Howard manages good dialects and shifts in character, his female voices leave a lot to be desired. For the most part, the abridgment gleefully throws logic and characterization overboard in favor of thrills, but the basic flavor of many characters is still fairly well maintained.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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