Lakota/Mohawk narrator Charley Flyte returns to draw listeners into the brutal earthly and sad spiritual worlds of forensic photographer Rita Todacheene. Flyte masterfully meets the challenge of voicing Todacheene, conveying her torturous special gift to see and hear the spirits of those who have died by violence. Shifting seamlessly between Todacheene's perspective and the... Read More

Narrator Christine Anne-Roche uses impressive vocal agility, infusing her voice with strong emotion that matches the powerful message of this audiobook. Nemonte Nenquimo, a member of the Waorani people of Amazonian Ecuador, recounts her path from her childhood in the forest to her present work as a tenacious environmental activist. Listeners follow Nenquimo on her journey from... Read More

This collection of Hanukkah noir, edited by Tod Goldberg, offers 11 gritty crime-filled stories better suited for listeners who are noir enthusiasts than those seeking lighthearted holiday tales. Contributors include Ivy Pochoda, David L. Ulin, Lee Goldberg, Liska Jacobs, and Tod Goldberg. Each story is narrated by one of four masterful narrators who expertly flex their timbre,... Read More

In a clear and expressive voice, Marisol Ramirez narrates this fascinating audiobook about 60-year-old Tere Sánchez, who begins to levitate like her relative St. Teresa of vila. Grieving the death of her husband, Tere feels lost. One day, while tending his garden, she levitates. Terrified, Tere travels to vila, Spain, seeking answers about levitation. While in vila, she... Read More

In 1976, the football (soccer) club of Watford, England, was once again at the bottom of its league standings. Then something extraordinary happened: Rock-and-roll superstar Elton John bought his hometown team. Narrating with relaxed British aplomb, London stage veteran Alex Jennings delivers the feel-good story of how John's partnership and eventual friendship with... Read More

Narrator Vico Ortiz imbues humanity and compassion into this candid, moving portrait of eight trans and nonbinary teenagers living in the U.S. Journalist Nico Lang seamlessly weaves together personal interviews from across the country, ranging from California to Texas to Florida and more. Each profile is a compelling listening experience, with vivid details of the teens' unique... Read More

Sebastian Humphreys delivers an enthusiastic performance of a delightful cast of characters in this mystery. Chef Paul Delamare steps in as a culinary teacher to help his injured friend, celebrity chef Christian Wagner, and finds himself in the middle of a kitchen disaster. Humphreys's warm, pleasant voice and English accent pair perfectly with Paul's empathetic personality.... Read More

Bianca Amato's warm, beautifully enunciated narration adds to the enjoyment of spending time again with Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi of Botswana in the 25th installment of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. The South African actor understands that the series' gentle humor and wisdom about human frailties are as important as the detective cases. In this instance, a succession... Read More

Patricia Rodriguez wisely takes her time performing this biography of physicist and chemist Marie Curie. Curie's life was chock-full of scientific breakthroughs, tragedy, sexism, and dozens of female scientists who worked with her. It's a lot to keep straight. Most of Curie's life was spent in Paris, so Rodriguez's skill with French enhances this audiobook. Curie was the first... Read More

Adetinpo Thomas narrates the story of 17-year-old Small Sade as she leaves the orphanage in the magical city of Oluwan to find work. She accidentally binds herself to a powerful god called the Crocodile, who hopes Small Sade's Curse Eater abilities can save him. But all she aspires to is keeping her head down as the humble worker bee she was raised to be. While occasional lines... Read More

Fiction writer Charles Bock turns to memoir as he tells the story of his adored wife's death and the task of raising their 3-year-old daughter, Lily, solo. Bock narrates with such rhythm that you almost visualize the text's line breaks. His delivery illuminates the beauty of his writing and the harsh reality of his struggles with grief, trying to maintain a career despite... Read More

Narrator Liz Pearce is exactly the storytelling tour guide listeners will want for a holiday manor house romance set in 1902 England. She sounds bright and whimsical as Lady Mariah Lyons, whose beloved Plumford Manor will eventually pass to her stepfather's heir, Cyril Lightbourne. Pearce's voice for Cyril is boyish and earnest. When Cyril joins Mariah's family for the holiday... Read More

Sophie Amoss's engaging performance enhances this young adult fantasy about a world divided between those who have the signs of magic on their palms and those who do not. The disenfranchised latter are called the Markless. When Ruti, a frank and sarcastic Markless witch, is apprehended for royal theft, she is coerced into helping the haughty Princess Dekala in her quest to rule... Read More

An Albanian interpreter in New York City becomes more and more involved in the life of her client, Alfred. They develop a speedy intimacy as she interprets personal information in a therapy session that leads to some challenging moments in her marriage. Narrator Morgan Hallett employs accents to distinguish the Albanian characters and adopts a relaxed pace. Her tone... Read More

Actor, filmmaker, and author Edward Burns's narration features gentle humor and an unmistakable Long Island accent. His novel takes listeners on a bright-eyed and bittersweet tour of a sensitive child's recollections of growing up in the outer reaches of New York City in the 1970s. The novel seamlessly weaves tales of his 1940s immigrant grandparents; his stern father, a cop;... Read More

Black romance novelist Saira Wright seeks holiday inspiration and finds love in Santa Claus, Indiana. Portrayed by Charlie L. Wood, Saira, exudes self-confidence and competence as she enjoys Christmas traditions along with the owner of her vacation rental, widower Dorian Black. Tony Roberts's quiet and emotionally controlled narration demonstrates the tightly held grief that... Read More

In this novella, narrator George Guidall showcases his masterful narration talents in bringing to life Walt Longmire, Henry Standing Bear, and a crew of new characters who share this intense adventure. Guidall's nuanced performance takes listeners on a life-threatening journey with Longmire and Henry as young men. Disillusioned after returning from serving in Vietnam, Longmire... Read More

Tamika Katon-Donegal narrates this fantasy, the first in a series. From the moment Kai wakes up in the woods with amnesia and discovers her belongings have been looted, life becomes a struggle. With the help of a gorgeous man who, suspiciously, seems too skilled at swordplay to be stuck in such a remote town, Kai hopes to regain her memories. Narrating quickly, Katon-Donegal... Read More

Narrators Ebony Ford and Tony Roberts depict Noel Anderson and Kanton Joseph's meet-cute when their apartment share goes wrong. Ford's depiction of Atlanta-based Noel Anderson features a hint of a Southern accent, along with smooth, fluid phrasing. Ford accurately represents Noel's unwillingness to share space with Kanton, although listeners may find her deal with Kanton... Read More

Narrator Mia Barron displays deft timing and impressive range in her performance of this story of a blockbuster author beset by writer's block and her biggest fan. When early-onset dementia overtakes 40-year-old Libby Weeks, she's desperate enough to seek out 11-year-old Peanut, whose persistent fan mail suggests she might be able to help Libby finally complete the much-delayed... Read More

In thoughtful tones, Sophie Amoss narrates this insightful exploration of a woman's journey of self-discovery. Marina leaves war-torn Yugoslavia for America, hoping to find a better life. Years later, her father sends word that their family's cheese factory is failing. Marina leaves her dying marriage and her New York City life to return to Pag to help. She finds a divided... Read More

L.J. Ganser's usual enthusiastic narration shapes the cadre of characters in this noir-ish story. The plot is a bit loose, but the characters are entertaining, especially as enhanced by Ganser. A woman commits a crime and then heads west to California to be with her grandfather, who runs a photo studio. The backdrop is the burgeoning movie industry--specifically, porn--which... Read More

Cork O'Connor's diverse heritage plays a pivotal role in the latest audiobook in this consistently engaging series. O'Connor, who has both Irish and Ojibwe lineage, uses his background to unravel the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of a local politician's teenage daughter and the grave of a young Ojibwe woman. David Chandler is an excellent choice as narrator. His use... Read More

Novelist Isabella Hammad delivered the Edward W. Said Memorial Lecture at Columbia University in September 2023. In this powerful audiobook, she reads that lecture with poise and urgency. Her voice is assured and firm, inviting listeners to truly sit with the impact of her words. She examines the fight for Palestinian liberation through the lens of fictional and historical... Read More

Vico Ortiz narrates this fantasy audiobook with an intensity that fully embodies Marney Honeycutt's vow of vengeance. Yann Chauncy, the sole person responsible for the extraction of ichorite, a new valuable metal, responds to his striking manufacturing workers by massacring them all. Only Marney survives, and a decade later, she disguises herself as an aristocrat, infiltrates... Read More

