New Reviews: Mystery & Suspense

Tom Straw, the original author of the Richard Castle books, brings his signature fast-paced plot, snappy dialogue, and gutsy characters to this mystery. Celebrity Chef Sebastian Pike is coerced into letting the CIA use his food show as cover to extradite a high-ranking mole from Russia. CIA Agent Cammie Nova, acting as show producer, provides the spy connection and the love... Read More

Listeners will feel like they're nestled in the small town of Bethany, Vermont, in the 1960s. Bostonian Franklin Warren is new in town, having just moved there to take a position as a state police detective. Just as he settles in, there is a disastrous barn fire on Agony Hill. When Warren goes to investigate, he shakes up long forgotten secrets of the town. This mystery is... Read More

Jefferson Mays has his work cut out for him as he gives voice to the myriad characters in this time-traveling story of murder and revenge. He is certainly up to the task. The mystery is part of the ongoing series featuring FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast and Constance Greene as they attempt to corral the monstrous serial killer Enoch Leng. Listeners new to the series may find the... Read More

Longtime series narrator Elizabeth Knowelden's performance brings two occasional government agents to life: Lady Hardcastle, a genteel widow with a less-than-genteel past, and Florence Armstrong, her companion and confidante, who is also a martial arts expert. In the 11th Lady Hardcastle mystery, it's 1912, and the Secret Service Bureau dispatches Lady Hardcastle and Florence... Read More

Sisters Jessie and Brea, and bandmate Flo, all portrayed by narrator Kristen Sieh, are tight as a cover band and even more so as a crew of vigilante hit women with verve and style. Youers writes action scenes like a house afire, but the real enjoyment of this audiobook is the women's sisterhood, which is depicted with love and affection. A serial killer called The Wren pops up... Read More

A cadre of stunning narrators--including both authors--bring this unusual tale to life. The focus is an immortal warrior who is seeking the release of death. Unute was born untold ages ago to a human woman and a literal bolt of lightning. In modernity, Unute works alongside a military group as they seek to cure his immortality. Keanu Reeves and China Miéville narrate a few... 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

Narrator Kathleen Mclnerney returns to voice Chief Kate Burkholder in the sixteenth audiobook in this series. McInerney masterfully differentiates the returning characters, along with new folks good and evil, male and female. A crime scene at which an Amish man has been burned at the stake begins a new investigation that involves the detective's deep dive into the history of... 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

Listeners will find this frolic enjoyable due to the skillful narration of Billie Fulford-Brown. Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow are lifelong friends and con artists who only go after deserving men. Here they find themselves in the middle of a heist of a wildly valuable bracelet and the kidnapping of a girl. Fulford-Brown creates two distinct voices for the protagonists, as well... Read More

Jason Isaacs is clearly having a rollicking good time narrating Kate Atkinson's latest Jackson Brodie novel. It's jammed full of Agatha Christie tropes--butlers, vicars, nobles, retired veterans, and detectives all trapped in a great house in a snowstorm--but they're all turned on their heads. The butler is Australian, the vicar has lost faith, the nobles are broke, and the... Read More

Narrator Oliver Hembrough vividly describes the journey of ex-detective Jake Jackson from London to an off-the-grid sanctuary. Listeners join Jake as he dives into frigid water, jogs, and makes mouthwatering meals. Despite his hermitic existence, he regularly sees veterinarian Livia and her daughter--both tenderly rendered. The peaceful idyll is disrupted when Jackson helps a... Read More

Fajer Al-Kaisi delivers a dynamic performance of this mystery set at Samsara, a luxury spa in India. After leaving his demanding job, Ro Krishna takes a much needed rest at Samsara, where he meets other members of the one percent. When a holiday event goes awry, leaving one guest dead and others under suspicion, Ro must rely on his instincts to uncover the killer and prevent... Read More

Akira Matsumoto impressively presents an array of characters in this mystery set in post-WWII Japan. Listeners meet Detective Kindaichi, who is attending a divination held by the Tsubaki family to determine if several deaths accompanied by eerie devil's flute music were really murders. The complex Agatha Christie-esque story written in the 1950s is rich with well-rendered... Read More

Kirsten Potter's performance skillfully brings to life a tight-knit unit of firefighters who double as a heist crew. Engine 99 of the NYC Fire Department uses blazes as covers to pull off high-stakes crimes. Potter captures the dual nature of the characters, especially Andy Nearland, the newest member of the unit, who has a hidden agenda. As the crew prepares for their most... Read More

Two childhood friends, Melissa and Leo, reconnect through the death of a friend's grandmother. When they arrive at the remote island where they lived as kids, they find their friend missing, and their grief quickly turns to sleuthing. Narrator Mara Wilson keeps the plot moving as the pair slowly uncover dark forces on the island. Wilson expresses their frustration through their... Read More

Narrator Karen Cass recounts this twisty mystery, as told by soft- voiced Eliza Mace. In 1874 Wales, Eliza; her mother, Hannah; and her Uncle James live in Edge Hall, a manor house that has become impoverished through her father's spendthrift ways. One day, he disappears while on a business trip, and all clues point to foul play. Eliza and the charismatic new police constable,... Read More

What do you get when you bring together the expertise of master thriller writer Jeffery Deaver and the real-life law-enforcement experience of talented author Isabella Maldonado? A fast-paced nonstop thriller delivered by two well-matched narrators: Aida Reluzco and André Santana. DHS agent Carmen Sanchez reluctantly partners with cyber genius Professor Jake Heron to apprehend... Read More

