It takes patience to complete this slow-moving but excellent listening experience. For one thing, much of the action, or inaction, is psychological. Elisabeth, an art restorer, is stalked and virtually imprisoned by a man from her past. As two lovers/friends search for her, she seems powerless to escape. Additionally, two of the characters have speech impediments. To reader Langford’s credit, she doesn’t minimize these handicaps, but struggles realistically with words and phrases. Hearing these lines is painful but far more powerful than reading them would be. Other individuals--especially the locals in Elisabeth’s hometown--are equally, if less spectacularly, well portrayed. There’s some suspense and interesting stuff about art restoration, but Langford’s performance is the star here.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1998
Duration: 9 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: ISIS Audio Books
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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