New Reviews by Title: K-O

Narrator Daniel Henning takes on this detailed account of the shooting by National Guardsmen of students who were protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University in 1970. Presented as a timeline with context but few digressions, it recounts the events from all sides: the National Guard's, politicians', Kent State administrators', students', parents', and local residents'.... Read More

Television journalist Claire St. Amant takes listeners behind the scenes of her job as a reporter and producer for "48 Hours." St. Amant does a fine job of narrating the audiobook herself--though at times some of the more emotional aspects of the work might have been better performed by a seasoned actor. That said, momentum is enough to propel the listener forward. St. Amant's... Read More

Narrator Karissa Vacker gives a solid performance of this intriguing winter-themed thriller. Theo, who is estranged from her adoptive parents, doesn't know anything about her birth mother or how she came to be adopted. Vacker believable portrays Theo's confusion and need to know about her origins after she finds a picture of herself as a toddler in a remote cabin on her wealthy... Read More

Jane Oppenheimer and Christina Delaine offer outstanding performances as four 50-something retired assassins find themselves back in the game, sponsored by a mysterious entity called "The Museum." After the death of one of their own, The Museum believes there's a security leak. Bored with their retirement lives, Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie relish the opportunity to... Read More

Tanya Talaga, a Canadian journalist of Anishinaabe descent, weaves her own family's history into this heartrending account of her country's shameful treatment of Indigenous peoples. Given the personal nature of this work, it's natural for the author to take on the role of narrator, but it's largely unsuccessful. The writing is frequently passionate and powerful, but its impact... Read More

Tony Keith, Jr.--poet, rapper, and hip-hop educator--uses his cultural observations, edgy politics, and sharp ear for concise wordplay and fast rhymes to get the attention of the audience that needs him most: disenfranchised Black school kids he affectionately calls "knuckleheads." With brash and evocative poem titles like "If You Fail to Plan, Then Plan to Fail," "Because When... Read More

Emma Rydal's intense performance as Margot, a child living with her cannibalistic mother ("Mama"), will remain with listeners long after the devastating climax of this audiobook. Throughout her childhood, lost and wayward travelers of all ages, people deemed "strays," are lured inside their home, where they're murdered and eaten. All of this Rydal recounts to listeners with the... Read More

Braden Wright provides a crisp, even narration of this thoroughly researched overview of land--specifically, who owns it and how that ownership fortifies power over time. Albertus's audiobook seeks to provide a comprehensive review of how "the great reshuffling"--a phenomenon through which land is acquired, repossessed, or stolen-- consistently results in various significant... Read More

Henrietta Meire shows remarkable vocal range in this audiobook featuring multiple human and dragon languages and accents. Vivian aims for an internship studying dragon languages, but when her parents are arrested as rebels, she sets free a dragon that starts a civil war. Desperate, she accepts a job as a code breaker to help the war effort and is tasked with deciphering the one... Read More

Narrator Bailey Carr introduces listeners to Liz, a 17-year-old who is taking sanctuary in the bookstore she worked in before a cataclysmic storm left her one of the few survivors in New Jersey. When she catches a girl named Maeve breaking into the store to find shelter from another impending storm, Liz needs to balance the difficulties of having a relationship with the... Read More

When Nancy's life implodes after a psychotic break, trouble seems to follow her: A neighbor in her new apartment building commits suicide. Sophie Roberts's gripping narration brings every layer of this psychological thriller to life. As Nancy begins to hear strange voices in her new flat, Roberts keeps listeners questioning what's going on. She captures Nancy's initial fragile... Read More

In a resonant baritone Gareth Armstrong ably narrates this new look at the abdication of Tsar of the Russian Empire Nicholas II in early 1917. Armstrong's English accent gives the performance an authoritative tone, and his somewhat staccato intonation is easy to follow. Russian words are pronounced well, and his overall performance is a good fit with the text. Using new... Read More

