Someone drops off an infant on the doorstep of a wealthy and attractive widow. She hires Nero Wolfe, the famed P.I., to ferret out the baby's mother. A couple of murders result from the investigation, placing the onus on Wolfe and his street-smart legman, Archie Goodwin, to nab the killer. When reading this and other Wolfe whodunits, one gets the distinct impression that Archie, for all his complaining, not only loves working for the obese orchid-growing P.I., but gets a huge charge from writing about their cases. One gets none of that from listening to Michael Prichard's oral renderings of Stout's oeuvre for Audio Editions. He is as flat as a pancake, not even bothering to look up the pronunciation of some of Wolfe's less familiar expressions. To borrow one of Wolfe's MORE familiar terms--Pfui!
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Audio Partners
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In the latest Kinsey Millhone mystery, Kinsey is hired by an aged, wealthy man to retrieve his daughter from prison, where she has served time for embezzlement. Kinsey quickly figures out that the girl isn’t an embezzler but instead has done time for her money-laundering boss. All heck breaks loose. Judy Kaye has a warm, rich voice that seems just right for Grafton’s P.I. Her delivery mirrors the smart-aleck tenor of much of Kinsey’s dialogue. Strangely though, when Kaye is interpreting a male character (and there are many), she raises her voice to a higher register, so that many of the men sound like adolescents with changing voices, or worse, like chipmunks. It may be Kaye’s subtle social comment, though. For once the listener adapts, this odd gender reversal seems natural.
Pub Date: July 13, 2004
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Benedict Juliard, forced from steeplechase racing, becomes increasingly involved in politics and protecting his father's life. Prebble's relaxed but masterful command of characters allows an easy flow during conversations, as well as the sudden transformations from narrative to action scenes. His clear, precise speech; polished style of delivery; and sense of timing give a steady consistency and excellence to his reading. Prebble carries the main characters with ease, but he seems to delight in performing the secondary characters, who feature a great variety of accents to match their roles. Another polished performance by a master of reading.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1998
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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