Ron McLarty's rough but honeyed voice is ideal for a story built around Doc Sportello, an aging P.I. who means to feel groovy no matter what. And yes, by groovy, he often just means stoned. Like Doc, McLarty's seen and read a lot, having recorded more than 100 books and won many AUDIOFILE Earphones Awards. He's even a bestselling novelist himself. Thomas Pynchon's also been around, having won the National Book Award for GRAVITY’S RAINBOW in 1974. An author best known for dense writing that makes readers scratch their heads, he's switched genres, here writing a crime novel set in California in the drug-rich 1970s. It’s an intoxicating compound of disciplined prose and dissolute characters. Even the wicked amuse.
Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2009
Duration: 15 hrs
Publisher: Penguin 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.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
