The pleasures of this English murder mystery, set in 1920, are many. Rachel Atkins's crisp performance is just right, moving the pace along without rushing and channeling everyone from nasal aristocrat to working-class copper. We follow Louisa Cannon, daughter of a washerwoman, who talks her way into a nurserymaid job with the Mitford family. The Mitfords were real people, whose adult children dominated 1940s British headlines. The novel's crime, a murder aboard a train, is also historical fact. The fun comes when Louisa and Nancy, the eldest Mitford girl, set out to find the murderer. A concluding interview with author Jessica Fellowes, who wrote the "Downton Abbey" companion books, promises more in this fun, well-narrated series, each set around a real-life unsolved murder.
Pub Date: Jan. 23, 2018
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781427295019
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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