Not one accent is beyond the skills of Laura Darrell in this tale based on Scottish history and legend. Listeners meet U.S. Lieutenant Carter Porter, who is grieving for his departed child, and teenaged Loch Ness Hotel employee Hassie Douglass, who is devoted to her dying grandfather. Their storylines mesh seamlessly when Carter meets Hassie after discovering a journal containing an unusual treasure map. Darrell convincingly conveys Hassie's knowledge of local lore and Carter's useful military skills when ruthless Russian mercenaries scheme to seize the priceless treasure. Listeners will be deeply moved to meet the river god Phiagree, who encourages Carter and Hassie, and humorous, law-abiding Royce, who accompanies the maverick duo. Audio enriches this story's plausibly depicted magic, visions, enchanting lochs, and satisfying conclusion.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2023
Duration: 12 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The prospect that the implausible threats that drive the plot might be plausible makes this listening experience unnerving.
Narrator Eunice Wong masterfully voices countless characters from around the globe in this intense, nonstop thriller. Food blogger Alice Li and her mother, Vivian, a prominent Chinese dissident, find themselves drawn into saving the world from a mysterious threat that appears to be coming from China. The listener is kept off balance as the threats escalate and it’s not clear whom Alice and her mother can trust. As the perspectives shift frequently and scenes move among various locations in the United States and China, listeners may be challenged to keep up, despite Wong’s strong differentiation of characters.
The prospect that the implausible threats that drive the plot might be plausible makes this listening experience unnerving.Pub Date: May 12, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs, 10 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250445674
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
Brick’s masterful performance is Berry’s secret weapon for converting print to cinematic storytelling.
In Berry’s latest international mystery, operatives Cotton Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt travel to Sweden to help locate the king’s younger sister, who has been kidnapped. The ransom demand? A codex known as The Devil’s Bible, which was taken from Bohemia 400 years earlier as war contraband. Narrator Scott Brick tackles multiple accents as the Swedes, Russians, Americans, and Czechs compete to possess this Bible, leading to a volatile and deadly pursuit. Brick’s capable transitions from male to female, spy to assassin, and ally to enemy, no matter the representative country, are seamless and focused, allowing the listener to absorb the fast-paced, layered plot and accelerated action.
Brick’s masterful performance is Berry’s secret weapon for converting print to cinematic storytelling.Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668654057
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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