Bill Wallis is brilliant as Horace Rumpole, the cantankerous hero of 12 volumes of Mortimer's Wodehousian accounts of life at the Old Bailey. In this entry, Rumpole is writing his memoirs about his long and irreverent career, beginning with his first case, the Penge Bungalow murders. (This is also the case that brought him to the attention of Hilda, aka, "She who must be obeyed.") Wallis's Rumpole sounds just as he should as he narrates his memoir: gruff, wistful, funny, sly, and infuriatingly lovable. Fans of the BBC-TV series will be pleased to learn that he sounds much like its star, Leo McKern, without trying to be a carbon copy. Wallis is also word-perfect with the wild assortment of secondary characters, from members of the British legal profession (who range from loopy to pompous) to Hilda's refined friends to the denizens of the witness box. Listeners will be sorely tempted to listen to this in one sitting and will be disappointed when it ends.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2005
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
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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