Upson’s somewhat complex, literary mystery features a fictionalized version of writer Josephine Tey. She’s involved in a murder mystery surrounding her successful play, RICHARD OF BORDEAUX. Davina Porter narrates in an extra-crisp English accent and supplies other accents as needed. She lowers, gruffens, or hardens her voice for males, a tactic that works if you don’t think about it too much. She goes beyond reading to act the roles with intelligence and tact, imbuing Tey with good sense and a slightly humorous waspishness that seem to fit the authorial voice of her novels (and giving her a Scots accent). The performance manages to be brisk, sensitive, and word perfect all at once. An admirable piece of work.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: AudioGo
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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