Sir Derek Jacobi and Joe Jameson's stellar performances add sparkle and verisimilitude to this delightful locked-room mystery. The first adult book by Montgomery, an award-winning children's book author, is set in a Cornish manor house during the 1910 passing of Halley's Comet. Jacobi sets the semiserious tone with resonant action updates and intense performances of yesteryear news reports. Jameson remarkably personifies everyone. He broadens his vowels to inhabit our jailbird hero; pinches his voice into an octogenarian lady; puffs into an officious butler; and lightens into a young maid. The plot, involving death by crossbow, is crazy fun. The upstairs/downstairs subplot is moving. The writing is clever and witty. Jameson and Jacobi deliver a captivating performance that celebrates the tale's mix of drama and farce.
Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063458741
Publisher: Harper Audio
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
In Degas’ company, the Inklings have an adventure to die for.
Rupert Degas’ rich baritone voice, which evokes fireplaces and peaty whiskey, is a fine choice for Kelly’s atmospheric historical mystery, set in 1936 England. When followers of a secret spiritualist society start dying, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, asks members of Oxford’s most famous literary group for help. Surely the Inklings, including J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and their associates Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie, can catch the killer. Degas’ enthusiasm celebrates the story’s cinematic details. His precision keeps the complex plot clear. And his nuanced characterizations, including Doyle’s Scottish accent and Tolkien’s pell-mell conversational style, put listeners square in the middle of the action.
In Degas’ company, the Inklings have an adventure to die for.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 49 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217279012
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: June 6, 2026
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