This is an over-written comic adventure about an aviator and bootleger in 1923 Arizona who falls for the obligatory beautiful girl, gets involved with a crackpot inventor, designs a new kind of plane, protects a boy from his estranged father, etc. Published in 1987, it has since fallen into obscurity. Books in Motion here dusts it off for what it calls "a dramatic reading" by Michael Taylor. Taylor has the authentic twang of the Southwest in his voice and is great at playing funny codgers. His approach seems to telegraph, "Don’t take this silly stuff too serious; I ain’t." It's as if he had nothing better to do than read casually aloud from the first book he found at hand. This is just the lazy sort of book that yields to this kind of treatment.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1997
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books in Motion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Reader Michael Prichard delivers a convincing rendition of Archie Goodwin, the burly right hand of the portly Nero Wolfe, world-renowned gourmand and detective. Prichard preserves the 1970s setting and 1950s origins of the story, bringing listeners a well-paced narration of murder and politics--a combination of elements that usually guarantees an exciting listen. This audio entertainment is as well formed and fragrant as one of Wolfe's hothouse orchids (the stout sleuth cultivates them by the hundreds in his town house greenhouse) as Goodwin walks us through an explosive murder investigation and political wheeling and dealing in a tough yet intelligent read.
Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2006
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Partners
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This collection of eight short stories contains gentle tales of fantasy and magic--not the magic of wizards and wands, but of wishing mats and enormous cats and gifts brought by the winds. In a lovely English accent, Lizza Aiken quietly narrates these stories in which magic and good fortune often come to those who deserve it. Although her pitch changes little, she registers a range of emotions--from the sadness of a girl whose necklace of raindrops has been stolen to the joy of a child who moves from a hard life and a ramshackle trailer to a happy home amid the clouds. A NECKLACE OF RAINDROPS would make a soothing choice for a family car trip after a long day.
Ages 6+Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
Duration: 1 hr, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101915721
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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