Caught in the cross fire between union organizers and rival rest-aurateurs, private detective Lydia Chin is trying to track down four missing Chinese restaurant workers. Although the recording is uninspired, the story itself is satisfying as it takes Chin and her sometimes-partner, Bill Smith, through a world of illegal aliens, drug smuggling and the Chinatown bureaucratic jungle. Agnes Herrmann puts on an effective Chinese accent, but the normal voice she employs for narration and for non-ethnic characters comes out sounding nasal, on edge, and slightly whiny. Chin's character has a fun, spontaneous quality, which doesn't come through in Herrmann's reading. Despite the mismatch, BITTER FEAST makes for an exciting and edifying listen.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1999
Duration: 10 hrs, 18 mins
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
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
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