Narrator Peter Wickham recounts each unique Canon Sidney Chambers story in this collection with charm and aplomb. In the title story, a Latvian musician takes sanctuary in a church while Chambers and his friend, Inspector Geordie Keating, determine if there really was a murder in a locked room. Since Chambers's wife, Hildegard, is German, Wickham's skill with accents provides verisimilitude to the character, and her singing adds warmth when she sings lullabies to baby Anna. Chambers's confident friend Amanda sounds shaken when she receives poison pen letters before her upcoming wedding. In the final story, "Florence," the Chambers family visits the Italian city, and Sidney must clear himself when he's accused of stealing a painting. Despite a slightly darker tone than in his earlier stories, Runcie's humor adds to the listening pleasure.
Pub Date: June 1, 2015
Duration: 11 hrs
Publisher: ISIS Audio Books
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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