In this mystery set in the near future, listeners join recently widowed DCS Kat Frank and Lock, an Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity (AIDE). They're working together as part of the newly formed Future Policing Unit to investigate the horrific murders of two men. Rose Akroyd's professional narration creates a believable AI character in Lock as it tries to navigate the... Read More

For a third and final time, Sophie Aldred's narration takes listeners into the dystopian world of outlaws Scarlett McCain and Albert Browne. Aldred's depictions of the many characters define and distinguish them fluidly, especially the main characters. At the same time, Aldred builds the tension in several ways: There are the action-filled moments of robbery and ambushes and... Read More

This audiobook adaptation of the graphic novel features a stellar cast and vibrant soundtrack. Sébastien, portrayed by Ramón de Ocampo with a French accent, is freshly moved into a new apartment and ready to finally learn magic. Elia, depicted suavely by Fajer Al-Kaisi in an Italian accent, is the hot supermodel vampire next door. Alexander Cendese voices Sébastien's adorable... Read More

Mel Robbins's superpower is transforming common-sense actions into powerful tools for change. She dives into background research, tests concepts in her own life, and shares them with relatable, actionable clarity. This time, Robbins focuses on the core principle of control: understanding what's beyond your grasp--others (them)--and what's within it--yourself (me). Robbins... Read More

With deft interpretations and stunning vocal control, Emily Rankin and Caroline Hewitt bring this fascinating historical mystery to life. The casting is on point, bringing enough variation to the main characters to allow easy differentiation. The story spans a century of time and three generations of women. Rankin brings the listener along as Tildy Barrows, head curator of an... Read More

This ambitious novel, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, follows Penelope as she leaves her native Canada for college at the University of Edinburgh. Once in Scotland, Pen seeks out her father's estranged friend, Lord Lennox, who she thinks might be behind her parents' divorce. Lord Lennox, now a famous writer, invites Pen to his family's famed British estate, where she finds... Read More

Charlotte Brontë's skill ensured her place in literary history, and this audiobook delves deeply into her life and times. Lucy Scott is the consummate British narrator. Her brisk pace and animated tone remain consistent throughout this extensive audio performance. Supporting cast members are used well to voice various primary sources; these moments highlight the quotations and... Read More

Narrator Blair Underwood uses his deep voice to solid advantage in this audiobook. The novel--narrowly saved from destruction after Hurston's death and released on what would have been her 134th birthday-- examines Herod, who reigned as Judean king during the first century BCE. Underwood's confident delivery and theatrical skill are at the forefront of this intense story, and... Read More

Since 2003, Ann Wroe has written and edited obituaries for THE ECONOMIST. In this audiobook she describes the challenges of creating a life in words and delivers its blend of memoir, poetry, philosophical inquiry, and biography in a distinctly British accent. It begins with the story of a famous carp. Her anecdotes have unique insights: Playwright Arthur Miller was a... Read More

This audiobook chronicles and contrasts the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, both born in Kentucky. The comparison ends there. Davis was a West Point graduate and Mexican War veteran. Lincoln had little formal schooling and almost no military experience. Yet they faced off in the Civil War, and ultimately Lincoln's courage in issuing the Emancipation... Read More

This fantastic ensemble of narrators excels equally at emotionally connecting to complicated emotional characters, elevating colloquial language, and enhancing mysterious, violent horrors. Kristolyn Lloyd portrays 25-year-old Calla as she struggles to hold her life together while raising her troubled 16-year-old brother, Jamie. Portrayed by Zeno Robinson, Jamie is reckless and... Read More

Matt Bomer's narration brings a steady and thoughtful presence to an emotionally intense novel. Four college classmates try to make it big in New York City: Jude, a trauma survivor; Andy, a doctor and former law professor; and Harold Stein, whose wife, Judy, is also a major player. Bomer's approach to dialogue subtly differentiates the four friends. His portrayal of Jude... Read More

