Narrator Simon Vance does a splendid job with the Detective Chief Inspector Banks series, which takes place in Northern England. Banks--who is a relatively minor character in this installment--tracks Moldavian Zelda Melnic as she exacts revenge upon those who trafficked her as a sex worker. A subplot featuring Banks's team members Annie Cabbot and Gerry Masterson is compelling and fascinating. They're charged with identifying who murdered a young woman at one of property developer Connor Clive Blaydon's sex parties. Vance's Eastern European accents add authenticity, and characters both good and evil are memorable. Tension is greatest during Cabbot and Masterson's skillful interrogations as they work to unmask the psychopathic killer.
Pub Date: March 16, 2021
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063065895
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Jackson’s reflective performance, wide emotional range, and subtle humor make this an irresistible listen.
Gildart Jackson’s stellar narration is a perfect fit for this splendid police procedural and its well-developed characters. The Norfolk, England, investigative team is called upon to reopen an inquiry into the murder of Lord Freddie Thorpe. Popular retired superintendent Smith’s occasional presence affects everyone’s outlook, including that of his capable replacement, DCI Cara Freeman. Jackson’s portrayal makes her a force to be reckoned with, and he realistically renders both upper-class suspects and working-class locals. Details of the team’s private lives and relationships add verisimilitude to a complex and compelling plot, and the squad’s dedication to doing right by the victim is moving and fascinating.
Jackson’s reflective performance, wide emotional range, and subtle humor make this an irresistible listen.Pub Date: June 2, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 32 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668660645
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2026
This installment of the character- and landscape-driven series delivers.
George Guidall returns to masterfully capture Sheriff Walt Longmire; his friend, Henry Standing Bear; and his foul-mouthed undersheriff and fiancée, Vic. Guidall also finds appropriate voices for the many new characters, including a 100-year-old monk. Longmire, investigating the death of the distinctly unpopular Pepper McKay, family patriarch, focuses on his four sons. When a second body is discovered, Longmire is drawn into a complex case that echoes Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Guidall keeps perfect pace as tensions ratchet up with a killer on the loose and wildfires consuming the canyon. Listeners will feel the desperation as the fires close in. The real hero is Borax, the mule.
This installment of the character- and landscape-driven series delivers.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798891780002
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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