Miranda Corbie, a 33-year-old private detective and former escort, witnesses the street murder of a young Japanese-American during a festival in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1940. Sensing injustice, Miranda begins to investigate, but she’s warned in no uncertain terms by both the cops and the underworld to keep her nose out of the murder. Narrator Cynthia Holloway employs a suitably unsentimental voice to portray Miranda’s sleuthing dexterity—she’s a tough dame with persistence, good legs, and street savvy. Although Holloway’s gritty style is well suited to this noir mystery, her odd mispronunciations and feeble accents are distracting. Holloway is more successful with the narrative, especially the detailed descriptions of San Francisco’s Chinatown just before WWII.
Pub Date: April 5, 2010
Duration: 13 hrs
Publisher: Tantor Media
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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