A travel writer rushes to a British community for the idle rich in southern Spain after his brother, who lives there, admits to arson and murder. Upon investigating, the writer uncovers the seedy underbelly of crime and decadence that props up the local society. This "philosophical" whodunit, by the celebrated author of EMPIRE OF THE SUN, provocatively suggests that crime alone rescues civilization from torpor. Gordon Griffin delivers his lines with admirably crisp intonations, though he at times misses the thrust of a phrase. Inappropriate, however, is his vocal personality, for all his characters sound sexless and stodgy. He reads the novel's one sex scene (an awkward passage in the first place) like a banker reading a financial report.
Pub Date: 2002
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books/ Clipper 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:
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:
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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