In this contemporary detective story, lesbian PI Jo Bailen is working on a missing persons case that turns into a murder. The twist is that the victim is her estranged best friend, Rose. Narrator Stacy Gonzalez deftly handles the accents and linguistic quirks of a wide assortment of characters whom Bailen reluctantly interacts with as she untangles Rose's messy life. Gonzalez lifts the work up from mediocrity with her strong performance. The characters are frustratingly real, each a person from Bailen's past who holds a tiny clue to the mystery of Rose's death. It's a tale of old hippies, incompetent police, small-town drama, and regret--lots and lots of regret.
Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063380110
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
For someone whose vocal palette contains so few colors, Edward Asner is a surprisingly effective narrator. His familiar, pleasant growl compels attention and bespeaks authority. He has his faults though. As an audiobook performer, he has but one personality, whatever the narrative voice of his text. One gets the impression that he enters the studio underprepared, taking his time to discover the book as he reads it. Thus it is with An Isolated Incident, a taut, suspenseful murder mystery set in Puget Sound. Other readers could better explore all the beats of this rich page-turner, but few could hold an audience as effortlessly.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Time Warner AudioBooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Kay Scarpetta takes on more than routine investigations as her job of medical examiner involves her once again in a search for an unknown killer. The story is riveting from the opening chapters, and Sheila Hart never lets the intrigue subside. However Hart doesn't use enough vocal range, and male voices sound tinny and high-pitched. The dialogues with tough yet, endearing, Lt. Pete Marino have perfect cadence, accent and speech pattern, but sound somewhat thin and insubstantial. Telephone conversations and flashbacks are set off by effective sound enhancement, a useful addition. The overall presentation is very good driven strongly by the author's contribution.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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