Shannon McManus does a terrific job narrating Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Julia Keller’s debut novel. Keller’s engaging storytelling and outstanding character development provide McManus with rich material. On an ordinary morning at the Salty Dawg restaurant in Aker’s Gap, West Virginia, 17-year-old Carla Elkins witnesses the murder of three old-timers, regulars who’ve been having morning coffee together for years. Her mother, Bell, Raythune County's prosecuting attorney, is battling drug trafficking in their small town. Carla believes she knows the shooter, but since she met him at a party where there were drugs, she can’t tell her mother. McManus handles the various ages, accents, and genders with controlled enthusiasm, delivering a gripping performance of Keller’s many shocking plot twists and breathtaking descriptions of Appalachia’s beauty. First-rate listening.
Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
Duration: 13 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781469216447
Publisher: Brilliance 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
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