New Reviews: Mystery & Suspense

Listeners are treated to a young Jack Reacher-like ex-Army Ranger named Travis Devine, who is perfectly portrayed by narrator Zachary Webber. Devine is a trained fighting machine who has learned to remain silent in critical situations. Webber masterfully differentiates the other male characters, including a Russian hacker, by varying his timbre, pacing, and accents. Narrator... Read More

Once again, narrator Susan Ericksen draws listeners into a gripping case of kidnapping and murder in New York City in the near future. Ericksen brings out Lt. Eve Dallas's determination when she is assigned to investigate the murder of a young woman who was found with a sign reading "Bad Mommy." Ericksen gives the killer a childlike quality that is chilling and eerie.... Read More

Rupert Degas channels the characters in this historical mystery series featuring Australian Roland Sinclair, an artist and gentleman who has a penchant for scandal. Roland and his three co-patriot sidekicks find themselves in 1935 Shanghai, where trouble abounds. Crime, gambling, drugs, and international politics are wrapped into this clever mystery. Degas creates fully formed... Read More

Graham Rowat narrates an addictive thriller in which a lawyer becomes a fugitive in order to save his son. Jason is a personal injury lawyer with a side hustle delivering drugs--which fuels his own substantial drug habit. Driven by a surprisingly deep well of humanity and morality, Jason finds his life is upended when secrets from his past come to light. Rowat's narration... Read More

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith narrates a fantasy police procedural set in contemporary London. Peter Grant is about to become a father, but his work with his boss and mentor, DCI Thomas Nightingale, in the Special Assessment Unit of the Metropolitan Police continues regardless of domestic upheaval. Holdbrook-Smith's portrayal of Peter is as charming as ever but also reflects the... Read More

Gerard Doyle narrates another installment in the Slough House series as the group of screw-up spies attempt to prevent a scandal from casting the entire intelligence community in a negative light. The disappearance of a think-tank specialist with a track record of accurately predicting policy outcomes has MI5 racing to find her. Moscow and London intelligence are thrown into... Read More

With an engaging South Indian accent and lively characterizations, Golden Voice narrator Soneela Nankani paints a vibrant listening experience in this first title in a planned historical mystery series by a Bangalore professor. Set in 1920s colonial Bangalore, the story centers on new bride Kaveri and her husband, Rumi, a doctor, who attend an Anglo-Indian banquet where a... Read More

Dashiell Hammett is among a handful of authors who are synonymous with private detectives. In the foreword of this audiobook, narrator Alison Belle Bews deftly details his place among the genre's pioneer writers. Eight classic cases follow, featuring Golden Voice narrator Stefan Rudnicki, the ideal choice to deliver Hammett's gruff, nameless PI from the Continental Detective... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Grover Gardner takes on the 24th investigation of lawyer Andy Carpenter in Patterson, New Jersey. During a snowstorm, Andy and his intrepid dog, Tara, discover the body of the mayor of Patterson. Together with his team of investigators, Andy susses out the murderer and untangles a web of corruption involving local and Detroit mob figures. Gardner croons... Read More

Listeners will relish Joel Froomkin's exemplary narration of this exciting WWII mystery featuring the British Royal Court. The story begins when Lord Blackwater, a courtier, is found dead. Since Blackwater had many secrets, the Crown assigns advisor Guy Harford to investigate his death. Aiding Guy is his girlfriend, Rodie, a burglar turned civil servant, whose lower-class... Read More

Kate Khavari takes listeners to London 1923. Jodie Harris's comfortable pacing and British accent bring a strong sense of time, place, and character to this new series. Botanist Saffron Everleigh has an eager tone as she embarks on her new job at University College. When the wife of a professor is poisoned at a party and Saffron's mentor is arrested for the crime, she must use... Read More

Narrator Katie Leung's strong performance is a major plus for this mystery set on Nepal's Mount Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world. Outdoor writer and neophyte climber Cecily Wong wants an interview with the legendary mountaineer Charles McVeigh, but he agrees only if she joins his climbing party and successfully scales the mountain. She trains, sinks all her money... Read More

