Since being released from the Pinkertons, Sebastian Becker (THE KINGDOM OF BONES) serves as special investigator for the Masters of Lunacy. Becker determines the sanity of people of property who may not be competent to manage that property. Bethlehem (called Bedlam) Hospital has Becker evaluating Sir Owain Lancaster, who has returned from a deadly trip down the Amazon raving about monsters. Through scenes with Becker’s savant son, narrator Michael Page shows Becker to be a decent man with a clear grasp of the difference between insane and eccentric. Page ramps up the excitement when two children are found brutally murdered and Lancaster insists the evil has followed him. Page’s subtle handling of Stephen Gallagher’s character-driven plot keeps us guessing: Is Lancaster a madman or a monster?
Pub Date: March 13, 2012
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Dreamscape
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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