Anything Clive Mantle reads is worth listening to, and Michael Pearce's new series featuring Sandor Seymour of Britain's Special Branch is a perfect showcase for his talent. In Trieste, circa 1906, Seymour is called in to investigate the disappearance of Lomax, a British consul. When Lomax's body is found, Seymour gets down to business, infiltrating Lomax's circle and uncovering the consul's involvement with forged identity papers, anarchists, futurists, and a gorgeous model named Maddalena. Mantle's accents are exact, and his performance handles Pearce's convoluted plot and intriguing characters with aplomb, at the same time endearing Seymour to listeners by emphasizing his wit, intelligence, and ingenuous style of investigation.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2005
Duration: 7 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
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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