Hot on the heels of the 50th anniversary of "Saturday Night Live," Susan Morrison's tell-all biography of SNL creator Lorne Michaels helps satisfy fans' need for behind-the-scenes info about the beloved show. Narrator Kristen DiMercurio is as reserved as Michaels himself in her delivery. The audiobook traces Michaels's humble beginnings in Toronto and his bumpy rise to... Read More

Saskia Maarleveld narrates this story of generational sins and salvation. Agnes is the American granddaughter of an Icelandic man who fled his homeland amid accusations of murder. She travels to Iceland in an attempt to uncover details of her family's past and becomes entangled in the current disappearance of a young woman. Maarleveld anchors her nuanced performance in Agnes's... Read More

This reality-based story set in Belfast in the 1980s and today illuminates the dangers and challenges experienced by gay men in the past and present. Listeners meet young Billy, who is portrayed by Patrick Moy, and older Billy, who is portrayed by Ruairi Conaghan. Conaghan's depressed and jobless Billy gets a call from a childhood neighbor telling him of his long-estranged... Read More

Little Flower is poor but talented--and she has beautiful feet, which is unusual for a woman of low status in early-nineteenth-century China. Katharine Chin delivers a striking performance, enriching this novel's historical setting with expressive storytelling. She conveys Little Flower's coming of age at a time of great strife and intrigue in a voice that blends fragility and... Read More

Who knew the dunk was illegal at one time? Landon Woodson narrates its story, which involves a rich history. His clear diction, interested tone, and appropriate inflections enliven the biographical portraits of little-known and well-known athletes and others. Woodson remains involved throughout every chapter and, despite a couple of missteps in pronunciation, does a fine job.... Read More

Catherine Ho's narration explores the aftermath of the death of Vivian, a famous, reclusive Chinese actress. Vivian's daughters stake their claim on their inheritance against lesser-known family members as shocking last-minute changes to the will are revealed. Eerie events unfold in the mansion everyone is fighting over, and Ho's tone builds suspense, mirroring a growing sense... Read More

Jeremy Arthur's engaging narration befits the life story of Dr. Albert C. Barnes (1872-1951), an early collector of modern art and champion of minority art. Raised in a working-class environment, Barnes made his fortune in pharmaceuticals. He proceeded to use his wealth to study art, eventually building an extensive collection that became the Barnes Foundation. His friendship... Read More

Scott Brick's pacing and level of intensity are perfect for Steve Berry's latest (Number 19) Cotton Malone novel. His baritone pitch reflects the gravitas of the unusual situation the former Justice Department operative finds himself in. In the 16th century, the Medicis loaned a large sum of money to the Vatican. A written papal promise to repay the loan, never honored, is now... Read More

When novelist Geraldine Brooks's husband, Tony Horwitz, dies while on a book tour, she gets the call from a harried medical resident who can't get off the phone fast enough. Brooks alternates between memories of those first days and her life three years later on an isolated island in Australia, where she finally takes time to focus on grieving. Listening feels particularly... Read More

Michael Crouch and Jonathan Todd Ross narrate an atmospheric horror story that draws upon the power of grief. In 1983, three college students set out on a road trip to film a documentary on the varied roadside memorials dotting America's roadsides. What starts out as an adventure morphs slowly and painfully into terror. Crouch and Ross alternate narrating, and both maintain an... Read More

Listening to this history of the 1850s competition to decipher ancient Mesopotamian inscriptions is like listening to a Jules Verne or Conan Doyle adventure yarn. Narrator Matthew Lloyd Davies is a familiar voice in mystery and suspense fiction, and he clearly relishes what is not a musty story of scholarly reflection, but a cliff-hanger full of surprises and unexpected twists.... Read More

Alison Larkin's bright narration takes listeners to the charming fictional town of Middlemarch, England. Individual goals, loves, and desires intertwine as early-nineteenth-century characters find themselves navigating restrictive social norms amid political and social change. Larkin's narration captures the complex residents as they come to terms with the new world they find... Read More

