The voice of Jonathan Maroz contains all the sorrow of the world, and no other performer could have read HALF-MOON AND EMPTY STARS as well as he. Maroz reads with slow, lingering cadences that swell with the pain Spence presents: the tragedy of any person trapped in the legal system; the tragedy of Native Americans, specifically the Arapaho of Wyoming in the mid-twentieth century; the tragedy of capital punishment; and the tragedy of small-town politics in league with relentlessly ambitious politicians on the rise. This book is not for the faint of heart, or for people who want a tidy packaged solution. It's for people who want to hear, learn, and grow in the understanding and wisdom that Spence is offering the reader and that Maroz is translating into the spoken word.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
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.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
