Narrator Jenny Sterlin is required to be nimble of tongue as Sherlock Holmes’s wife, Mary Russell, journeys from Oxford to Japan and back to expose a blackmailer and save the honor of Japan’s future emperor. With a variety of native Japanese and English speakers with various accents in conversation together, some voices tread close to clichés, but every one precisely fits author Laurie King’s descriptions—whether it’s the vaguely Australian-sounding crew member, the arrogant aristocratic youth, or the Japanese. The plot is intricate, with myriad details of Japanese culture, a portrait of shipboard life, and fascinating details on Oxford’s Bodleian Library.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2015
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781464046377
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
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