Dr. Kay Scarpetta is back in Richmond and back at the top of her form, investigating the suspicious death of a 14-year-old girl at the request of the dislikable new medical examiner who has her old job. Meanwhile Scarpetta's niece, Lucy, is embroiled in a case in Florida with bizarre similarities to the Richmond one, and the two are linked by the sensationally creepy Edgar Allen Pogue, who once worked for Scarpetta. While the plotting is ingenious and intense, Cornwell's prose has gone very "faux Hemingway," which presents a challenge to Kate Reading: how to read with urgent seriousness yet avoid being inadvertently funny. Reading walks the razor-fine line with aplomb, and Scarpetta fans will be delighted.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks
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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