If this story about one of England's biggest jewel thefts were a novel, it would be Sherlock Holmes vs. Professor Moriarty. But it's true, and it recounts the battle between the country's best thief—a master planner behind most of the country’s large robberies—and one of Scotland Yard's best detectives on the eve of WWI. Michael Page offers a sprightly narration that carries the listener along. When he quotes official documents, such as police files or court transcripts, he slows his pace slightly and reads the material in a slightly officious manner. But even his effectiveness as a narrator can't help the middle portion of the book, which provides too much depth on police efforts to track the missing pearl necklace.
Pub Date: 2012
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A trio of narrators lend their considerable talents to this nonfiction work about the eminent 1960s London psychiatrist Dr. William Sargant, voiced by Richard Armitage. Sargant founded The Sleep Room, where horrific methods were used on young women in the name of science. Sargant was, by all accounts, an egotistical predator, and Armitage's smooth, level narration displays that perfectly as he describes lobotomies and electroconvulsive therapies without an iota of remorse. Celia Imrie, one of Sargant's victims, narrates her own chapter of betrayal, abuse, and recovery. Antonia Beamish handles the narration for the other women who received these heinous treatments without their consent. Listeners will squirm as these narrators speak for the victims and revel in their eventual freedom-- despite lasting ill effects.
Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 11 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798331942625
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Dion Graham takes listeners to New York City to recount the 1983 killing of a Black man by transit cops and its aftermath. Michael Stewart was a promising young artist and model who was part of the East Village art scene; his death galvanized the community. Author Elon Green's leggy story encompasses the sensational (the removal of Stewart's eyeballs during autopsy) and the highly technical (a grand juror's malfeasance), and includes such secondary characters as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Madonna, and Andy Warhol. Graham's narration unfolds at an uncharacteristically rapid clip--with no sacrifice of clarity--keeping listeners laser focused on the winding story. Restrained passion infuses his voice in the final chapters, which cover the trial and Stewart's legacy. A powerful reclamation.
Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250384232
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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