Daniel Penz skillfully introduces this combination of science fiction and mystery set in Cincinnati, which exposes technology's dark side. Listeners meet Detective Jack Stewart, who is confronting inexplicable murders that are connected to a business staffed by seemingly ancient people. Stewart discovers that possibly sentient extraterrestrials are cloning modern people to... Read More

Fans of "Bridgerton" will devour this audio-only contemporary romance narrated by screen actors Nicola Coughlan and Gwilym Lee. Hattie Murton, reluctant star of the fictional TV show "Leicester Square," lives her worst nightmare when the screenwriters create a love arc for her with her unpleasant costar, Anthony Rafe. Coughlan channels Hattie's underdog quality, and her... Read More

This accessible guide covers everything--the values and blind spots people bring to a partnership, accounting practices that create clarity, and fresh ideas on making needs manageable and wishes fun to pursue. The money coach and podcaster Ramit Sethi describes best practices he's distilled from working with couples and can-do ideas that look to the future rather than focusing... Read More

The popularity of audiobooks that reinvent classical characters has led novelists to literary figures who were previously ignored. Novelist Bear, author of MEDUSA'S SISTERS, now turns to the mother of Rome's founders, Romulus and Remus, who, legend claims, were suckled by a she-wolf. Here that improbable origin story is treated realistically. In pre-Rome Latium two young women,... Read More

Andrew Gibson and Janet Metzger both give resonant, emotionally compelling performances in this devastating but deeply human novel about secrets, silence, familial legacies, and what it means to live a good life. Gibson voices Peter, a 40-something immigration lawyer in New York City who's spent his adult life using other people's stories of suffering to avoid facing his own... Read More

Eiren Caffall lives with polycystic kidney disease, a congenital disorder that killed most of her family members before they were 50. Her performance is graceful and authentic, and she draws the listener into her story with a clear voice and lyrical pacing. Caffall parallels her own ticking time bomb with the developing disaster in the ocean. Her beloved Long Island Sound and... Read More

Blair Baker narrates this sci-fi mystery. Dorothy Gentleman is a detective aboard the HMS FAIRWEATHER, an interstellar passenger ship--spaceship, that is. To her surprise, she wakes up in an unfamiliar body just as a murder victim is found, a situation that leads to several more terrible developments. Baker's depiction of Dorothy's initial confusion over her predicament quickly... Read More

The subject here may seem too vast and esoteric for one audiobook: the influence of classical Greek culture on the last three centuries of Western civilization. But the narrative proves so rich and enriching, and the voice of narrator Justin Avoth so fluent and adept, that this unique history soon takes hold of the listener. Arranged chronologically, with each chapter focused... Read More

Joseph O'Connor's wonderful thriller is inspired by the true story of the Irish envoy to the Vatican in 1943, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty. Narrated in a series of individual monologues by a cast of extraordinary voice actors, this first in a proposed trilogy is emotionally moving and thrilling. With sadistic Obersturmbannführer Hauptmann and the Nazis occupying Rome but forbidden... Read More

Narrator Joel Froomkin is the perfect Hercule Poirot; his accent, vocal eccentricities, and braggadocio are spotless. Listeners first meet Captain Hastings, Poirot's friend, who is on respite from WWI at Styles. When Hastings learns of the murder of the lady of the house, he brings in Poirot, a Belgian refugee. Hastings, splendidly rendered by Froomkin, is an ideal sidekick who... Read More

Narrator Jess Nahikian brings to life this collection of bizarre short stories set in the American Southwest. Whether purely human or supernatural, each of the short stories in this collection examines a woman trapped in a state of terror. Even when the supernatural element is just a metaphor, stories of a ghostly prospector haunting the bathroom of a college campus, media... Read More

Quentin Crisp's classic autobiography, originally published in 1968, receives a vibrant new audiobook performance from Christian Coulson. Crisp, the irrepressible gay icon with a delightfully dry wit and unabashed self-expression, takes listeners from his early-twentieth-century British childhood through his seemingly unlikely rise to international celebrity as an openly gay... Read More