Because they have entered the public domain, many more vintage mysteries have been appearing in the audiobook format. There are numerous productions of this Mary Roberts Rinehart classic about a wealthy, urbane spinster who rents a remote country estate. Rinehart has been labeled the Agatha Christie of America, but her female detective is unlike Miss Marple. Patrician Rachel... Read More

Ari Fliakos narrates this gangster story based on Homer's ILIAD with a cool reserve. A functioning truce between two criminal families in 1980s Providence, Rhode Island, breaks down when a beautiful woman sets young mobsters against each other. Fliakos shines as he depicts the heartbreaking tension between the men who love Pam, a stand-in for Helen of Troy. Circumstances force... Read More

Narrator Linda Emond is terrific in the latest Temperance Brennan audiobook, and the characters remain compelling. While some listeners may find the plot of this North Carolina-based mystery predictable, it is entertaining. Brennan, a forensic anthropologist, has a sense of humor, and Emond captures it nicely. She also is able to perform both parts of the conversations between... Read More

While narrator Rona Morison masterfully portrays the numerous male and female characters, differentiating them with accents, pace, and pitch, the complexity of the plot makes this audiobook a challenging listen. Anna and Fin, mystery-solving podcasters, search for Lisa Lee, a young, troubled livestreamer who has disappeared. Past podcasts and those currently being recorded are... Read More

Narrator Thérèse Plummer, who has been the voice for the Robin Lockwood series, masterfully draws listeners into the fifth installment. Plummer deftly differentiates characters, men and women, with appropriate emotional intensity. While listeners will appreciate her talented performance, they may find the plot dependent on several incidents that strain credulity. Portland... Read More

Arson, gardens, and a long-anticipated visit by Huey P. Long are the themes of the Darling Dahlias' tenth adventure, performed by Peggity Price. In Darling, Alabama, the summer of 1935 is extra hot, and nine arson fires have taken place. There's plenty of mystery for the garden club ladies, police, arson experts, and fire department to investigate. Price's Southern accent... Read More

Narrator Antonia Beamish's performance of the latest installment in the Detective Maddie Ives series is a tour de force. Gallagher's intense thriller revolves around convicted domestic abusers, motivated by revenge and rage, who terrorize those they think are responsible for breaking up their families and homes. Beamish's narration is nimble as she shifts from terrified to... Read More

The first in a WWII mystery series, narrated with energy by Elizabeth Sastre, features plucky British Women's Police Constable (WPC) Wilhelmina "Billie" Harkness. When a timely letter from a distant cousin, an effervescently voiced Lydia, arrives after a tragic accident, Billie seizes the opportunity for a fresh start in a new city. She soon joins the recently established WPC... Read More

As entertaining as the "Midsomer Murder" television series was to watch, it is even more satisfying to hear an audiobook from the mystery series performed by the talented narrator John Hopkins. The listener learns about characters' thoughts and can analyze their motivations; whereas, television must focus largely on plot. In this early installment of the Midsomer series, Chief... Read More

Robert Fass narrates this historical thriller, which takes place in the opening month of WWII. A German agent in Los Angeles spearheads a plan to assassinate President Roosevelt when he lights the national Christmas tree. Martin Browning travels to Washington DC by car and train, hiding in plain sight in various disguises; each new persona is voiced with a slight difference by... Read More

Irish narrator Aoife McMahon ensures that accents are authentic for this mystery set in Ireland. Her performance is top-notch, well paced, and features characters who are vocally well defined. Portraying Maggie D'arcy, McMahon's American accent also is very good. Maggie is a former homicide detective who is visiting Ireland with her unhappy teenage daughter, Lilly. Maggie... Read More

James Lee Burke couldn't have a better narrator than Will Patton to lend his voice and skill to the story of 86-year-old Aaron Broussard, a novelist living in Montana who is trying to find justice in an unjust world. Patton's gruff but gentle voice tinged with the experiences of a hard life allows listeners to comprehend how Broussard deals with his complicated reality. He... Read More

