James Lee Burke and narrator Will Patton are a brilliant duo. Burke writes a tale of evil and redemption, and Patton vividly embodies the succession of bad guys and innocents caught in the sights of greed and violence. The setting is poverty-laced West Texas, where a mass murder of Asian women is discovered by an aging sheriff who hopes to leave his own past behind. The searing detail of evil is offset by elegant, elegiac descriptions of the natural landscape. Patton knows exactly how to get maximum effect from both facets. Listeners may cringe from the violence but are soon calmed and delighted by descriptions of the hills and sunsets. The natural landscape soothes the story’s boiling venom and hopelessness. Patton plays each emotion, creating a listening powerhouse.
Pub Date: July 14, 2009
Duration: 15 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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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