December 2004 Audiobook Reviews

The Hand in the Glove
by Rex Stout, Judith West

Audio Partners

ISBN# 1-5727-0350-4
Suggested Retail Price: $29.95 or as low as $15.99 from Amazon.com!

This time, Audio Editions has turned out a very new Rex Stout story. In addition, we are meeting for the first time a female private detective named Dol Bonner. I like her!

Dol is young and, of course, very pretty. She is running her own agency and the year is 1937. Dol doesn't like men, but she does use them very well when she needs to solve a crime. Dol's friends and the men she is using are all eccentric characters. One of the characters is a psychologist and another is a spiritual medium. These two add some comic touches.

This is no rival to a real Nero Wolfe mystery, but it is refreshing to see another side of one of my favorite mystery authors. By the way, the story isn't a new one because rex Stout died in 1975. Here we have a fine addition to the Nero Wolfe series of audiobook novels from Audio Editions.

Before Midnight
by Rex Stout, Michael Prichard

The Audio Partners, Mystery Mast

ISBN# 1-5727-0412-8
Suggested Retail Price: $27.95 or as low as $18.41 from Amazon.com!

Meanwhile, back at Nero Wolf's brownstone apartment and his orchid collection, Archie's narration takes us into a case that Wolfe will take a lot of work to solve.

This mystery revolves around the Pour Amours Perfume Contest, during which Louis Dahlmann is robbed of the riddles and the answers for the contest. Dahmann is shot dead. The sponsoring ad firm wants to continue the campaign because they think it is great, so they hire Wolfe to find the riddle-papers.

Good old Archie Goodwin with his well-trained nose trails the scent of perfumed ladies. Wolfe tracks a murder and finds something's foul and it is very close to his home. A ripping good yarn in audiobook form like this one is always good to find.

Famously Funny: A Collection of Beloved Stories and Poems
by Jim Weiss

Great Hall Audio
Audio CD
ISBN# 1-8825-1383-5
Suggested Retail Price: $14.95 or as low as $10.90 from Amazon.com!

This is a simple collection of familiar tales and poetry, all told to us by Jim Weiss, who does a fine job. It begins with a tale from Hans Christian Andersen's story called "The Real Princess." Then comes one of my favorite poems from Lewis Carroll that tells us about Father William who, although very old, still stands on his head. Also included is Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" if you remember that one. There is some Edward Lear here, an Hillaire Belloc and an Indian Folk tale. Oh yes, there is a story about Anansi. This is a delightful audiobook, and Weiss is a fine storyteller.

Blind Alley
by Iris Johansen, Kate Burton

Random House Audio

ISBN# 0-7393-0886-6
Suggested Retail Price: $25.00 or as low as $3.74 from Amazon.com!

A murdered woman whose body was found in the woods begins this audiobook mystery. She was wearing a special watch. As the case escalates into a nightmare, we begin to realize that someone is replicating the most infamous killer of all time. This new killer stalks and strikes his victims with a great deal of cunning.

We meet two Secret Service agents who have left the service to become private investigators. They have been hired to prove a man's innocence in a domestic theft. The partners are soon involved in the middle of a frantic search for a killer who will make your blood turn cold. It's a horrifying mystery and dangerous enough to keep your interest.

Author Iris Johansen is very dependable for giving you a good story, and Kate Burton is an excellent choice for a reader.