This engaging audiobook focuses on archaeologist Riley Smith's efforts to find the tomb of Helen of Troy, who, according to Greek mythology, was the most beautiful woman in the world. The search to find the tomb and re-create Helen's face is filled with peril for Smith, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, and other members of the expedition. Listeners will appreciate narrator... Read More

Roxanne Hernandez returns to portray FBI Agent Nina Guerrera in the third book in this series. Hernandez's effective accents and tone draw listeners into Guerrera's world. Maldonado's gritty police procedural is humanized by her two well-developed main characters, both of whom have managed to rise above their troubled backgrounds: Guerrera herself and 18-year-old academically... Read More

Narrator Rupert Degas offers a droll mystery set in Depression-era Australia. Degas grabs attention with a high-energy news report at the beginning of each chapter highlighting some social failure in conservative Sydney. Aristocrat Roland Sinclair's bohemian lifestyle and his artsy Communist-leaning friends alienate him from his older brother, Wilfred, and his "right-thinking"... Read More

Narrator Miles Meili brings to life Dr. Peter Bannerham, veterinarian in a small town on the edge of Lake Winnipeg. Peter's skills as a logical and rational individual make him a natural for the role of amateur sleuth when an explosion in a friend's barn triggers a series of mysterious events. Meili's characterization of Peter is spot-on, highlighting his slightly obsessive... Read More

Matthew Brenher uses a cultured British accent to perform the eleventh installment of the Cynster Next Generation series. Lord Gregory Cynster makes a surprise arrival at Bellamy Hall, which he inherited after the death of Mrs. Timms and his Great-Aunt Minnie. Once there, he learns it's now in the capable hands of the chatelaine cum steward, Lady Caitlin Fergusson. Brenher... Read More

Narrator Cathi Colas commands attention from the very beginning of this audiobook as a heavily accented Italian man attempts confession--to a dead priest. From there, listeners meet Lt. Samantha Tate, who is hired to consult with the NYPD regarding a murderer who uses dry ice. The trail leads Tate and her team to a true-crime blog that is devoted to solving murder cases. Colas... Read More

Narrator Simon Vance transports listeners to the south of England in 1921 as Inspector Ian Rutledge is sent to investigate the report that Lady Benton has witnessed a murder. However, her sanity is questioned when it's apparent there is no body or any other sign of foul play. Rutledge must carefully unravel the web of secrets and lies that are key to the murder. Vance, the... Read More

Narrator Kathleen Early steps up to the challenge of voicing teenage boys and girls and then switching to an imperious female judge and a feisty female U.S. marshal. In this second book in the Andrea Oliver series, the plot moves back and forth from the troubled life of teenager Emily Vaughn in the 1980s to Oliver's first assignment as a U.S. marshal in the present day. Early's... Read More

Narrator David Colacci returns to portray Commissario Guido Brunetti as he takes on a private investigation on behalf of a former neighbor. As the pandemic begins to wane in Venice, Brunetti and his colleagues must navigate post-restriction life as they investigate. They soon find much deeper and darker intrigue than they ever expected. Colacci narrates confidently and with... Read More

Narrator Robin Lange brings a strong Scottish accent to this audiobook; it takes some getting used to but ultimately serves this story well. Thomas Tallis, a government official with a checkered past, has come from London to authenticate Charles Rennie Mackintosh's haunting painting titled "The Goldenacre," which was reputedly his last work. It is about to be donated to a... Read More

Karissa Vacker and Sophie Amoss narrate dual perspectives in Brazier's latest psychological suspense about wealthy, disturbed characters and the mind games they play. Lyla and Graham invite Demi to stay at their guesthouse in the Hollywood Hills with the intent of destroying her life for their entertainment. As they capture the satire and twists, Vacker and Amoss set the stage... Read More

