Narrator Leonie Elliott skillfully transports listeners to Harlem with an impressive story that contrasts the changes in Black life in the early twentieth century. In 1936, as jazz singer Lena Aldrich sails from England to New York, she encounters shipboard musician William Goodman. She gratefully accepts his offer to stay with his family as she searches for information about her late father, Alfie. In flashbacks, Elliott superbly portrays Alfie, a pianist who encounters racial barriers as he pursues a musical career in 1908. Lena's perceptions of the city, her new friends, and the truths about Alfie are well rendered. Dramatic depictions of the Harlem Renaissance, rent parties, and the Apollo Club are engaging. Audio enhances a story replete with lively dialogue, descriptions, and atmosphere.
Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593684504
Publisher: Penguin Audio
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
A solid narration.
Each of the preceding two installments of the adventures of Samson Kolechko, a police investigator in civil war-era Kyiv, had a different narrator, and Daniel Henning takes on this entry. A detachment of Red Army soldiers seemingly disappears while visiting a banya. To solve this mystery, Samson and his now-wife, Nadezhda, along with the aid of his fellow policemen, have to thread their way through a labyrinth of corruption, social upheaval, and potentially deadly individuals and circumstances. Henning’s baritone voice is clear and expressive, and his pacing is consistent throughout this production, though he tends to give anglicized pronunciations of many Slavic words and names.
A solid narration.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 37 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063488700
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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