Emma Powell is the ideal narrator for Rickman's unique series featuring parish priest Merrily Watkins. Powell delivers an authentic accent for the residents of rural Hereford, England, both the educated and those who remain close to the region's superstitions. The always-cool-and-composed Merrily and her passionate daughter, Jane, are fascinating counterpoints to the timely issues that make up these layered mysteries. In this one, as Christmas approaches and a flood threatens, Merrily must weigh right and wrong, and ancient and modern beliefs as she decides how to assist her beloved church and congregation. Powell also skillfully depicts the heavy weather and strongly flowing river that are so much a part of the story's atmosphere.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
Duration: 15 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: ISIS Audio Books
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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