BROADCHURCH

The landscape of Dorset, with its cliffs, beach, and sea, is extremely important in this police procedural. When the body of 11-year-old Danny Latimer is found one morning in summer, DS Ellie Miller and recently arrived DI Alec Hardy are thrust into a murder investigation. Narrator Carolyn Pickles, who is in the popular "Broadchurch" TV series, uses a flat tone to present the facts of this well-plotted mystery. Ellie is shaken because Danny is her son's best friend, and the son of her own friend, Beth. While projecting empathy for the Latimers, Pickles dispassionately reveals the secrets and lies of the townspeople as they're unearthed. Her timing and pacing never falter as she keeps listeners glued to the story. S.C.A. [Published: JANUARY 2015]