Detective Sergeant Keen Dunliffe is having a heck of a time in this eagerly awaited sequel to Lee Wood's first British police procedural. Thank goodness he has such an able narrator in Ralph Cosham to give him voice. Seconded to an unwelcoming Yorkshire station to help cope with violent animal rights activists, Dunliffe chases leads for three cases while trying to resuscitate a romance. Around him, farmers cope with a hoof-and-mouth epidemic. Cosham's thoughtful portrayals of the book's many characters, from Yorkshire coppers to London ladies, offer insight and enjoyment in equal measure. But it's his pacing that is most remarkable. As the tension grows, Cosham's narration builds from "bored-cop relaxed" to panic without ever overdoing it. A terrific job.
Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2009
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
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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