Actor Joe Mantegna delivers a one-man performance. Parker's hard-boiled Boston detective, Spenser, does his usual thing in solving a few murders while philosophizing, clobbering bad guys, and cavorting with his psychoanalyst squeeze, Susan, and scary (but here mostly absent) friend, Hawk. Opening and closing musical snippets comprise the audio enhancements; mostly Mantegna is on his own. He’s a strong narrator; the text flows smoothly, and the characters are precisely distinguished. The only distraction is Parker’s overuse of dialogue tags (more noticeable on audio than in print). The Boston milieu does not demand Brahmin accents but plain middle America. That's a plus.
Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2009
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Random House Audio
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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