Louise Brealey's marvelous performance of Susie Dent's enthralling debut mystery is so enticing that one wishes it would last forever. The story does end, but not before Brealey beguiles us with revealing characterizations and beautifully paced conversations. When lexicographer Martha Thornhill returns to Oxford after years abroad, she begins work at the Clarendon English Dictionary. Soon, she and others begin receiving messages about the long-ago death of her sister. Then people start to die. As Martha and her colleagues struggle to understand what's happening, they solve cryptic puzzles, analyze clues, and toss words back and forth in witty conversation. Throughout, Brealey's warm voice audibly relishes the intricate plot, which celebrates logophiles and mystery lovers. A bonus interview with Susie Dent is an added delight.
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798331958107
Publisher: Tantor Media
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
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
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