Joan Hess will delight her fans with this installation of the Arly Hanks mystery series, another whodunit filled with Southern satire and folksy dialogue. Arly is recruited to chaperone a group of youngsters to Camp Pearly Gates, but things get complicated when one of the girls stumbles over the dead body of a "Moonbeam," a member of a local cult who sports a shaved head, scarlet lipstick, and a white robe. C.J. Critt plays the characters to the extreme, with high-pitched tones for the ragings of the religious zealot, Mrs. Jim Bob, and warm, mothering tones for Arly's pre-menopausal mom, Rubella Belinda. The strong characterizations soon settle into an appropriate tone and tempo as the twists and turns of the humorous story line capture the listener.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2003
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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