Listeners can continue to follow Maisie Dobbs—investigator and psychologist—as her life and adventures evolve just before WWII. It’s a knack to keep a long-running series fresh, and narrator Orlagh Cassidy definitely plays a significant role with her portraits of Maisie and her familiar friends and colleagues—Inspector Robbie MacFarlane’s Scottish burr is just as thick as ever, posh friend Priscilla’s mothering just as bossy. The passage of time through the series always makes the historical context interesting. New circumstances challenge Maisie as she’s sent to Munich during Hitler’s early rise to power. A good deal of backstory is supplied to help listeners enter the series. Cassidy’s warm narration, with its clear emotional connection to the characters and events, makes this another winner.
Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2021
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062220646
Publisher: Harper 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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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