This installment in the series featuring Maine game warden Mike Bowditch follows his investigation into a grisly discovery and subsequent death. Bowditch and his girlfriend, Stacey Stevens, have to tread lightly between suspects and his colleagues. Henry Leyva's narration shapes the story wonderfully because he keeps his regional accents in line with the writer's intent. That... Read More

Narrator Antonia Beamish transports listeners to the south of England, where newly transferred Detective Maddie Ives investigates a missing person report that turns out to be so much more. As her investigation intersects that of DI Harry Blaker, it soon becomes apparent that there's a sadistic killer on the loose. Beamish's narration is spot-on as she portrays a believable and... Read More

Narrator Grover Gardner returns as reluctant defense attorney Andy Carpenter and his team, human and canine. The characters set out to prove the innocence of a man who is charged with the murder of his wealthy stepmother, who had adopted a dog from Andy's foundation. Gardner's narration is the perfect match for the trademark dry wit that Andy employs in and out of the... Read More

With its full-cast performance, this enjoyable audiobook brings to life the challenges nonconforming teenagers face when they espouse unpopular views. The novella focuses on reporter Arnold Rednapp, whose editor assigns him to investigate the supposed suicide of a young man whose atheistic beliefs have caused unease among the residents of his small town. Rednapp's questions... Read More

Akira Matsumoto provides rich characterizations of the broad cast of characters in this complex Japanese murder mystery. His engaging performance is welcome, as Yokomizo's crime drama includes a long list of names and settings that make this listening experience less than casual. Those new to the series will quickly identify Kosuke Kindaichi as an archetypal detective with the... Read More

Hannah and April--the "it girl" of the title--were roommates at Oxford. Then April was killed by a creepy porter. Or was she? Narrator Imogen Church adeptly conveys the characters involved--from reckless April to serious Hannah; April's lovers, Will and Ryan; and others. But halfway into the audiobook, it becomes apparent the story is not going to broaden beyond this single... Read More

A spirited performance by Alison Larkin enlivens the second Electra McDonnell mystery. It's 1940 in London--before the Blitz. Locksmiths and jewel thieves Ellie and her Uncle Mick are coerced into working for Major Ramsey rather than going to prison. The body of a woman found in the Thames is wearing a cuff bracelet requiring unlocking. The Major calls upon Ellie and her... Read More

Sara Young brings Schellman's new mystery series, set in the Roaring Twenties, to life with a smooth narration and unique voices for its diverse characters. Irish orphans Vivian and her sister, Flo, work as seamstresses by day. Looking for excitement, Vivian spends her nights dancing at a speakeasy called the Nightingale. Vivian's voice is self-assured and flirtatious. Timid... Read More

Narrator January LaVoy rises to the challenge of bringing a large cast of characters alive as a film star and her new husband travel with their closest friends to take part in a safari in 1960s Africa. LaVoy's characterization skills are showcased as she voices individuals as diverse as wealthy Americans, African guides, and Russian mercenaries, often moving between accents and... Read More

In the 13th audiobook of the Rizzoli and Isles mystery series, Tanya Eby performs with charm and intensity as Detective Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, and Jane's mother, Angela, resolve not one, but five cases in the Boston area. Eby employs gasps and shortened phrases as she becomes a young woman who is being chased by a stranger and then ends up the victim of a hit-and-run.... Read More

Narrators Jayne Entwistle, Gabrielle Glaister, and Nicholas Guy Smith portray characters in the town of Ebbing, where locals are at war with weekenders. An unpopular music festival causes chaos on its first night, with two teens overdosing and a local disappearing. As the story unfolds, the mystery deepens until connections, both old and new, surface. Entwistle voices Dee, a... Read More

Tanya Eby delivers a sweet treat, including delicious pie recipes, in this delightful new audiobook series. Daisy, a most unusual heroine, confesses, "The first time I killed a man with a pie, it was an accident. But only the first." Eby introduces upbeat, warmhearted Daisy, a baker whose scrumptious pies are infused with strength, hope, and love. However, Daisy's Pies Before... Read More