Thom Rivera narrates Herrera's latest novel, which features Benito Juarez, the first Indigenous president of Mexico, who was in office from 1858 to 1872. This short yet unhurried work takes place in the 18 months of Juarez's exile in New Orleans. He funds his exile with odd jobs and spends his days drinking coffee with fellow outcasts. Rivera's clear narration delivers flawless... Read More

Narrator Marissa Czyz establishes youthful, high-pitched voices for 7-year-old Stella and her 4-year-old sister, Marigold. From the moment Stella met her new baby sister, she promised to tell her all about the world. Stella and Marigold have all kinds of adventures in their home and community as they learn and grow, sometimes even getting into squabbles with their parents.... Read More

Aimee Crocker was a real person, born into a wealthy, conventional family in 1864. Narrator Suzanne Toren's interpretation of Aimee's development from naïve teenager to a beautiful intellectual and sexual gourmand well into her 50s is phenomenal. Toren's fine performance will give listeners an understanding of this mysterious woman whom no one understood in her time. Women... Read More

With his deep baritone, narrator Leon Nixon transports listeners to a gritty 1965 Los Angeles. It's there that crime photographer Harry Ingram documents police officers as they attack an unarmed protester in a barrage of violence. He soon finds himself awakening in the hospital with his camera nowhere to be found. In a tone brimming with intrigue and suspense as Ingram... Read More

Kurt Kanazawa offers a heartfelt presentation of Kim's biography of Japanese American basketball player Wataru Misaka (19232019). Wat's talent and determination earned him a spot on the University of Utah's basketball team, where, during WWII, he competed successfully despite harrowing opposition from spectators. Kanazawa nimbly delivers the story of Wat's life, describing how... Read More

Narrator Fareeda Pasha captures this atmospheric story with her gravelly voice and crisp tone. Daisy's favorite time of year is October because of the changing of the season and all that it brings, including the fair. At the fair, Daisy wins a fish. Her fish is a bit odd, though. It looks like a pile of leaves with all its colors, and it has large blue eyes. Pasha skillfully... Read More

Graham Winton is the perfect narrator to deliver this biography of Ronald Reagan, the Midwesterner who became a Hollywood actor, governor of California, and the fortieth president of the United States. Immediately engaging, Winton sounds consistently interested and earnest as he brings political analyst and historian Max Boot's deeply impressive work to life. In a tone of... Read More

Listeners won't be surprised that Angela Shanté herself narrates this collection of poems and stories, a National Book Award finalist. A trigger warning at the beginning of the audiobook informs listeners of the sexual assault she writes about in several poems and the personal nature of the poems themselves, many of which were part of her MFA thesis. Shanté describes the... Read More

Stellar narrator Jefferson Mays and bestselling author James S.A. Corey are in warp drive as they launch the first book of a planned trilogy set in the far future. This loose reinterpretation of the Book of Daniel begins on a planet settled long ago by humans. When the planet is invaded by a hostile force interested only in utility, selected people are transported to an alien... Read More

In a captivating voice, Dion Graham tells the gritty story of Tulane music professor Nick Travers, who seeks to track down the brother of a dear friend who disappeared more than 30 years ago. Nick has long admired the once-acclaimed blues singer. So he travels the back roads of Tennessee and Louisiana as he follows leads and becomes entangled with a variety of... Read More

Fans of Police Chief Bruno Courrèges will be delighted to hear that he is on the mend from his gunshot wound and is doggedly investigating a discovery in his village in southwest France. Re-creating his characteristic sonorous portrayal of Bruno, Robert Ian Mackenzie skillfully delivers the chief's ruminations as he investigates the unearthing of an unmarked WWII grave on a... Read More

The second Agnes Sharp adventure receives a lighthearted narration from Moira Quirk. The octogenarian residents of Sunset Hall are tired of all the inconveniences in the village of Duck End, so when ditzy Edwina wins a vacation at a posh hotel in Cornwall, they all book rooms to chaperone her. Amid the luxury, Agnes witnesses what might be a murder. Quirk maintains the suspense... Read More

Lynnette R. Freeman narrates a fantasy featuring assassins and gods. Eveen is a member of the Dead Cat Tail Assassins Guild, and one of the best assassins in the city of Tal Abisi. When her newest commission puts her in an unforeseen quandary, she must use all her wits to survive. Freeman's narration highlights the shifts between drama and the humor in Eveen's story: an... Read More

Vivienne Leheny will keep listeners guessing as she narrates this smart story about a thirty-year-old mystery involving the disappearance of three members of a wealthy Nevada family. The incident resulted in national headlines. Leheny's wonderfully breathy presentation adds to the drama. The story starts simply enough: Dr. Sloan Hastings sends her DNA to a genealogy website and... Read More

Golden Voice January LaVoy has a broad range of characters to give voice to in this Afrofuturist audiobook. Cinnamon Jones has long been a leader in her community. Since the Water Wars, which were triggered by conflicts over climate catastrophes, Cinnamon has been working to provide housing, healthcare and education to refugees. Characters include an 8-year-old girl, who is... Read More

Narrators Andrea Emmes and Tim Fannon take listeners on an action-packed journey through time and space. From her ship in orbit, Lieutenant Selene Genji has a horrific view of Earth's destruction, brought about by decades of factionalism over alien contact. When she awakens in a strange ship to discover she's been hurled back in time by the blast, she realizes she may change... Read More

Robin Miles narrates this intricate fantasy steeped in Nigerian folklore of the Urhobo tribe. Despite her traditional upbringing, Naborhi chafes at the duties looming before her--marrying a man chosen by her family, having his children, and keeping his home. When a chance encounter with a magical fox sets her on an exciting and dangerous new path, she must find courage and... Read More

Narrator Susan Bennett employs a light Mountain accent to reflect the Pennsylvania Appalachian locale of this dark fairy tale. Her character voices, especially those of its featured characters, flourish into even stronger accents that ground them more squarely in the holler. Part coming-of-age in the 1980s, part magical realism, and part horror, the story follows impoverished... Read More

Amielynn Abellera delivers a lively performance of this romance. Evan gets shot down after casually asking out his new coworker, Dalisay, who has just arrived from the Philippines. His Filipino friends advise that to earn her heart, he must embark on the Five Stages of Courtship, a tradition that doesn't fit his modern sensibilities. Abellera's vigorous performance offers a... Read More

Stina Nielsen narrates this alternate feminist history. Sylvie sets out to tell her life's story for her twins whom she gave up at birth because she was unmarried. In 1862 she moved from Kentucky to Nashville in search of her sister. She brought with her a lost play by Aristophanes, which is centered on a cult serving Artemis that seeks chaos to disrupt the patriarchal business... Read More

The second book in Katie Siegel's Not a Detective series finds Charlotte Illes, now 10 years out of middle school, trying to move beyond her past as a kid detective. This becomes complicated when, as a substitute teacher, she returns to Frenchem Middle School, where her best friend, Lucy, also teaches. Lucy presents Katie with a mystery to solve. Chapters begin with a short... Read More

Narrator Stephen Thorne's nuanced narration is ideal for this comic depiction of a society in chaos. Listeners will enjoy its emphasis on the ridiculous. During Dan's first vacation in a decade, the sun explodes, and the resort where he's staying is plunged into darkness. A social hierarchy quickly takes hold in which Building A, with the most amenities and wealthiest guests,... Read More

L.J. Ganser gives a superb performance of this true account of how five shipwrecked sailors, three British and two American, survived on the Falkland Islands for 18 months during the War of 1812. Dolin's work is amazingly detailed with all things Falkland--history, flora, fauna, oceanography, meteorology--and he makes all of it interesting and engaging. He gives spellbinding... Read More

Le Guin's thought-provoking classic can be a challenge for any narrator. Her ahead-of-its-time narrative is a crazy quilt of excerpts from anthropological reports, cultural myths, and even a personal journal. Yet that doesn't seem to faze Golden Voice Michael Crouch in this gripping audiobook. Using a variety of accents, he brings to life the difficult mission of a human envoy... Read More

David Colacci, longtime narrator of the Inspector Brunetti mysteries, performs with confidence in this broody story that starts with teenage gangs wreaking havoc in Piazza San Marco and evolves into a tale of bullying and secrets in many quarters. As always in this series, corruption is rife in Venetian officialdom. Leon's writing emphasizes exposition over dialogue, so Colacci... Read More

