Frank Elder, retired from the Nottinghamshire Major Crime Unit, has retreated to remote Cornwall. No matter how far he's run or how escapist his reading, terrible dreams continue to haunt him. When a rapist-murderer he helped put in prison is released on parole and another teenaged girl disappears, Elder returns as a consultant on the case. Narrator Gordon Griffin develops Elder's character with subtlety and grace, particularly the bewildering relationship shared with his own 16-year-old daughter. Griffin is stunning when portraying Elder's confusion with the ex-wife who betrayed him, and he handles each of the fully developed secondary characters with finesse. John Harvey, winner of the Sherlock Award, offers a dark, unsentimental, and expertly crafted story that reveals the inner lives of authority figures, criminals, and victims alike.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 12 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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