Melodious voiced Nicolette McKenzie acts out this complex, clue-laden mystery with an antiquities twist. Judith Potts, now 77, happily crafts crossword puzzles for THE TIMES. During a moonlit swim in the Thames, Judith hears her neighbor's murder, but her attempt to report it is promptly discounted by the local constabulary. After a second, murder using the same WWII Luger, and... Read More

Narrators Erin Spencer, Will Collyer, Ana Osorio, Hillary Huber, Mirron Willis, and Sean Pratt make up the full cast of this audiobook about the downfall of the American dream and how one location can mean so many different things to multiple people. Six different renters at the Metropolis Storage Warehouse find themselves being viewed as suspects when a body is found at the... Read More

Beverley Crick's lilting Scottish accent takes listeners straight to the seaside town of Nairn, where Paislee runs a knitting shop, cares for her son and grandfather, hangs with some nasty women, and solves murders on the side. At a fundraiser for the local food bank, someone poisons the shortbread, with dire results. Crick's performance, especially her nuanced use of... Read More

Narrator Billie Fulford-Brown's sparkling character portrayals and expressive tone create a theatrical experience of this enchanting Regency mystery. Favorite characters from beloved Jane Austen novels are featured. At Donwell Abbey, Emma Woodhouse-Knightley (EMMA) hosts a month-long gathering of her friends, including Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE),... Read More

Devon Hales, Cady McClain, Brittany Pressley, and Gary Tiedemann narrate Alex Finley's thriller, which centers on a brutal murder that occurrs at the local Dairy Queen. Three high school girls are left for dead. One survives. The attack is reminiscent of a murder at a Blockbuster Video 15 years earlier. The use of four narrators works well due to each narrator's strong... Read More

Kathleen Garrett transports listeners to the Italian island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples to follow the adventures of Nonna Maria, an elderly widow who is well known for helping to solve the islanders' problems. Nonna's reputation and safety, however, are put to the test as she sets out to help a reluctant bride and to solve the mysterious drowning of a friend. Garrett's... Read More

This stand-alone thriller from bestselling author Berry features a new protagonist, Nick Lee, a field operative for UNESCO who comes to Belgium to see his one-time fiancée, Kelsey. She's now a nun working on the restoration of a panel that was long assumed to be missing from the famed fifteenth-century Ghent Altarpiece. Nick arrives minutes after a fire destroys the panel, and... Read More

Narrator Leon Nixon's deep, mellow voice establishes the perfect tone for this noir crime story set in Los Angeles in 1963. Harry Ingram is an African-American news photographer, process server, and Korean war vet. Nixon's careful portrayal adds a tone of sadness that reflects Ingram's PTSD. When an army buddy is said to have died in a car accident, Ingram searches for the true... Read More

The talented and emotive Susan Ericksen continues as narrator for Book 22 in the V.I. Warshawski detective series. Ericksen's familiarity with the indomitable investigator's inflections and emotions produces a thrilling realistic performance. Warshawski is drawn into a new investigation upon finding a burned girl hiding in the woods. When the teen disappears from the hospital,... Read More

This psychological thriller gives narrators Graham Halstead, Xe Sands, and Elizabeth Wiley the perfect opportunity to exercise their considerable dramatic skills. Halstead portrays Art Barbara, founder of the Pallbearers Club, in the voice of a 17-year-old. Art's sultry friend, Mercy, portrayed by Xe Sands, has a penchant for taking pictures of the dead in their caskets. These... Read More

Narrator Matthew Brenher tackles the trio of perplexing mysteries that confront Haxford England's Detective Chief Inspector Pignon Scorbion. Brenher deftly captures the dapper, well educated, and precise detective. Enlisting the assistance of amateur sleuths from the local barbershop and a youthfully voiced cub reporter named Billy, Scorbion confronts issues ranging from a... Read More