Lindsey Dorcus narrates a sci-fi mystery set on Jupiter and its moon Io. Investigator Mossa and scholar Pleiti work together on a complicated new case involving multiple missing people, as well as new treachery at Valdegeld University. Dorcus portrays Mossa as brisk and straightforward; however, she captures Mossa's occasional hesitancy when it comes to her relationship with... Read More

Quyen Ngo immerses listeners in this dual memoir whose chapters alternate between a father and daughter. Nghia M. Vo delves into the period when he fled Vietnam by boat to take refuge in the U.S. after the fall of Saigon in 1975. Decades later, his adult daughter, Christina, who was raised in the U.S. and longs to learn about their family's homeland, travels to Vietnam. Ngo... Read More

Edwidge Danticat has a fine sense of language. This audiobook of essays testifies to a close reader and observer of human affairs. The famed Haitian American novelist, memoirist, and children's author is clearly a practiced narrator, and her delivery of the various French passages is musical. The essay topics range from the horrors of racism, the toll of hurricanes, and the... Read More

Ramiz Monsef performs this historical novel set during the Battle of Blair Mountain in the early 1920s. Lebanese American "Doc Moo" Muhanna serves as a medical doctor during the Mine Wars, tending to people in the camps and bandaging the wounds of those who were fighting against the bosses' hired guns. Monsef's narration enlivens the characters as they give listeners various... Read More

Nick Offerman performs this classic work about the importance of small agriculture to America's way of life. According to Berry, cultural and community connections are vital to agriculture. His examination of the harmful practices of agribusiness is still as relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1977. While the dense text might have proved too challenging for... Read More

Narrator Joel de la Fuente brings listeners to Space Habitat Altaire for the 25th reunion of the exclusive Rochford Institute's Class of 2064. While the prep school classmates compare their potential eligibility for Mars colonization, and generally hook up as much as possible, the staff of the luxury resort, almost all immigrants to the U.S., scheme to reclaim Earth and space... Read More

This is a captivating audiobook narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker. Thirteen years ago, monsters emerged from the shadows, devastating New York City and leading to the creation of the Monster Treaty. Kierse, a talented and fearless thief, shatters this fragile peace by entering the Holly Library, not knowing it's the home of a charming yet terrifying monster. Drawn to her... Read More

Narrator Samuel Roukin introduces listeners to this unique story of the German people before and after Hitler's maniacal rise to power. Roukin deftly creates both German and Jewish characters with identifiable voices and cadences. Sophia Alexander pays no mind to Hitler's actions until the hospital where her father works is burned to the ground because he refuses to perform... Read More

Three narrators, Susan Bennett, Christina Moore, and Xe Sands, combine their talents to tell the story of Dr. Lark Smith. Lark has been moved from oncology to the ER because she is deemed to be too emotional. Dr. Lorenzo Santini has offered to help her get back to oncology if she will pretend to be his girlfriend to please his grandmother. Sands gives Lark vulnerability as her... Read More

Nicolette McKenzie's excellent vocal craft makes the town of Marlow's amateur sleuths, Judith, Suzie, and Becks, individually recognizable as they return for the third installment in this popular series. When Marlow's well-liked mayor drops dead in the middle of a town council meeting, aconite, known as the queen of poisons, is found in his coffee cup. As usual, the clues and... Read More

This quest fantasy builds an imaginative world of nightmarish horrors, and Alyssa Appleton's methodical narration keeps listeners putting one foot in front of the other as they journey through it. For Karys Eska, speaking to the dead isn't just a skill that enables her to pay her rent. It's part of a contract that keeps her tethered to Sabaster, an eldritch being with vicious... Read More

Zoë Bossiere gives a quiet, thoughtful performance of their memoir about their trans boyhood in an Arizona trailer park. Their stories of boyhood in the desert are full of contradictions: the ease of being known and understood as a boy by their friends and neighbors, and the alienation caused by teachers who tried to force them into a gender that didn't fit. Their narration is... Read More

Chris Harper delivers the second adventure in Jasper Fforde's postapocalyptic "Colortocracy." Centuries ago, "Something That Happened" caused Chromatacian society to become a vision-oriented caste system. Governed by National Color, citizens follow rigid rules and suffer harsh penalties for breaking them. Eddie Russett, a Red, is charged with a murder he didn't commit. Eddie... Read More

Suzy Jackson's vibrant narration brings out the youthful emotions in this second-generation take on Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET. Rosaline Montague, the eldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet--who are NOT dead--finds herself a spinster at the age of 20. After several unsuccessful matchmaking attempts, her parents agree to a courtship by Duke Stephano, a man with a history of... Read More

You don't have to be familiar with the Beryl and Edwina Mystery series to enjoy Barbara Rosenblat's narrative gifts in this latest installment. Beryl and Edwina are hired to expose the Dinsdales, fraudulent new residents who are offering "seances." When the body of the former church organist appears where the medium's "spirit guide" is supposed to reside, things heat up.... Read More

This noir audiobook cries out for a female narrator. Mexican American Victoria Villarreal is the optimal choice. The story features two undocumented Mexican factory workers who collide with a couple of wealthy gringos. Villarreal's accents for both the Latinos and the upper-class Southern whites bring these characters to life. She gives the arrogant men appropriate tones of... Read More

Listeners join a group of friends at a birthday party who are discussing the murder of a fellow inhabitant of their peaceful Massachusetts town. When one of the partygoers is later discovered murdered, the story is told from the point of view of each character. As they do so, secrets and lies are revealed. The use of varied perspectives is complemented by the use of multiple... Read More

Stacy Gonzalez portrays 15-year-old mbar as she navigates life with her father, a gangster. They are traveling across Argentina, hunting for the person who murdered her father's partner. Gonzalez creates a sassy, likable teen in mbar, highlighting her self-confidence and self-doubt, both of which are part of her charm. Gonzalez also rises to the challenge of portraying the wide... Read More

Andrea Gallo's skillful narration, especially her natural cadence, brings to life the two intertwined narratives of this audiobook on robotics. Her warm presentation personalizes the author's story, which ranges from watching "Lost in Space" as a child in Romania to becoming the director of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Gallo's delivery illuminates the author's... Read More

Hannah Cabell's narration keeps this audiobook from being just another teen-slasher movie treatment. One night before college graduation, library assistant Davey invites six acquaintances to lock themselves in the library's rare book room overnight to perform an ancient ritual that is meant to rid them of their fear of death. And there will be drugs. LSD, specifically. Faye... Read More

Tymika Tafari narrates an urban fantasy set in Toronto that is infused with Jamaican history, mythology, and religion. Sent on a quest by the goddess River Mumma to retrieve a stolen object, Alicia and her friends, Heaven and Mars, race against an impossible deadline. Tafari portrays River Mumma as haughty and capricious, but her deep and lasting connection to Alicia and her... Read More

Cindy Kay amplifies the drama in this Japanese thriller with her steely voice. It's 1979, and Yoriko Shindo is kidnapped despite her attempt to fight off her attackers. She finds herself forced into working for an arm of the yakuza--she has to serve as the driver for the daughter of the brutal boss. Kay shifts between the gravelly-voiced henchmen and the sharp, critical voice... Read More

Michael Crouch delivers a performance that embodies a sensitive intelligence. He captures the reflections of a creative life and how original thoughts build into compelling stories. Handler's audiobook is not composed in the voice of his beloved Lemony Snicket books; here he explores his growth as a writer, father, and husband. The resulting audiobook is authentic, vulnerable,... Read More

Anton Treuer does double duty as narrator of his debut novel, set largely in the wilderness surrounding the Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation, north of the Ontario-Minnesota border. Working with Grandpa Liam on his trapline, 15-year-old Ezra Cloud grapples with grief at the recent loss of his mother. It's an affecting story, but, sadly, Treuer is less gifted as a narrator of... Read More

Bill Weir is a polished and convincing narrator with a fine voice and a professional delivery honed from his career as a television journalist. As an enthusiastic storyteller, his work with ABC and CNN has taken him around the globe. In this audiobook, he looks for solutions to global warming, water scarcity, and food issues with side excursions into why people live so long on... Read More

