What's the connection between the disappearance of a grocery chain heiress and the murders of three women? It is 10 years after the Great War, and the 1920s' era detail forms a perfect backdrop for this Maisie Dobbs mystery. Kim Hicks has a voice to listen to all day without tiring of the sound. Her rich, lush, mellifluous narration is a terrific fit for P.I. Maisie's newest adventure. Jacqueline Winspear, winner of the 2003 Agatha Award for Best First Mystery Novel, provides a cheery, intelligent heroine, as well as an assortment of believable types, while Hicks delivers clear, deft characterizations, excellent accents, and a strong sense of place.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2005
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: AudioGo
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ayla, one of the "others," is adopted by a clan of Neanderthal cave people. She struggles to conform to their ways, but her advanced human traits overwhelm and threaten their primitive culture in this initial installment of an immensely popular series. Although the story might benefit from abridgment, Rowena Cooper easily carries out the formidable task of enlivening the mostly silent and stereotypical characters with consistent, diverse personalities and human dimension. Through skillful phrasing and inflection, she maintains the reader's interest and suspense, especially with Ayla and her plight, throughout this rambling and imaginative story.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This lyrical, sensual novel of woman's lot in Manchu, China, is as well researched as it is well written. Authentic in tone, it's nonetheless written for Westerners by a Western expert on China. Moreover, Susan Clark performs the demanding text superbly, with only occasional signs of fatigue. For the most part she not only sustains the quaint diction and Asian atmosphere, but also, creates whole worlds with her voice. She acts the book, rather than reads it, and, in so doing, turns a pretty trifle into a stupendous beauty.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Literature
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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