Rita Mae Brown's cats and dogs provide a plot device that mixes fun and murder, but pets as well as people here are in sore need of editing. Too much sniping between an overabundance of characters, both four-legged and two, along with a glut of trivia, make for heavy sighs before final solution time. However, narrator Kate Forbes does an astonishing job of portraying all of the characters involved, from Big Mim right on down to Pope Rat. Her rendering of the "First Families of Virginia" accent is subtle yet perfect, not too overly Southern as so often happens. While the written version bogs down, Forbes saves the audio version with her charming work.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2002
Duration: 9 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books 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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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