Fans of the Longmire series will find much to enjoy in this twentieth installment. Narrator George Guidall masterfully portrays Sheriff Walt Longmire; his best friend, Henry; and all the characters, male and female, returning and new. Listeners are transported back to 1964, when Walt and Henry, post-college and newly enlisted in the military, embark on a road trip. Car troubles... Read More

This raucous story's unabashedly lusty queer pirates--particularly the eccentric Avra Helvaçi--are brought to life in Casey Jones's committed narration. Avra isn't exactly welcomed by Captain Teveri az-Haffar's crew, but he brings stolen government secrets and a string of good luck with him that the crew is glad to take aboard. When they set sail to sell the secrets, they... Read More

Narrator Barbara Rosenblat returns to Harmony, a planet populated with people from Earth who have developed different psychic abilities. Joshua Knight was a navigator on a lost expedition that Molly Griffin's sister was a part of. Molly tracks him down in an abandoned mansion filled with mirrors in order to secure his help finding her missing sister. Rosenblat projects the... Read More

Sandy Rustin's voice is just right for youthful PI Annie McIntyre as she deals with discovery after shocking discovery in a dusty Texas town. In Garnett everyone knows everyone--and their secrets. After a conversation with friends about nature or nurture, Annie is approached by Clint Marshall, an adoptee, who asks her to identify his biological parents. Using Ancestry.com and... Read More

Darcie Little Badger and narrator Kinsale Drake revisit the fantastic world of Elatsoe in this prequel. This time, listeners meet Elatsoe's grandmother, Sheine Lende, known as Shane, as a teenager when she is learning to be a supernaturally skilled tracker from her mother. Drake's steady cadence creates a storytelling mood reflecting a narrative that details family history and... Read More

Darrell Dennis navigates this touching novel about a family in distress; it's a gritty story about addiction, dementia, and obligations. Charles Lamosway is a white man raised on Maine's Penobscot reservation--an outsider. With the empathy created by Dennis, listeners will root for Charles as he deals with losing his mother and trying to connect with an estranged daughter, both... Read More

The narration of this mystery begins with Susan Bennett's introduction of Rose, who enrolls in the memoir-writing camp at which her daughter, Jules, drowned. How could Jules have drowned when she was afraid of the water? Bennett performs from Rose's perspective, projecting her discomfort with writing, her need to hide her name and agenda, and her growing suspicion about what... Read More

Cassandra Campbell's narration of the compelling places and people in this novel will engage listeners. With inspiration taken from her own family history, Messud's captivating audiobook spans seven decades, beginning in the 1940s, and traces several members of the Cassar family. Opening with the German invasion of France, this epic story is both a geographic journey and a... Read More

Sandy Rustin earned an Earphones Award for her narration of Marissa Moss's WOMAN WHO SPLIT THE ATOM, about the physicist Lise Meitner. Now she returns to lend her vocal talents to Moss's follow-up, a biography of another brilliant woman whose contributions have been overlooked. Rustin's clear, musical voice introduces listeners to Elizebeth Smith Friedman, who, with her... Read More

Narrator Daniel York Loh sounds refined and reserved as academic Lao She in this atmospheric twist on the cases of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Lao admiringly recounts the feats of Judge Dee Ren Jie, who is investigating a series of murders of Chinese men in 1920s London--murders the police seem uninterested in solving. Dee has a prodigious intellect and advanced fighting... Read More

In this memoir of the unexpected death of her son, Fi, Alexandra Fuller pulls off quite a feat by simultaneously filling her voice with both life and loss. Fuller grew up in Zimbabwe (DON'T LET'S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT), and her rich, warm voice contains appealing traces of that accent. Fi died at age 21 despite having no real health problems, and grief and incomprehension are... Read More

C.J. Bloom takes listeners on a whirlwind 500-mile road trip with this lively romance. Charlotte Carter is loving life in her hometown, where she teaches music. She's survived a failed engagement and her mother's cancer scare. So when she finds out her music program has lost funding, she decides to enter a tandem bicycle race to raise money. Zach, her ex-fiance's brother, will... Read More

Stina Nielsen's melodious voice and elegant performing style work well for this autobiographical novel. She narrates with understanding and emulates the main character's musical musings. Her tone and timbre are just right for Jodie Rattler, the singer-songwriter who has luck in her career but challenges in her love and family lives. The references to twentieth-century music... Read More

Two Native Americans narrate this short story collection in the Indigenous horror vein. The titular monsters are both supernatural --vampires, werewolves, ghosts--and all too human--a brutish boyfriend, a predatory medical system. The stories span two centuries and include members of a sprawling Cherokee family. Narrators DeLanna Studi--Cherokee Nation--and Lane Factor... Read More

A business journalist combines flawless narration with intelligent writing to explain how cultural and institutional barriers have blocked U.S. women's access to financial independence and the power that comes with it. Josie Cox's mature-sounding performance and British accent add dignity to her careful research and writing. The stories of pioneers like Betty Friedan, Ruth... Read More

Robert Ian Mackenzie's performance makes you feel right at home as you share the day-to-day joys and crises of old friends at 44 Scotland Street. The 17th in the series finds Angus wrapped up with a whistleblower, Matthew trying to establish a Pictish Experience Center, Big Lou's husband making an unapproved lifestyle shift, and 7-year-olds Bertie, Olive, and Ranald dealing... Read More

Beverley A. Crick gives a spirited performance of this historical adventure. In mid-nineteenth-century Europe, Clara, who is wrongfully accused of being "insane," meets Theodore, her grandfather's new apprentice. Theodore then whisks Clara away on scavenger hunt around Europe to find a flying machine that is coveted by villainous enemies. Crick gives a cheeky flavor to her... Read More

Allison Aguilar's performance offers this engaging coming-of-age story plenty of heart, spunk, and power. Mani is devastated that her mother has planned a surprise trip to Guatemala that will tear her away from her friends for the entire summer. But when she learns about the disappearances of Guatemalan women, Mani is determined to fight for what's right in her community. Mani... Read More

With a tranquil steadiness and an ear for sharp poetic detail, David Aaron Baker captures a very American, or perhaps a very post-American, voice in this postapocalyptic tale of a man who witnesses a world unraveling. Books are banned. Food is scarce. And murders go unpunished. Our hero sails across the Great Lakes in search of old memories and a shelter in the storm. When he... Read More

A talented trio of narrators explore what it means to be young and misunderstood in this magical YA audio. Rosie, Caro and Zeke have little in common except their frustration at not being seen for who they are. When each discovers a talisman that seemingly allows them to right the wrongs they've experienced, they band together to take control of their futures. Amanda Alcántara... Read More

Fans may be disappointed that this is Maisie Dobbs's final adventure, but they will appreciate the tender way the various characters' closing stories are treated. Narrator Orlagh Cassidy masterfully conveys the returning characters, Maisie's extended family, and the newly introduced individuals, male and female, young and old. Cassidy's talented use of accents lends credibility... Read More

Narrator Lynnette R. Freeman's creative voice work pulls listeners deep into a world in which witchers, people with magical abilities, are systematically oppressed. Eighteen-year-old Venus, a witcher and potion brewer, joins a dangerous plot to stop a witcher registration law. Freeman deploys a plethora of voices as Venus infiltrates political circles with help from her family.... Read More

In a dual narration, Sophie Amoss and Robb Moreira perform this engrossing thriller. A teenage girl is found by police on the side of the road. Then a man arrives, claiming that she is his daughter, and he has ample evidence to prove it. Due to the girl's amnesia, she has no choice but to believe him and hope for the best. Elsewhere, teenaged Drew's girlfriend, Lola, is... Read More

Lori Prince delivers this queer romance about a young woman living in Los Angeles. Max works hard, whether working as an assistant to a talent agent or scouring dating apps for a future girlfriend. But she never seems to achieve her goals. Then her roommate, a social media influencer, introduces her to a self-actualization app, and everything starts to fall into place. Prince's... Read More

This intensely interesting spy novel by WASHINGTON POST foreign affairs columnist David Ignatius makes for a gripping audiobook. The setup: Volkov, a mathematically gifted, socially awkward Russian student doing graduate work in Beijing in the '90s, falls for a lively American girl. She abruptly dumps him and disappears. (But why?) Decades later, the world's balance of power... Read More

