For terror to be believable, for it to surprise and grip the reader as it does the character one is reading about, it is necessary first to establish calm and normalcy, a reality the reader can be persuaded to identify with. It may be that the talented mystery writer Laurie King has done that here in this tale of Rae Newborn, a woman who tries to escape the demons of her past by moving to a deserted island to restore a house named Folly. Unfortunately the text is undercut so badly by the usually wonderful Frank Muller--who chooses from the first page to give every sentence, description or dialogue, the same rhythm, ending with a dum-dee-dum-dum, look-out-this-is-a-thriller whisper--that it proved an insurmountable barrier for this listener.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 16 hrs
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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