Humpty Dumpty falls to his death. DI Jack Spratt and his new partner DS Mary Mary, of the Nursery Crimes Division, are called to investigate. It seems "Hump" was an unsavory egg, and murder suspects include cuckolded husbands, jilted lovers, ex-wives, and sleazy business partners. Golden Voiced Simon Prebble delivers this NOIR nursery-spoof-police-procedural with Python-esque deadpan. His characterizations are inspired bits of insanity, including witnesses Willie Winkie, who suffers from narcolepsy, and Mrs. Hubbard, whose poor dogs never get any bones. Anagrams, puns, palindromes, and allusions run riot in this laugh-out-loud tomfoolery. Prebble's delicious performance adds just the right spice to Jasper Fforde's fluffy omelette. For listeners who like their silliness literate, with a twist.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2005
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Penguin 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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