Narrator Anna Bentinck delivers Saunders's whodunit, which takes place in Victorian England. We are immediately introduced to the comely widow Laetitia Rodd; under the guise of a gentlewoman, she's a smart investigator who is stoic in the face of murder and can detect a lie at 10 paces. Bentinck's lithe voice emoting sadness, delight, horror, and grace in males and females young and old prepares us for the twists and turns that ensue. Bentinck's well-done Yorkshire, Cockney, and aristocratic voices convey the rigid social stratification and mores of the period. This first installment in the Laetitia Rodd series leaves the listener eager for the Victorian sleuth's next case.
Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2016
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Dreamscape
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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