Erik Singer narrates a fascinating account of the investigation of the shocking murder of a young Englishwoman, Pamela Werner, set against the backdrop of Peking, a city at a crossroads in 1937, with the Japanese poised to occupy China. Singer's performance is evocative as he transports listeners to the setting of Old China, with its privileged expatriate community and its dignified legations, and its vice-ridden Badlands, rife with prostitution and opium dens. The account of Pamela's brutal murder and her father's search for justice is gripping, capturing a colorful array of characters both foreign and local. Singer allows the material to speak for itself, moving the story forward seamlessly and shedding light on a China of times past.
Pub Date: April 24, 2012
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101564431
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Through no fault of the narrator, the audiobook as a whole isn’t that compelling.
This investigation into the rise and fall of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is detailed but less than thrilling. The author, a sociologist and journalist, thoroughly describes ELF’s targeted acts of arson, which began in the mid-’90s. ELF members' motivations to save Western forests from the death spiral of logging andgeneralconsumption of the natural world are well explored. Dan John Miller’s voice is arresting, and his pacing keeps the audio moving briskly. But the ELF members’ backstories aren't interesting or memorable, and their eventual capture by law enforcement isn’t dramatic. More salient is hearing how the group’s arson attacks led the Department of Justice to begin prosecuting any act of environmental protest as terrorism. Wolfe narrates the epilogue with heartfelt dejection, cataloging current environmental catastrophes that ELF members were so impassioned to prevent.
Through no fault of the narrator, the audiobook as a whole isn’t that compelling.Pub Date: June 23, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 22 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217338771
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2026
Sad as this story is, it’s hard to stop listening.
This well-researched, well-told history of the theft of Cambodia’s ancient art and the desecration of its magnificent temples enrages even as it fascinates and holds listeners in suspense in ways that only true-crime stories can With his British accent, versatile narrator Nicholas Boulton proves the perfect match as Campbell details how, in the years after the horrors of Cambodia’s killing fields, an art dealer sold the pieces both to private collectors and to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then, cat-and-mouse style, evaded a manhunt. Boulton is a graceful and polished performer, and his narration is nicely attuned to a history that reveals many ironies and its own brand of justice.
Sad as this story is, it’s hard to stop listening.Pub Date: June 2, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 34 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217336876
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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