Two personable people, Colin and Emily Hargreaves, encounter some serious scoundrels in the ninth mystery in the Lady Emily series. Thanks to Bianca Amato’s exceptional performance, this engaging piece of fluff takes on the necessary gravitas to keep listeners engaged. A woman posing as Estella Lamar, an eccentric heiress who hasn’t been seen in years, is murdered, and the Hargreaves are called upon to unravel a tangled web of deceit. Amato’s reading heats up when delivering each flirtatious exchange between the elegant, well-matched Hargreaves. She makes each voice unique, brings verisimilitude to each event, and is completely convincing as the search for the real Estella intensifies. Kidnapping, madness, unsavory characters, murder most foul—none of it proves too much for Amato. A fun listen.
Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781427244369
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
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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