Though he's not the most versatile reader, Michael Kramer has a knack for replicating certain types. He's near perfect when he portrays hard-boiled Homicide Detective Francis Laughlin. As a young cop, Laughlin coerced a murder confession from a 17-year-old suspect. Twenty years later, the man is released from a life sentence in prison on a legal technicality and almost immediately another young woman dies in a manner similar to the first. You can sympathize more with the felon than the pursuing lawman. So long as Kramer mimics the cops, he's on solid ground. But when he's called upon to do a foreign accent, he's barely believable.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2006
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
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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