Karen Chilton's performance brings listeners close to the lives detailed in this story collection. Sanders's works are linked by the friction that emerges when family members and co-workers encounter each other in various shared spaces, sometimes begrudgingly. The stories revolve around a Black family, primarily in the Washington, DC, area, where a cross section of affluence,... Read More

Four narrators deliver a YA epistolary novel set at the end of the nineteenth century. Sophia, Polly, and Tirzah were friends at school but have now gone their separate ways: Sophia to London, Polly to Liverpool, and Tirzah to Scotland. The narrators imbue the characters' ensuing letters with the emotions of each girl as she overcomes her personal difficulties. Dowd gives voice... Read More

Listeners will hear a fun performance in this reluctant contemporary romance. Nami's tech start-up is about to be taken over by another tech giant, the company for which her high school rival, Jae, now works. While the takeover is definitely hostile, the relationship between Nami and Jae is much more complex. Will the rivals turn into lovers? Narrators Donald Chang and Chieko... Read More

The narrating trio of Frankie Corzo, Robb Moreira, and Victoria Villarreal add warmth and expressiveness to this mystery involving two families. When Isabella was five, her baby sister disappeared from their home in Puerto Rico. Twenty-five years later, Marianna, living in New York, takes a DNA test that is a match to Isabella. Wanting to write a magazine article about faulty... Read More

A charming story and two narrators exuding energy and warmth knock it out of the park. Simon Vance is Olivetti, a typewriter who breaks the “typewriterly” code of silence to spill his tapestry of tales in order to find his missing owner. Vance brings a gentle, snarky tone to Olivetti as he dismisses books as “one-hit wonders” and the laptop as “a show-off,” delivering his... Read More

Alma Cuervo’s warm, rich timbre and measured style suit this captivating audiobook. Her delivery works perfectly as she emulates the author’s empathetic tone and wit. This is a vividly imagined story of a novelist whose nom de plume is Scheherazade. She leaves Vermont and returns to her native Dominican Republic to bury her untold (unfinished) works. The plot takes a satisfying... Read More

Author/podcaster RJ Young narrates his own work with focused intensity as he deftly recounts the harrowing events of the June 1, 1921, Tulsa Race Massacre, in which dozens of Black men were killed and thousands displaced. More than 40 square blocks of African American homes, businesses, schools, and churches were burned to the ground. These events serve as a jumping off point... Read More

Rachel Botchan impressively conveys this disturbing story based on an actual unsolved murder in 1800s Killingly, Connecticut, and Boston. When Mount Holyoke student Bertha Mellish disappears, listeners meet her family and other students from the college, including her best friend, Agnes. Botchan deftly re-creates the period diction, snobbish members of the upper class,... Read More

Cisco Fernandez narrates this futuristic dystopian audiobook with an appropriately childlike reverence for the story's gravity. Leandro is a member of the Cascabeles, a Spanish-speaking group that is oppressed by the Pocatelans, the ruling class. When Leandro's sister is caught stealing fruit, Leandro takes the fall and ends up having his essence placed inside an ancient bird... Read More

Scottish actor Lauren Lyle brings a subtle touch to this audiobook, set in Edinburgh and featuring DCI Karen Pirie, the character Lyle also plays in the television series. Pirie and her team are in lockdown during the early days of Covid when they're drawn into a barely cold case involving a student's disappearance and a dead author's unfinished manuscript that seems to lay out... Read More

With his lovely Irish brogue, Dan Murphy narrates this follow-up to SOLAR BONES. Nealon, just released from prison, returns to his home in West Ireland, now devoid of his wife and young son and their possessions. Almost immediately, he is telephoned by a mysterious man whom Murphy fills with enough menace and specific knowledge about Nealon to make him and listeners wary of... Read More

Ben Arogundade does a fine job performing this collection of science-fiction short stories set in Africa. His steady voice helps listeners through the unfamiliar terrain of places and things, though there is no "coming together" of these stories as the title suggests. Each is set in its own reality. Most intriguing is "Saturday's Song," an African folktale of seven godlike... Read More

Felix, the son of the much admired author Dick Francis, has written a horse-racing novel worthy of his acclaimed father's series. In this colorful mystery, the distinguished Golden Voice narrator Martin Jarvis gives voice to Theo Jennings, a bloodstock auctioneer in New Market who happens to overhear two buyers discussing skullduggery and possible equine murder. Jarvis portrays... Read More

Amy Alexander's Scottish burr and nuanced delivery are perfect for this cozy collection of love stories. Who needs online dating in Edinburgh when the Perfect Passion Company can apply a more tailored and personal approach to making love matches? Katie takes over her cousin's matchmaking business and discovers it takes innovative thinking to sort out the types of people her... Read More

Actor Lili Taylor brings a wry warmth to her narration of Campbell's latest, set in Michigan's Great Massasauga Swamp, where a family contends with secrets and intergenerational trauma. Taylor portrays imperious Hermine Zook, who is raising her 11-year-old granddaughter, Dorothy, nicknamed Donkey, on a secluded island in the middle of the swamp. When tragedy strikes, Donkey's... Read More

Laura Knight Keating brings this Stonewall Award winner, a Norwegian import, to English-speaking listeners. "Seventh grade sucks," observes Tuva as she struggles to navigate both changing friendships and her growing same-sex attraction to a new classmate. She pours out her feelings to her diary, writing and illustrating moments both sweet and painful. Keating's expertly pitched... Read More

Middle-grade listeners who know narrator Ramón de Ocampo as Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley will be stunned by his display of versatility in this horror tale set in rainy New Rotterdam, a vortex of supernatural weirdness. When newcomer Emrys and two friends find a book with an eye that blinks and that talks, they're ushered into a fight against forces of evil. De Ocampo carries... Read More

AudioFile Golden Voice Simon Vance navigates former double agent/journalist John Russell through his eighth adventure. It's the bad old days of the 1950s. The Cold War is heating up, Russia and the U.S. are at loggerheads in postwar Berlin, McCarthy's witch hunt is in full swing in America, and espionage is rampant. Russell's partner, successful TV actress Effi Koenen, is to be... Read More

Precious Mustapha and Tara Tijani invite listeners into an extraordinary story based on West African mythology. On the day her uncle dies, Ozoemena becomes the unwitting heir to a supernatural family legacy. After her father's death leaves Treasure and her mother destitute, she strikes up a bargain with a strange man in the market. Mustapha voices Ozoemena as a girl who is... Read More

Mary Beard's audiobook examines the various roles of the emperor during the first three hundred years of the Roman Empire. Her voice and British accent are pleasant, and a slight lisp is not distracting. Her delivery can be a bit slow, but the pace helps comprehension and is easy to get used to. She smoothly matches tone, emphasis, and the shaping of phrases to the text while... Read More

Narrator Eva Kaminsky portrays three women who spent a night together and awoke with psychic abilities they hadn't had before. Now one of them, Phoebe, has gone missing. Talia March and Luke Rand join forces to find her and to uncover the mysteries of that lost night. They track Phoebe to a remote retreat on Night Island, where they encounter the night gardener, whom Kaminsky... Read More

This amalgamation of short stories, poems, and other genres defies categorization. Nancy Wu's performance follows suit, bringing a masterful versatility that marks each chapter with its own uniqueness. The collection opens with "Variations on a Theme from Turandot," in which a young slave slowly alters the narrative of the opera she acts in each night. The work that... Read More

Narrator Michael Crouch emotionally connects to Wes, whose reputation as a bad boy with rowdy friends, terrible grades, and a quick temper is essential to hiding his gay identity. But when Wes is dragged to a ballet performance by his mom and her potential fiancé, he is immediately enamored with Tristan, a dancer. Crouch conveys Wes's frustration with authority figures, along... Read More

In this first installment in the Dangerous Gift historical romance series, narrator Beverley Crick invokes a sense of wonder and enchantment with her nuanced performance. At the start of the nineteenth century, Bran is abandoned at birth. Decades later, his birth father finds him and informs him that he is a member of the British nobility. Bran agrees to travel to Cornwall to... Read More

After listening to this probing audiobook, listeners will never look at a dust bunny the same way again. Narrator Naomi Frederick's spot-on performance makes listening to the environmental history of our planet's dust absolutely engaging. The author, a geographer, writer, and researcher, creatively combines travel writing with history and science to argue that environmental... Read More

