If you are not already a Nesser fan, this title is not the place to start. Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is called to a scenic lakeside village to help solve an alleged murder at the summer encampment of a cult called The Pure Life. It’s impossible to know if the fault lies with the writer or the translation, but the prose is repetitive, reflexively and tediously ironic, and the plotting seems obvious and thin. Indeed, much of it consists of the various investigators reflecting on what we already know and concluding that it is awful, awful. Simon Vance does his usual attentive, elegant, and skillful job of narrating, but even he can’t do much with such enervated material.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2011
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781611742701
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In the latest Kinsey Millhone mystery, Kinsey is hired by an aged, wealthy man to retrieve his daughter from prison, where she has served time for embezzlement. Kinsey quickly figures out that the girl isn’t an embezzler but instead has done time for her money-laundering boss. All heck breaks loose. Judy Kaye has a warm, rich voice that seems just right for Grafton’s P.I. Her delivery mirrors the smart-aleck tenor of much of Kinsey’s dialogue. Strangely though, when Kaye is interpreting a male character (and there are many), she raises her voice to a higher register, so that many of the men sound like adolescents with changing voices, or worse, like chipmunks. It may be Kaye’s subtle social comment, though. For once the listener adapts, this odd gender reversal seems natural.
Pub Date: July 13, 2004
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Benedict Juliard, forced from steeplechase racing, becomes increasingly involved in politics and protecting his father's life. Prebble's relaxed but masterful command of characters allows an easy flow during conversations, as well as the sudden transformations from narrative to action scenes. His clear, precise speech; polished style of delivery; and sense of timing give a steady consistency and excellence to his reading. Prebble carries the main characters with ease, but he seems to delight in performing the secondary characters, who feature a great variety of accents to match their roles. Another polished performance by a master of reading.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1998
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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