Relax for a kinder, gentler murder mystery in the classic British tradition: an engaging puzzle unlikely to trouble your sleep. It may also be read as an homage to a certain kind of genteel, rural community, which must now be an endangered species even in Scotland, where the story is set. The post held so long and honorably by Miss Marple is here assumed by a young couple who breed dogs, when they aren't helping the police over rough patches. Donald Douglas reads with enormous amiability. He sounds a bit older than one estimates the first-person narrator to be, but his tone is perfect. Other characters are given a very satisfactory individuality through subtle shifts of tone and accent, with no hint of display. Here is a model of gracious entertainment.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1998
Duration: 4 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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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