Narrator Dion Graham, with his ability to tap into a wide variety of voices, is the right pick for this blues-heavy novel, first published in 1998, featuring music, violence, sex, and a psychopath. Nick Travers is a former pro football player turned blues historian at Tulane University in Louisiana. He is sent to find a music professor who went missing while researching the... Read More

Narrator Eva Kaminsky sets just the right snarky tone for the protagonist of this mystery, a misanthropic ghostwriter who has been hired to help a failed presidential candidate write her memoir. But when murder intervenes, the unnamed ghostwriter and Dorothy Gibson, the candidate, decide to become amateur sleuths. Much to our ghostwriter's surprise, the two not only solve the... Read More

Narrator Rebecca Quinn Robertson offers a gritty portrait of 26-year-old Teddy Angstrom, whose life goes off the rails after her father's suicide. Soon, Teddy discovers that her father never stopped investigating the disappearance of her older sister, Angie, ten years earlier. Teddy decides to pick up the investigation herself and falls headlong into a world of... Read More

Narrator Rosalyn Landor breathes life into the romance between Ben Ellis and Lady Jennifer Arden in England circa 1800. Ben is the bastard son of an earl, and Jennifer is the sister of a duke. Due to a childhood illness, Jennifer is unable to walk, but she is happy and loving nonetheless. Ben and Jennifer encounter each other at a family house party. Landor successfully... Read More

Amy Scanlon takes over fpr longtime series narrator Jenny Sterlin to provide an exemplary debut performance of King's 18th Holmes/Russell adventure. Sterlin's distinctive voice and extraordinary characterizations will always echo in our memories, yet fans will welcome Scanlon's unique, engaging approach. Holmes and Russell arrive in the French countryside to visit Holmes's son,... Read More

Robb Moreira will amaze listeners as the sole narrator of this audiobook as he gives each character a unique voice. Anxious 14-year-old Anteres lives with his aunt in Miami. His parents, who were cartographers, vanished long ago. One day, Anteres encounters intergalactic strangers at school. Later, creatures leap out of a lightning bolt and kidnap him. Before he knows it, the... Read More

Fareeda Pasha skillfully narrates the second book in the Blackwater Falls series, featuring Detective Inaya Rahman and her boss/love interest, Lieutenant Waqas Seif. Both are from the Community Response Team. This time they are investigating two separate shootings of young men of color by two separate white police officers. Pasha captures the Colorado community's despair and... Read More

Ten-year-old Lillian Velvet is an unusual Australian girl. She's lonely, homeschooled by her rigid grandmother, and has a very proper manner of speaking. Vivian Carter perfectly portrays Lillian; her every word and tone are filled with goodness and a desperation for emotional connection. On her tenth birthday, Lillian receives her first present, a jar of gold coins that shove... Read More

Amy Scanlon and Liz Pearce create a compelling listening experience as they perform the alternating points of view of witch sisters Kaija and Minna. Their journeys diverge when Kaija leaves their woodland home for the Norwegian seaside community of their childhood and Minna, seething with hatred for the villagers who burned their mother, remains behind. The townspeople come... Read More

Nick Podehl narrates this story, which takes place over one day. Bast, a cocky fae, is apprenticed to Reshi, the keeper of the Waystone Inn, who spends his day adventuring. Children with high-pitched voices visit the lightning tree, where Bast helps them with small problems in exchange for secrets and favors. Shouting and a trembling voice capture Rike's anger at his alcoholic... Read More

Christina Moore gives an expert performance of this third captivating episode featuring Italian police superintendent Teresa Battaglia. Teresa is drawn out of semi-retirement to interview imprisoned serial killer Giacomo Mainardi. Secretly dealing with an Alzheimer's diagnosis, Teresa fears her policing days are over. Her meeting with Mainardi releases a flood of memories,... Read More

In this classic tale of true love versus duty, narrator Sophie Amoss gives a thrilling performance that teen fantasy lovers will adore. Tana Fairchild is a young witch who was raised for one thing only: to marry Landon, the Governor's son from the mainland, whom she does not know. Tana is fine with this until she meets Wolfe, a witch from the old coven who practices the... Read More

Even with the large number of Chinese and Russian place and character names, listeners will be rewarded by Catherine Ho's performance of this fascinating historical novel. Sun "Yomei" Weishi (1921-1968), adoptive daughter of Zhou Enlai, is selected to leave China to study acting in Moscow. Ho delivers Yomei's vivid accounts of political upheaval, harsh conditions, and her... Read More

What happens when Murderbot has a mental breakdown and can no longer reliably perform its duties? Kevin R. Free narrates the latest installment in the Murderbot Diaries. In a story taking place immediately after NETWORK EFFECT, Murderbot, ART, and their associated humans continue to assist colonists on a planet marked for corporate salvage. Free’s depiction of Murderbot’s... Read More

Acclaimed author Jason Reynolds nimbly narrates his celebration of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes. Based on a picture of a real party in Hughes's honor at the Schomburg Center, this loving tribute is alive with rhythm. As Reynolds describes how Hughes excelled at making words dance to his tune, he makes his own words dance. He creates an irresistible feedback loop... Read More

Sarah Naudi offers a luminous narration of Harvey's latest sci-fi, which follows four astronauts and two cosmonauts aboard a space station orbiting the Earth. In a measured, thoughtful tone, Naudi provides a window on the crew's life in orbit, from the dreary mundanity of a malfunctioning toilet to the unsettling awe brought forth by a space walk. The crew members reach for... Read More

Moira Quirk and Samuel Roukin take listeners on a thrilling voyage filled with magic and piracy. Mary and Samuel both want something related to the powerful pirate lord, Lirr. Mary wants him dead, while Samuel wants justice. Samuel and Mary make a great team; he is an expert seaman, and she can calm the waters with her voice. The dual narrators offer vastly different... Read More

Rebecca Soler's captivating narration, coupled with Teddy Hamilton's collaborative touch, plunges listeners into the spellbinding realm of Basgiath War College. Chronicling Violet Sorrengail's unyielding fortitude amid grueling trials, encounters with dragons, and intricate relationships, the story emphasizes action and camaraderie over romantic involvements. The intense... Read More

Suzanne Toren's exquisite enunciation and no-nonsense manner meld beautifully with Donna Leon's sardonic, witty reflections on Venice and its denizens. Author of the much loved mystery series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti, American-born Leon has made her home in the watery city for more than 40 years. Many of her Brunetti mysteries are built around Venice's essential... Read More

Kate Forbes provides a no-nonsense narration of Thompson's popular series. Elizabeth Bates is devoted to getting the 19th Amendment passed. The amendment has been approved by 35 states. Only one more is needed, Tennessee. Elizabeth comes from a long line of con artists and can spot corruption when she sees it. She's astounded by how much of it she's seeing as bankers, railroad... Read More

Tim Gerard Reynolds returns with another installment in the rich sci-fi saga Red Rising. Eight months after DARK AGE, Darrow and his team defend Mars against Lysander, a force working against the Rising. Throughout his mission, Darrow must re-form long-forgotten relationships and create new alliances though he longs to return home to his family. Reynolds's expert performance... Read More

Moira Quirk does an excellent job portraying a variety of senior citizens who are burdened with ailments in this mystery. Agnes Sharp opens Sunset Hall in rural England so she and other geriatrics can age together. When there's a murder next door, the Sunset Hall residents, who are hiding a body in a shed, sense an opportunity: They'll blame that death on the unknown killer.... Read More

Productivity expert Jon Acuff narrates his latest audiobook with spontaneity and energy that are absolutely infectious. Part of what makes him connect so strongly with his audience is his frequent use of off-script asides and personal stories--what he calls "bonus content." These impromptu comments, delivered enthusiastically, never fail to energize and entertain. Along with... Read More

Forgiveness is misused because it's more complicated than people think, according to an articulate philosopher and expert on emotions and society. You can forgive someone, but what if you're still angry or wary of further transgressions? Are there times when forgiveness should be conditional or withheld altogether? Tracey Conyer Lee narrates with the vocal character of an older... Read More

Libby McKnight elegantly narrates a fictionalized history of the courtship and marriage of widow Edith Bolling Galt and the 28th U.S. president, widower Woodrow Wilson. McKnight delivers the deeply personal exchanges between the couple with a perfect understanding of the exquisitely romantic Wilson and the uncertain Galt. This period piece culls from official documents and... Read More

