An expert evocation of the gradual collapse of one man’s orderly life.
Narrator Winson Ting gives a haunting portrayal of Tsuneo Asai, a Japanese civil servant whose life unravels as he delves deeper into the death of his wife, Eiko. Vidish Athavale narrates Pico Iyer’s introduction to Matsumoto’s 1971 psychological portrait. Ting’s base line for Asai is restrained and socially appropriate, but the tension steadily increases when Asai meets the woman in whose shop Eiko died and notices discrepancies in her story. Through careful control of pace and tone, Ting ratchets up the tension with a trembling voice, strained whispers, and tight pauses, revealing how Asai’s veneer of diligence and obedience begins to crack as he uncovers clues that dismantle his moral compass.
An expert evocation of the gradual collapse of one man’s orderly life.Pub Date: today
Duration: 7 hrs, 33 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217343171
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
With this diverse group of narrators, each story is powerfully performed with emotional intelligence and perfect pacing.
Ten narrators powerfully capture the jarring and thoughtful experiences contained in the crime stories in this Swedish collection. From a police officer who quickly learns his bias can be deadly to a young woman seeking revenge on a wealthy fellow student to a mother who soon commits the very crime her son has been accused of, each story grabs hold of the listener and leaves them questioning what it means to break the law, even with the best of intentions. Each narrator takes on a separate story, and their individual performances skillfully match the emotional power and complicated examination of human nature these pieces provide.
With this diverse group of narrators, each story is powerfully performed with emotional intelligence and perfect pacing.Pub Date: May 30, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798228701991
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: tomorrow
Gardner’s masterful delivery adds to the story’s feeling of timelessness.
Grover Gardner’s no-nonsense delivery suits this straightforward, character-driven mystery. Once-famous Italian film director Manlio Parrini longs to get behind the camera again. His ’40s masterpiece Broken Truths made him aware that truth and freedom are illusions. Now in his mid-70s, his idea is to make a film about Augusto DeAngelis, the father of the Italian detective story. DeAngelis’ novels were banned as Hitler’s restrictive censorship laws gained dominance. In alternating timelines, Gardner sketches a bitter DeAngelis as he lies dying, beaten almost to death by fascists, and shows Parrini’s lightning-bolt realization that the same repressive bureaucracy still exists, with the same pressures exerted on art and artists.
Gardner’s masterful delivery adds to the story’s feeling of timelessness.
Pub Date: May 19, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 10 mins
DD ISBN: 9798228701809
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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