Cynical and crooked enough to survive, LAPD Detective Dave Klein (“42 and going on dead”) knows he’s being set up. The cops want him to hush up a burglary; the district attorney wants him to lean on a leftist politician; the Mob wants him to get rid of a federal witness—even Howard Hughes has a dirty job for him. James Ellroy’s masterful noir novel, published in 1992, is the concluding installment in his L.A. Quartet (THE BLACK DAHLIA, 1987; THE BIG NOWHERE, 1988; L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, 1990). Scott Brick delivers every savage beating, every brutal murder, every twisted sexual encounter with neon precision. Handling Ellroy’s syncopated rhythms with a virtuoso’s agility, Brick transports listeners to 1950s Los Angeles and a nightmare of human decadence.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2007
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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