While rushing home to the capital to visit his dying mother, nobleman Sugawara Akitada stumbles upon a gruesome mutilation and murder. Compelled to investigate, Akitada follows a trail of clues while struggling with evolving familial relationships. Roy Vongtama portrays Akitada with a stark subtlety that mirrors the cold winter landscape of Parker's eleventh-century Japan. His narration is often emotionally restrained—an adept performance reflects the upper-class Japanese mores. Vongtama voices Akitada with an American accent, letting Parker's words weave their own historically rich and culturally vivid tones. Vongtama amps up the drama, however, with animated minor characters, including a sadistic painter, a brazen female wrestler, and a woman whose lips were cut off when she was attacked by the novel's elusive killer.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2008
Duration: 15 hrs
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.
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