Narrator Jasmine Blackborow takes on the challenge of voicing many characters--some historic, others fictional--from across the British Empire, including the Duke of Windsor and his mistress, Wallis Simpson. In the 13th book in The Royal Spyness series, Lady Georgiana is surprised by her groom with a honeymoon trip to Kenya, where she finds the British aristocrats engaging in shocking debauchery. The colonists treat their Somali servants with such disregard that author Bowen is compelled to provide an explanation up front that she was accurately portraying life in Kenya during that time. Blackborow's voicing of the characters, while entertaining, bends to caricature, making the overall tone breezy, a style that contrasts with the unsettling times. Overall, the audiobook provides an interesting view of the time and place.
Pub Date: 2019
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
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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