Colin Mace portrays the two seniors in this novel. Wittold Walccyzkiecz, a Polish pianist specializing in Chopin, falls in love with the woman who organized his concert in Barcelona. With skill and empathy, Mace uses pauses, changes in pitch, and emphasis as he navigates the complicated plot. Wittold's pursuit of Beatriz is deliberate and sensuous. Mace enhances the story's... Read More

Jasmin Walker narrates the story of a woman who returns home for the holidays and unexpectedly finds love. Starr is surprised to see her brother's friend Waylon at her family's Thanksgiving celebration. Neither is the type to have a fling, but their attraction is undeniable. As the year's end approaches, so does Starr's time in DC. Both characters rely on their deep faith to... Read More

Anne Enright, Aoife Duffin, Owen Roe, and Liza Ross perform Enright's latest novel. Duffin narrates the perspective of Nell, a 20-something who is navigating the complexities of young love and desire. When she meets her new boyfriend's parents, they only want to talk about her grandfather, the famous Irish poet Phil McDaragh. Duffin beautifully captures the frustration and... Read More

Robert Ian Mackenzie returns to portray Bruno Courrèges, chief of police in a small town in Dordogne, France. After a high-ranking official in the French Secret Service is injured during a historical reenactment, Bruno and his team set out to discover whether it was an accident or something more sinister. Mackenzie's fondness for the characters shines as he creates highly... Read More

This legal thriller features a fed-up public defender in rural Virginia. David Aaron Baker shines as the weary and beleaguered attorney Andy Hughes, who is defending the crooked and sinister Damian Bullins. Bullins is on trial for murdering the wife of a wealthy businessman. Baker's performance enables listeners to empathize with Hughes's disillusioned view of the legal system.... Read More

Sharmila Devar and Pranshu Mishra tap into the emotional turmoil of a marriage on the rocks in a Hindu-inspired eco-fictional world in which humans fight for their lives amid devastating storms. As an archaeologist, Ahilya knows the importance of studying the remaining vestiges of human civilization. As a senior architect with the ability to control plants, her husband, Iravan,... Read More

With a captivating ensemble of narrators, this audiobook delivers an electrifying experience. Liv Anderson embodies the witty and determined Princess Kali, infusing her performance with delightful touches. Mysterious and heroic, Samara Naeymi lends depth and charisma to the mercenary Ian, ensuring every moment is enthralling. Mia Barron skillfully navigates the growth and... Read More

Narrators Chris Nelson and Justis Bolding's heartwarming and comical performance will have listeners immersed in the unlikely relationship between interns Oliver and Tilly as they trek across Europe on a business trip with Tilly's sister's start-up. Bolding's voice is quick and bright when portraying Tilly, a creative whose boundless energy is often stifled by her family... Read More

There are many things to love about this retelling of Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET, and Sheila Atim's narration is one of them. This feminist prequel to the well-known romance shares the story of Rosaline Capulet and her encounter with Romeo as he tries his best to woo her. Atim's tonal variations and vocal range allow listeners to relax and examine this new perspective. When... Read More

Narrator Elizabeth Sastre adopts a gentle voice for this complex, sometimes puzzling, mystery about the disappearance of Lucy Theddle in 1951. The story is told in 2018 by Edie Green, an octogenarian with aphasia and dementia who was Lucy's best friend. Aided by her intrepid, cheerful granddaughter, Amy, soft-voiced Edie follows sketchy clues plumbed from her memories. In... Read More

David Rintoul returns to the role of Detective Ulf Varg in another charming trip to the Department of Sensitive Crimes. This time around Alexander McCall Smith's tongue-in-cheek take on the dour Scandi noir genre sees Ulf investigating the missing cabin of a bacon magnate while negotiating potential downsizing at work. Meanwhile, Ulf's girlfriend is convinced that his deaf dog,... Read More

Gerard Doyle performs this stand-alone dispatch from Mick Herron's cynical "spook street" world with such dry resignation that it is often laugh-out-loud funny, or would be if it weren't so believable. In his Slough House novels (and their TV adaptations, the riveting "Slow Horses") Herron is doing for MI-5 what Dickens did for Chancery and the Circumlocution Office. This novel... Read More

Suzanne Toren gives an exemplary performance of this memoir by Donna Leon, author of the Commissario Brunetti mystery series. Leon, who is in her 80s, shares illuminating vignettes of her family; her love of reading, tennis, and opera; her travels and her life in Venice; and her peripatetic career path in a life she describes as "unplanned." Toren's rich, elegant voice helps... Read More

Tamika Katon-Donegal narrates a contemporary YA audiobook with a twist. Sisters Casey and Sutton have a contentious relationship that is fraught with arguments and mutual ill will. After Sutton disappears for weeks, Casey notices that when she returns, her mean-girl personality has changed. Casey soon realizes it isn't an act. Trying to figure out what happened to her sister,... Read More

Narrators Ariana Delawari and Vaneh Assadourian portray best friends Layla and Mira after a road trip mishap leaves them stranded in a motel. Their room is inhabited by a dark force, voiced by narrator Ramiz Monsef. The room wants Mira because she carries the burden of her brother's death; Assadourian's mature and measured voice works well for the mourning teen as she and Layla... Read More

Jonathan Todd Ross's performance captures the growing unreliability of this novel's narrator, while maintaining the story's humor and tragedy. This is no small feat because the audiobook requires this deft, complicated tone throughout its entire running time. Seth is an up-and-coming copywriter until he's let go. He finds work in a coffee shop, discovering the numbing effects... Read More

If you've ever found yourself curious about how and why the Supreme Court does what it does--particularly during the past decade or so--this audiobook is for you. Graham Winton offers a measured yet compelling delivery of Sunstein's interpretations of recent major Court decisions and how they impact all Americans. The arguments on the correct way to interpret the Constitution... Read More

Tim Fannon narrates this world food tour crisply and deliberately. His delivery style is reminiscent of a news reporter's and captures the author's enthusiasm for discovering the unusual--for example, there's a long early chapter on insects. But listeners should persevere: Enlightening stories on Roman fish sauce, neolithic bread, British farmhouse cheese, and an endangered... Read More

Nadia Albina is a powerful narrator of this inventive novel, which features a prodigal daughter returning home from a long-term self-exile abroad. Sonia Nasir is a British Palestinian actor who returns to the West Bank discouraged and tired. The powerful narrative tone conveys Sonia's myriad emotions when she is tasked with staging a performance of HAMLET. Albina's heartful... Read More

Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch team up to deliver this twisty story about identity, family, and long-held secrets. In Maine, the summer begins like any other. Seasonal workers, including Indigenous families from Canada, are harvesting fruit in the fields. When four-year-old Ruthie disappears, the consequences are lasting, especially for her siblings. Warbus and Waunch trade... Read More

James Babson's fine performance of this audiobook reflects the story's Nevada setting--it's mostly relaxed and without a lot of unnecessary drama. The story is told through the eyes of Sheriff Porter Beck, an ex-military intelligence officer whose small department is stretched to its limit when the tortured, mutilated body of an ex-FBI man is found in his jurisdiction. The case... Read More

Jake Fairbrother, Ryan Forde Iosco, and Charlotte Davey share narrator duties. Rao, a former MI6 agent with an uncanny ability to know whether a person is telling the truth, and Adam, an American intelligence officer, are investigating a drug that materializes people's fondest memories--although it causes a psychic break with sometimes fatal consequences. Fairbrother takes the... Read More

Olivia Dowd is so good at delivering this history that it's like listening to a historical novel set in the sixteenth century. Dowd gives each woman a unique voice in this true account of the lives of Catherine de' Medici, Queen of France; her daughter, Elisabeth de Valois, Queen of Spain; and Catherine's daughter-in-law, Mary, Queen of Scots. The production provides hours of... Read More

Narrator Sophie Amoss infuses an engaging blend of fun and thoughtfulness into this contemporary sapphic romance set in the world of show business. Nina Rice, an aspiring screenwriter who ghostwrites celebrity correspondence for a talent agency, meets one of her clients, the effortlessly cool actress Ari Fox. Their simmering chemistry quickly turns into a discreet,... Read More

Sneha Mathan's warm midrange voice and sensitive character portraits enhance the pleasures of Sujata Massey's fourth mystery featuring Perveen Mistry, a female solicitor in 1920s Bombay. In this case, Mistry seeks justice for a wrongly accused servant while also investigating the crime for which the woman has been charged. Massey interweaves the complex story with details of... Read More