Louisa Harland performs with a quiet intensity that is just right for this disturbing look at the effects on a family trapped in an abusive relationship in Dublin. Ciara, a pregnant mother of two, must get away from Ryan, her controlling, easily angered husband. Harland makes this audiobook so real that listeners will mentally cringe each time Ryan verbally or psychologically... Read More

Scott Brick narrates a fantastical adventure that blends science fiction and cosmic horror. Cammie, an astrophysicist, is part of the first team sent to study the Nether anomaly. Researchers believe the anomaly might be a means to travel deeper into the universe, but there are signs that ancient beings have already explored it. Brick plays with rhythm and cadence to build... Read More

A spooky collection of short stories drawn from previous collections and a few new ones are brought to life by a quartet of talented narrators. The short stories offer an eclectic variety of horror tales, some ideal for a quick listen. Gerard Logan, Caroline Lennon, Mark Meadows, and Jeff Harding bring the bizarre plots to life in sinister tones. Plots range from fictional... Read More

Many authors focus on championship teams that are in the spotlight and have banners hanging from the rafters. But John Glionna has turned his attention to a sleepy town on the Nevada-Oregon border called McDermitt, which participates--when it's able to--in eight-man high school football. Narrator Danny Campbell's slightly scratchy timbre fits the American West, and his engaged... Read More

Narrator Rama Krishna Vallury charms in this heartfelt audio about when to fit in and when to stand out. Ajay always follows his Sri Lankan parents' strict rules for him: no bad grades, no scary movies, and NO friendships with girls. When a taunt from a popular kid goads Ajay into stealing a chocolate bar with a valuable prize inside, he has to figure out how to get his life... Read More

Narrator William Hope serves up the second adventure in a noir-influenced series featuring a lead character with a perpetually arched eyebrow. Craven's hero, Ben Koenig, is a former U.S. marshal with a rare genetic syndrome that makes him incapable of feeling fear or having second thoughts about dispatching villains. Hope adds warmth and humor as Koenig finds himself connected... Read More

Khaya Fraites and Emily Lawrence give spirited performances in this introduction to a rich duology based on Finnish fantasy. Aina and Siiri have been separated by the death gods as they work to survive a very harsh winter. Aina is sent to endure Tuonela, the underworld, and Siiri travels to save her. Both women embark on challenging trials, and Fraites and Lawrence depict them... Read More

Aida Reluzco's narration immerses listeners in this novel's tension and sensuality. Art historian Elizabeth Clarke arrives on a Greek island, intent on acquiring a specific sculpture. Reluzco's delivery captures Elizabeth's ambition, uncertainty, and growing obsession. She maximizes the suspense between the art deal and the island's secrets, as well as enhances the novel's rich... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini rises to the challenge of narrating Michael Crichton's first-ever novel, which was published in 1966. Listeners follow the adventures of three crooks as they plan a heist in the south of Spain with their leader, Steve Jencks, using computer technology in its infancy to calculate the chances of success. Ballerini seamlessly delivers a variety of accents,... Read More

Michael Crouch leads an enthusiastic crew of narrators as he portrays Dexter Foreman, the only preteen resident of The Pines retirement village. When a visit from the truancy officer lands Dexter at the local middle school, his old-fashioned clothes and habits make him a target of curiosity and ridicule. After one of his "handyman fixes" leads to an unexpected suspension, Dex... Read More

Mark Bramhall brings enthusiasm and gravitas to the latest Joseph Finder espionage adventure novel. The improbable but gripping tale leaps into action when our protagonist Paul Brightman, a former Wall Street star who's in hiding, must outrun apparent gangsters. Years ago, he fell in love with a Russian oligarch's daughter and is now paying the price. The story alternates... Read More

