With Flanagan at the mic, Babs’ criminal awakening is a must-listen.
Lisa Flanagan delivers a beautifully paced performance of this prequel to Currie’s crime drama, The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne (2025). As gritty, fierce, funny, and true to central Maine as the first book, this one takes place in 1984 in the middle of a factory strike. Babs is the union boss. With the men worn out and caving, it’s up to the women—mainly Babs, whatever the cost—to make life right in Waterville’s Little Canada neighborhood. Currie’s vivid writing benefits from Flanagan’s clear, crisp, Middle America voice and easy-to-follow tempo. Blessedly, she doesn’t reach for a Maine accent but differentiates characters by pitch and tone. Intense conversations are gripping and realistic.
With Flanagan at the mic, Babs’ criminal awakening is a must-listen.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 13 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217338191
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
Part of the joy of Tom Clancy novels is one's belief that the stories could come true. His latest entry stretches that some as we find international terrorists building a nuclear bomb which is used to set Americans and Russians against one another. Jay Robertson reads with a newscaster's voice, crisp and clear with a light touch of drama. However, he does little to help listeners identify Clancy's huge cast of characters, and dialects seem difficult for him as he occasionally slips in and out of character. Nonetheless, patient listeners are rewarded as the plot unfolds. This will be a welcome addition to any library justifying the price of the multi-cassettte volumes.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 16 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
C.J. Box writes about life in wild Wyoming, short stories of people living a rugged life by choice or by circumstance. David Chandler narrates in a rough-edged whiskey voice that suggests summer heat, bitter winters, and windswept prairies, guiding the listener through 10 adventures of men like Fish and Game Officer Joe Pickett. Chandler brings the listener into this strange world where, more often than not, men have to create their own justice. His performance of the economical stories, some rarely seen, is perfect. The tale of the frozen body of a Native American basketball player turned speed freak, her arm reaching through the ice of a lake in a final jump shot, is one of the most fascinating in the collection.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781470392796
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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