Australian narrator Stephen Shanahan returns for another knockout performance. Jane Harper’s latest audiobook isn’t part of her Aaron Falk series, but it still features the unforgiving Australian Outback, a vexing mystery, and richly drawn characters. Shanahan’s genuine accent is essential for the story’s setting and ambiance. He also shows remarkable range in his portrayal of the Bright family, cattle ranchers whose favored son, Cameron, dies under mysterious circumstances. Nathan, the eldest son, leads the search for answers. Shanahan gives him an appropriately stoic voice but hints at an underlying vulnerability. Nathan’s interactions with his family, achieved by Shanahan with the subtlest changes in tone and pitch, simmer with tension. It’s a slow and bleak affair, but no less enthralling than Harper’s and Shanahan’s previous efforts.
Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250316943
Publisher: Macmillan 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
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