Marguerite Gavin doesn’t disappoint in her presentation of Jane Tesh's second installment in her Maddy Maclin Investigations series. Maddy, a reformed beauty queen, must solve the mysteries of small-town Celosia, North Carolina, while trying to avoid the "pageantoids,” former fans determined to get her back into the pageant game. The mysteries include a lost umbrella, a found box of money, the long-ago death of her love interest's parents, and the question of whether the town is really haunted by a creature known as "Mantis Man." No one delivers wry humor better than the honey-voiced Gavin.
Pub Date: July 1, 2012
Duration: 7 hrs
Publisher: Blackstone 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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