If you admire Miss Marple's cleverness but secretly wish she would embrace crime rather than solve it, you'll enjoy Suzanne Toren's narration of these five stories about 88-year-old Maud. Toren gives Maud's machinations a dignity and even righteous indignation that belie Maud's actions. Toren also perfectly conveys Maud's clever ability to play upon people's underestimation of a seemingly poor, frail woman. You'll be shaking your head at Maud--but in admiration. While less satisfying than the stories in which Maud is center stage, one told by an elderly male is handled equally well. The collection suffers only from being almost too short to really enjoy all the wicked pleasure a character such as Maud has to offer.
Pub Date: June 11, 2019
Duration: 3 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781684573745
Publisher: HighBridge 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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