Alison Hiroto's light, sweet voice is well suited to Aki Ito, the protagonist in Hirahara's Japantown mysteries, set just after WWII. In this sequel to the award-winning CLARK AND DIVISION, we find Aki and her parents resettled in Los Angeles. Working as a nurse's aide at the Japanese hospital, Aki encounters an elderly Issei man with suspicious injuries. When a murder occurs... Read More

Elle Cleviden gives a quiet but satisfying performance of this queer contemporary romance. Parkie is a disabled white woman who is working as an appraiser for a New York auction house. Glory is a Black artist who's just inherited her great-aunt's Harlem brownstone. The two hit it off immediately when Glory brings in her aunt's belongings for appraisal. They soon get caught up... Read More

Narrator Alyssa Bresnahan affects a hypnotic tone, drawing the listener into a groovy, magical world in which pregnant women live without men in an expansive Victorian manor house in the woods in rural California. Their sons live there, as well. Sharon, who has changed her name to Ursa, collects "the mamas" to protect them and to allow participants to "transport" to the past.... Read More

John Skelley narrates this first installment of a new fantasy series. The story is told through multiple points of view: A girl is sold into sex slavery by her mother. A father and son command a merchant fleet on the verge of war, leaving behind their daughter/sister, who is a political prisoner at court. A feral young man embarks on a magical quest in which he matches wits... Read More

Narrators Xe Sands, Laural Merlington, and Jeannie Sheneman inhabit an assortment of ordinary people who are trying to understand their world and themselves. Bookstore owner Harlow secretly had a baby when she was 17. She gave him up to a loving couple, SanJay and Monica Patel. Now, eighteen years later, Harlow's son, Matthew, walks into her bookstore, and she faints. As Harlow... Read More

Shayna Small introduces Fatima Tate, a 17-year-old who chafes at the overprotectiveness of her conservative Black Muslim parents. But she also shows devotion to her religion and is passionate about her deepest desire to become a patissiere (baker). Enter Raheem. Small adopts a gravelly voice to portray this wealthy, handsome "Muslim prince." Small's portrayal of Fatima's... Read More

Kirsten Leigh and Lance Greenfield sweep listeners away to rural Wyoming, where they are treated to a crazy 80s-style destination wedding that is televised for reality TV. Thea Pope, a shy paleontologist who is the bridezilla's sister, just wants to get through the hellish wedding and begin her summer field work. When her sister pushes her too far, she decides to indulge in an... Read More

The protean Ballerini brings his fine voice, masterful tempo, and impeccable Italian to this audiobook. His voice, delivery, and simpatico sensibilities for the late Italo Calvino give this collection a sense of a celebration of the novelist/essayist/folklorist's reviews, essays, and other literary offerings. Calvino, who died in the 1980s, lives in these nonfiction works.... Read More

Lorraine Avila's familiarity with the world she describes and facility with code-switching are strong pluses in her narration of this story. In school 16-year-old Yolanda Alvarez leads courageous discussions about race, deals with her hearing difficulties, falls in love for the first time, and worries about the violent visions she's recently had. Her frightening perceptions are... Read More

Tom Lowe is broke, rudderless, and approaching toxic levels of bitterness as this audiobook opens. Once he proudly defined himself as a devoted husband, father, and carpenter; now, following an accident, he can't define himself at all. Dubus works narrative magic here. Without giving too much away, know that Tom's story is ultimately a satisfying one and Dubus navigates that... Read More

Shayna Small performs this powerful story of African magical realism, time travel, and survival in an unfair world. In the modern day, Blue begins to hear voices after the horrifying murder of her daughter hundreds of miles away. Almost 200 years in the past, her ancestors discover a plan to keep Blue's family in economic slavery. They use magic that spans generations and... Read More

Suzanne Toren delivers this absorbing discussion of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's contributions to the nation during WWII. She expanded the role of first lady during wartime by becoming actively involved in social issues and by traveling widely. In 1943, Eleanor visited with troops stationed in the Pacific Theater, providing practical support through the Red Cross and... Read More

Amin El Gamal narrates this story of a Syrian refugee family in an approachable manner, creating characters who sound familiar to the listener. In a voice only slightly tinged with an accent, El Gamal creates subtle yet noticeable differences between the two protagonists. When their city is attacked and their father martyred, Omar and Sufyan flee with their mother and younger... Read More

Narrator Rosalyn Landor immerses listeners in London society in 1815. Lady Philippa Ware is having her first season since scandal rocked her family. She is an instant success and becomes entangled with Lucas Arden's family. The grandson of a duke, Lucas has been commanded by his grandfather to marry and produce an heir. But years ago, Lucas insulted Philippa, and estrangement... Read More

Barbara Rosenblat's resonant tones sparkle as she re-creates familiar characters, and introduces listeners to new ones, in this seventh installment of Ellicott's Beryl and Edwina Mysteries. The intrepid private enquiry agents set out from their busy lives in the village of Walmsley Parva at the urgent request of Miss DuPont, headmistress of the very proper finishing school they... Read More

Narrator Lewis Fitz-Gerald adds a profound sense of loss and despair to the forlorn character of Tommy Llewellyn. The magical realism of Thompson's take on identity harkens to the best of "The Twilight Zone." As Fitz-Gerald describes the details of the mysterious "Reset" in a tone of wonder, it dawns on the listener just what's happening. The universe erases every detail of... Read More

Katie Siegel performs her own work, a witty mystery that follows the former child detective Charlotte Illes, who is persuaded to do some sleuthing on behalf of her brother. It soon develops into something sinister. Siegel's top-quality narration reflects her unique insight and obvious fondness for the characters. She creates fully believable characters in Charlotte and her... Read More

Narrator Jasmine Walker delivers a genuine and delightful performance that invites listeners to follow along with first-year law student Simone Alexander. Fed up with being a chef in sunny California, Simone leaves it to the shake of a magic 8-ball to dictate where she takes on law school. The result is frigid Michigan. Once there, she soon finds out she is underprepared, but... Read More

George Guidall once again enchants listeners with his performance of the characters in this 19th audiobook in Craig Johnson's Longmire series. Guidall's rich, weathered tones perfectly convey Sheriff Walt Longmire--Guidall's voice is now synonymous with the character in the audiobooks. With deft skill, Guidall navigates shifts in rhythm, pitch, and accent, smoothly... Read More

Scottish actor David Rintoul delights in this offbeat, witty collection of stories from the author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and other series. Laughter-inducing and wry, the clever tales offer a mix of exquisite retribution and snoops, both accidental and intentional. Settings in such far-flung locations as Algiers, Melbourne, rural England, Shanghai, and the... Read More

Alyssa Bresnahan narrates a satirical novel about the climate crisis. Cat lives in Florida with her frequently absent fiancé. On impulse she buys a pet snake for company. In California her brother, Cooper, an entomologist, loses an arm to an infected tick bite. Bresnahan manages to make both Cat and Cooper believably sympathetic without softening their unlikable personality... Read More

"What if I can't be Indian in Los Angeles?" worries 11-year-old Regina, voiced by Jennifer Bobiwash, a member of the Mississauga First Nation, in this story based on author McManus's own experiences. When the Umpqua girl's family is uprooted from their reservation home in Oregon in 1957 and relocated to the city, misunderstandings, microaggressions, and out-and-out racism... Read More

Tamika Katon-Donegal narrates this breezy romance about Andrea, a queer disabled teen who's determined to have the best summer ever--even if it means falling out of love with her best friend, Hailee, who she's not sure returns her feelings. Katon-Donegal is fantastic when it comes to capturing all of Andrea's excitement and butterflies-in-the-stomach feelings. Her character... Read More

Primarily known as one of our finest novelists, Jane Smiley is also an essayist of considerable style and grace. This audiobook combines autobiography, travel, literary criticism, and history, often in the same essay. Although her phrasing is sometimes a little stilted, especially in the more academic passages, she is writing and narrating about subjects of personal importance... Read More

This audio collection of essays and sketches is a marriage of good storytellers. Author John McPhee has the ability to make topics like plate tectonics, commercial shipping, and life under Covid lockdown interesting, as well as informative. Combine that with the mellow voice of Grover Gardner, and you have a work that nearly any listener will enjoy. The audiobook is a... Read More