In concept, this mystery series is just what the genre ordered. It features a single working mother--a middle-aged African-American ex-cop who now works as a New Jersey private detective. But concept is no match for execution, and Rebecca Nicholas doesn't have what it takes to lift Wesley's various characters above what are little more than tiresome exercises in frustrated self-analysis. Just as Wesley tends to talk her story to death, Nicholas doesn't do the novel any favor by settling for simplistic characterizations of mood and motive. Whether she's voicing the desires of a Jamaican man, a New Jersey teenaged boy or the protagonist herself, Nicholas demonstrates that she's no better than the author at knowing the difference between real drama and mere pretense.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1998
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
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
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