A passion for magic was rampant in the 1920s, and vaudeville offered a stage for miraculous illusions, none finer than those of Charles Carter--Carterthe Great. This delightfully improbable plot brims with the quirky details of a magician's life and rich period detail. Actor/ director Stan Tucci might be starring in one of his own movies filled with madcap antics and an array of colorful characters. Yet, playing all the parts eludes him--his performance here is uneven. Tucci seems to give some characters, like the lovely blind Phoebe, his creative attention, yet rushes past others. Harry Houdini pops in and President Warren G. Harding assists magician Carter in an illusion just before his death. It's all good fun, but Tucci could have have paid more attention to his storytelling.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
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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