With verbal aplomb and a jaunty pace, Jonathan Yen deftly narrates this tale of scientific adventure. Every 100 years, a total solar eclipse darkens a path across the United States. In 1878, three notable research parties made extraordinary preparations to witness and measure the event. One was led by an eminent, though egotistical, asteroid hunter who was desperate to lay... Read More

A top-notch performance by Malk Williams makes Mick Finlay's debut novel as good as it gets. The setting is the London of Sherlock Holmes. A woman comes to ex-journalist turned private investigator Arrowood because she can't afford Holmes. Her brother has vanished, and she wants Arrowood to find him. The story is told by Arrowood's partner, Barnett, who soon makes it obvious... Read More

Narrators Therese Plummer and Julia Whelan team up to deliver a twisted psychological thriller. Teenage sisters Emma and Cass Tanner disappeared three years ago. Now three years later, Cass returns--without Emma. Forensic psychologist Abigail Winter is on the case to find out where Emma is, why the sisters left home, and what happened after that. A mellow numbness to both... Read More

Cassandra Campbell narrates this incredible story of motherhood, love, moral responsibility, and survival. Joan and her 4-year-old son are enjoying the last few moments before closing time at the zoo when shots ring out and her idyllic afternoon becomes a nightmare. Narrating primarily from Joan's perspective, Campbell captures her horror, determination to survive, and devotion... Read More

Narrator Kathleen Early brings to life Slaughter’s compelling story of past and present violence and its impact on sisters Charlie and Sam. Using pitch, tone, and pace, Early contrasts the personalities of the two sisters as teenagers and then, 28 years later, as adults. She excels at projecting the larger-than-life character of their father, Rusty. The way Early enacts the... Read More

Tess Gerritsen and narrator Tanya Eby have scored again in this twelfth suspense novel featuring Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles. The audiobook starts with Isles visiting her dying birth mother--all fine except that the woman is a serial killer handcuffed to her hospital bed who promises the pathologist that she'll "find another one soon." And lo, Isles and Rizzoli... Read More

Mia, who was adopted from Korea, discovers forbidden photos while visiting North Korea with her father and brother. When police seize their father, the siblings attempt to escape, carrying proof of government atrocities. Narrator Jackie Chung's delivery of the precise, stilted English of the government guides suggests Mia's sense of being an outsider. However, Chung truly sets... Read More

Narrator Bianca Amato delivers another flawless performance as author Philippa Gregory reaches deep into history, using impeccable research to speculate on the hearts and minds of three Tudor women. While many listeners know the tragic story of Jane Grey, who was queen for nine days, before she was executed, fewer know of her sisters, Catherine and Mary, who were also rightful... Read More

Narrator Donna Postel gives the listener the feeling of lounging in a comfortable room while talking about books with a fellow bibliophile. She narrates Ann Hood's memoir of her early life with books in a conversational tone, praising the power of reading to expand a young person's horizons. Postel's steady pace leaves room for listeners to recall their own relationships with... Read More

This novel-in-verse, written by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess, sings with the despair, hope, and love that wash over 17-year-old Blade, a budding musician. Alexander's affection for Blade is obvious through his narration. He wrings every drop of emotion from a poignant story of a teen who is missing his mother, who died years ago, and battling his father, a broken-down... Read More

In this culinary biography, a newly established genre, food historian and journalist Laura Shapiro provides a different take on the lives of famous women, among them Eva Braun, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Gurley Brown. Her focus is on the language of food. The author narrates the beginning and ending of the audiobook, and adds little. Principal narrator Kimberly Farr, however,... Read More

Narrator Karen White animates five perspectives in this story of Aviva, a young intern who has a disastrous affair with a congressman. The story is told by three generations of women, with their narratives advancing the story over 13 years. White excels at using accents, intonations, and emotions to create believable portrayals of primary and secondary characters. With equal... Read More