This second installment brings British historian Ronald Hutton's magisterial biography of Oliver Cromwell up to 30 hours of listening time. It's a daunting undertaking for most listeners--but still short of Cromwell's term as Lord Protector of Britain 1653-58. Even so, there is much to recommend here. Narrator Nigel Patterson's fine enunciation is silken to the ear, bringing... Read More

Narrator Gregory Jones deftly presents 20 lessons on privacy protection, using smooth transitions and well-timed pitch inflections to maintain listeners' attention and buy-in. The lessons provide concrete actions that are built on convincing evidence. For example, in "What the Constitution Says," the author advises on how to respond to police questioning. In "Small Data Paint... Read More

How can we let go of the one we loved and lost? That's the central question that Frankie Corzo so expertly poses in her enthralling narration of this YA fantasy-romance. By day, Estrella "Noche" Villanueva is a 17-year-old who is mourning the death of her first love, Dante. But by night, Noche transforms into a Lechuza, a beautiful black owl who guides spirits to the sky.... Read More

Charlotte North returns to narrate the third--and final--audiobook in the Wilmot Sisters series, this time accompanied by Tim Paige. While visiting Scotland, Juliet briefly dances with a handsome stranger named Will she meets at a pub. Serendipity has the two meeting again several months later in Juliet's family's greenhouse. Will's best friend from college just happens to be... Read More

In this searing indictment of U.S. imperialism, journalist Omar El Akkad exposes the rot at the heart of American liberalism and the ugly truth that undergirds American democracy: It's predicated on the subjugation of marginalized people around the globe. El Akkad focuses on the genocide in Gaza but also draws on his career as a journalist in the post 9/11 years and his... Read More

The collected voices featured here have an emotional power that's funny, shocking, and heartbreaking as they provide an absorbing look at contemporary Namibian life. Loosely threaded together into "A" and "B" sides, like a mixtape, the material has a natural rhythm. Anthony Oseyemi portrays the brash writer-on-the-make voice of the "A-side," which recounts how his dreams of... Read More

This third volume in Yarros's fantasy romance series offers an engaging listening experience. It centers on Violet Sorrengail, who after nearly 18 months at Basgiath War College, embarks on a dangerous quest beyond the crumbling Aretian wards to gather allies against both internal and external threats. With her dragons, family, and love interest, Navarre, at risk, the story is... Read More

Veteran narrator Shiromi Arserio takes on a new role as author, and who better to narrate the audiobook than she? Former assassin Samara is hired to infiltrate a magical auction and rescue the girl who is being auctioned off. It's all the sweeter because if Samara succeeds, she will get revenge against the man who sold her as a child. The heist requires careful planning, and... Read More

Narrator Alexandra Hunter rescues a meandering fantasy and steers it into a highly enjoyable listen. She introduces Kaley Arens, who visits the islands of Bellis under the pretext of hearing new fairy tales for her dissertation. Once there, Kaley learns the islands are actually another planet. While there, she travels with companions Tanek and Sojee, watching Earth fairy tales... Read More

Kudos to the author, publisher, and narrator of this audiobook. Author Ewing delivers her introduction, which sets up the arguments. She then turns the body of the text over to Golden Voice narrator Robin Miles. Miles is a gifted performer whose tone, tempo, and cadence enhance the dark truths of this provocative work on the failure of our educational system. Ewing, who is a... Read More

Sarah Slimani narrates this debut fantasy, the first installment of The Shattered Lands. Naila is a student at the magic academy who is trying hard to find her magic. Soon, she catches the attention of Haelius, the most powerful wizard, who takes it upon himself to mentor her. Slimani captures Naila's progression from an uncertain "hollow mage" who is relegated to the lowest... Read More

Period music provides an apt background for a note in the initial credits informing listeners that the pronunciation in this production will be performed in the Early Modern English of Shakespeare's time. That sets up an immersive transition to the world of 61-year-old Judith, apothecary, midwife, and the last of the Bard's progeny, who must leave town after being accused of... Read More