Kyla García performs Maria Gainza's brief, richly detailed jewel of a novel with just the right touch of insouciance to capture the essence of the duplicitous unnamed narrator. The story takes place in the clandestine world of art forgery in Buenos Aires and features the lives of its eccentric artists and would-be forgers. García delivers the story as if the narrator, an art... Read More

Narrator Edoardo Ballerini returns to perform the 22nd addition to the Gabriel Allon series. The retired legendary spymaster Allon is now living in Venice, enjoying family life. At the request of a friend, Allon investigates the mystery behind a supposed masterpiece and is drawn into the dark, lucrative side of the art world. Ballerini demonstrates his talent for accents as... Read More

Listeners will be captivated by this twisty thriller featuring characters nearly as cold-blooded as the pet snake, Nero, who plays a prominent role. There are multiple narrators in this dual timeline story, all of whom sound vaguely similar; none are particularly likable, but they're plausible, including Nero. Julia Massey narrates with a feverish intensity that suits the mood,... Read More

Elizabeth Knowelden's versatile British accents enhance this charming cozy set in the sultry summer of 1911 in the quaint English town of Littleton Cotterell. When the Apple Cider Warden of the ancient Weryers society is stabbed to death, Police Inspector Oliver Sunderland of Gloucestershire enlists the assistance of the aristocratic-sounding amateur sleuth Lady Edith... Read More

The marvelous narrator Caroline Lee is hilariously inaccurate with North American accents, which detracts not one whit from the pleasures of this complex but absorbing medical thriller since it is not a novel of place and could be happening anywhere from Canada to Australia. St. Jude's is a respected Catholic hospital in a diocese burdened by debt (think sex abuse suits). Its... Read More

Leslie Howard convincingly portrays the sympathetic Emma Hawke, a widow who has remarried and is trying to figure out whom she can trust. The first part of the audiobook weaves back and forth from "then," when Emma's first husband Derrick is murdered in lower Manhattan, to "now," 27 months later when she is happily married to her second husband, Tom. Howard successfully... Read More

David Shih's skilled narration transports listeners to Tokyo as Detective Galileo, professor of physics and unofficial consultant to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, pieces together clues to help track down the killer of a suspected murderer. In this intriguing police procedural, Shih's delivery of Japanese names and places helps to build an authentic atmosphere. With his strong... Read More

Robin Laing's performance of this audiobook--a novel by the author of the well-known NORWEGIAN WOOD--is thoughtful and meticulous. Part family saga, part mystery, the story spans Norway, France, and the Shetland Islands as Edvard learns the details surrounding his unusual early history. Laing has a pleasing voice, which he alters effectively to suit each speaker, sometimes to... Read More

Three excellent narrators--Jeff Daniels, Ethan Hawke, and January LaVoy--make this audiobook's three novellas engrossing. Daniels's low-key, sometimes gravelly, performance in "Homecoming" is perfect for this story about a mostly struggling Mississippi lawyer who assists a friend who stole some money and disappeared, but who now wants to return. Hawke's work with voices is... Read More

A slow start turns into a complex psychological thriller. Imogen Church and January LaVoy captivate the listener as they weave a tense narrative told by multiple characters speaking in multiple timeframes. Church and LaVoy bring an authentic and distinct voice to each character as the chapters unfold. Using an American accent for the character of Liv Reese, who loses her memory... Read More

Helen Laser's unpretentious girl-next-door voice captures the edgy personality of P.I. Clarice "Pinky" Granum in Turow's 12th book in his Kindle County series. In a twist on the #MeToo theme, Chief of Police Lucia Gomez is accused of soliciting sex from male officers in exchange for promotions. Gomez hires attorney Rik Dudek, who relies on his tenacious investigator, Pinky. She... Read More

Set in the North Maine Woods, this atmospheric thriller is a must-listen. FBI Agent Danny Barrett is assigned to go undercover to learn why so much money is flowing through a small lumber company and why people who ask questions about it turn up dead. Adam Gold creates believable multidimensional characters. The story is primarily told from Barrett's point of view. He is an... Read More

