Narrator Pilar Witherspoon's deliberate delivery matches the carefully laid out plot of this stand-alone thriller. The background stories of individual characters are woven into a minute-by-minute account of a California middle-school career day gone horribly wrong. Drawing on her good sense of timing, Witherspoon boosts the tension as the day's frustrations begin to wear down the students, teachers, staff, and parents, all of whom seem to be harboring secrets. Listeners may sometimes find it difficult to distinguish among the characters, and periodic breath sounds mar the narration. Also, the plot focuses on school violence, which may be a trigger factor for some. Nonetheless, Witherspoon's performance is expressive, her Latino accent is convincing, and she refrains from signaling the conclusion too soon.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2017
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781490623559
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.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