Narrator Davina Porter makes her fourteenth appearance as everyone's favorite moral philosopher, Isabel Dalhousie. Ignoring husband Jamie's cautions about getting involved in more than she can handle, Isabel agrees to serve on the advisory committee of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. She is also called upon to help a friend whose husband and son are at odds. Ignoring... Read More

Linwood Barclay's suspenseful story of a missing woman who resurfaces after six years is brought to life by Joe Knezevich and a full cast. The performers give each character a unique voice, yet all the characters share notes of confusion and anguish. Is Andrew Mason a murderer--or a grieving husband? Appropriately, Knezevich gives few hints about what is going on in his mind.... Read More

Narrator Jodie Harris guides listeners through this twisted mystery about what happened to English policewoman Moira Grainger. Colin Grainger may be Moira's ex-husband, but when the former love of his life turns up dead, he must work with her new lover, Detective Inspector John Moore, to find out who brutally killed her and why. When more women are found dead, a personal crime... Read More

January LaVoy performs this clever thriller with marvelous aplomb, keeping your attention focused on story, instead of on her own quicksilver skill with accents and pace, and her knack for conveying personality in a few deft strokes. American Ariel Pryce wakes after a night of love in a Lisbon hotel room to find her new husband has disappeared. In the ensuing multilingual... Read More

Narrator Soneela Nankani introduces listeners to Tempest Raj in this first installment in a new mystery series. After a near-death experience derails her career in magic, Tempest moves home to Hidden Creek, California and begins working for her father's company, Secret Staircase Construction. But then Tempest finds her former assistant murdered inside a closed wall. Is it the... Read More

Elisabeth Rodgers is a talented narrator who is highly suited to portraying the strong and resourceful private detective and lesbian Vera Kelly. In this third novel of the series featuring this outspoken but tenderhearted heroine, listeners follow Vera and her female lover, Max, to California, where Max confronts her wealthy family who have disowned her because of her sexual... Read More

Eunice Wong performs this rightly praised debut novel with appropriate intensity and delicate humor; she is perfectly matched to the dry wit of Pek's writing and her utterly charming heroine, Claudia Lin. Unbeknownst to her interfering family, Claudia has quit her boring finance gig and taken a position with a start-up investigating bad behavior in the online matchmaking... Read More

Thom Rivera's narration is a subtle technical achievement. He deftly handles the main character's dual roles as a small-town sheriff and Catholic priest. Crooked Creek, Indiana, is the kind of place where everyone's a neighbor, but not everyone's friendly. Sheriff Lancaster straddles a difficult line: He must maintain the confidentiality of people's confessions, yet that... Read More

If your audiobook production is from the James Bond library, make sure to get a narrator who understands the language. Rory Kinnear has portrayed Bill Tanner, Bond's best friend, in the four most recent 007 films. So it's no great surprise that Kinnear deftly handles the spy-speak present in author Horowitz's third Bond novel. In this volume, Bond is jailed for killing his... Read More

Narrator Katherine Littrell delivers this twisty mystery set in and around the Boston Public Library. Australian writer Hannah is writing a mystery within a mystery featuring an author named Winifred and a trio of strangers who are all curious about a murder they hear take place in the library. Leo, a fan who corresponds with Hannah, provides details based on real murders to... Read More

George Newbern delivers this quirky novel in an engaging, welcoming manner, encouraging listeners to put everything else aside and pay attention. Pondside Manor is a care facility for the elderly. Robert, a computer scientist and resident who suffers from ALS, creates an immersive video game through which residents can enjoy life with deceased loved ones or manage otherwise... Read More

Taut writing and Amy Landon's stellar narration create a cinematic listen for fans of serial murder mysteries. FBI Profiler Laurel Snow returns to her hometown in Washington state to investigate a cluster of bodies discovered in the wilderness. The many action scenes are adroitly voiced with high tension and quick pacing. Landon's emotional nuance as a performer is highlighted... Read More