Narrator Linda Emond returns to deliver a masterful performance in the 23rd installment of the Temperance Brennan series. Emond has found the perfect voice for the forensic anthropologist who relentlessly works to put together the puzzles provided by body remains. This adventure takes Brennan to a tragic fire in an illegal Airbnb in Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC. Listeners will... Read More

When the daughters of a victim of a serial killer go missing after 15 years, just as the serial killer apparently reappears, police call on Investigator Kendra Michaels to use her extraordinary observation skills to assist in solving their disappearances. Narrator Elisabeth Rodgers's strong characterization helps bring Kendra to life, along with her on-and-off boyfriend, Lynch,... Read More

This audiobook opens in London, where Lady Elizabeth Palmer is convinced that someone is trying to kill her. Saskia Maarleveld and Pete Simonelli return to narrate this newest FBI Thriller featuring Agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich. Simonelli's resonant voice is well suited to portray Savich's calm capability, and Maarleveld shines when delivering Sherlock's dialogue,... Read More

Listeners will be puzzled when 13-year-old Barbra Van Laar goes missing from her bunk at an Adirondack summer camp in 1975--and even more intrigued when they find out her brother vanished from the same location 16 years earlier. To complicate matters, the camp is owned by her wealthy family and is one of the few employers in the beautiful but economically depressed area.... Read More

Jean Brassard, Louise Penny's choice to narrate her 19th Armand Gamache/Three Pines novel, proves an inspired selection. From his portrayals of familiar Three Pines residents to his introduction of new characters, Brassard, a native Quebecois and award-winning actor, gets it right. Domestic terrorism takes Gamache, Jean-Guy, and Isabelle from Montreal to the Vatican and to an... Read More

Listeners join Texas Ranger Darren Mathews who, after turning in his badge, reluctantly investigates the disappearance of a young, Black student from an otherwise all-white sorority house. JD Jackson's pitch-perfect narration is the ideal match for this fast-paced story, which is seen through the eyes of a Black man who is living in Trump's America. Jackson's gifted delivery... Read More

Jean-Marc Berne and Daya Mendez narrate a thrilling blend of horror and crime set during a terrifying hurricane. Bimbo's on a quest for revenge after his mother's murder in a dispute over drug territory. His friends initially try to stay out of the bloodshed, but after one of them is murdered, they find loyalty a difficult thing to honor. And when a hurricane containing evil... Read More

Scott Brick and Suzanne Elise Freeman provide an engaging listening experience as they trace the story of Rachel Roberts, a bestselling novelist whose beloved series is coming to an end. Freeman's narration captures the tension and urgency of Rachel's quest to confront her past and protect her future, while Brick's portrayals of supporting characters, such as Topaz Kennedy and... Read More

Aure Nash's performance brings depth and humor to the engaging story of Mavis Miller. Nash captures Mavis's struggles to balance raising her spirited daughter, Pearl, her demanding job, and a challenging DEI leadership role at her daughter's school. The complexities of the school's politics and the mystery surrounding the principal's disappearance are vividly portrayed through... Read More

An engaging narration by Shayna Small takes listeners into the little-seen world of entitled women artists. It's Paris, 1928, and Black lesbian Louise Lloyd, an amateur detective, is living her dream. Her work as a budding photographer gives her access to an elite group of artists, ambitious women who meet weekly at the exclusive Aquarius club. When member Iris Wright goes... Read More

Alison Larkin re-creates WWII London, where citizens are facing deadly attacks from the air and spies on the ground. Listeners meet safecracker Electra "Ellie" McDonnell and her manager, Major Gabriel Ramsey. Larkin's buoyant Ellie hesitantly approaches the intense Ramsey about mysterious murders that are taking place. Her criminal connections have no idea who's behind them. At... 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

Dennis Boutsikaris returns to narrate the fifth installment of the Clay Edison series by the father-and-son duo Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman. Boutsikaris captures the personality of former deputy-coroner-turned-PI Clay Edison with a convincing guy-next-door voice. At the request of a client and driven by his own curiosity and sense of justice, Edison investigates the secrets... Read More

It's great fun to listen to Andi Arndt switching from one accent or vocal register to another. She is skillful and generous, calling no attention to herself, leaving all your focus on this first-person narrative, a tale told by an obsessive young woman named Hannah who pursues a man accused of murdering four women much like herself. First-person narratives are claustrophobic by... Read More

When private eyes Bill Smith and Lydia Chin are hired to discover the whereabouts of the son of New York's first female mayor, they soon discover that there is more to the investigation than finding a teenage runaway. Narrator L.J. Ganser is the perfect match to this mystery, which is told from the viewpoint of Bill. Especially strong are Ganser's strong portrayals of Bill and... Read More

Kaleo Griffith's exceptional narration highlights the tension and emotions packed into Sarah Crouch's impressive debut. In Point Orchards, Oregon, the body of Dr. Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree deep in the woods on novelist Elijah Leith's property. The death appears to be suicide until details emerge from Elijah's unsuccessful novel in which a murder is made to look... Read More

The combined strengths of Joe Eyre, Sarah Slimani, Roly Botha, Laurence Dobiesz, and Tuppence Middleton create a stellar full-cast production. Listeners will be caught up in this well-executed story of a friendly get-together that turns into a murder mystery. We are taken into the opulent atmosphere of The Manor, a luxurious resort teeming with intrigue. Eyre and Slimani bring... Read More

Narrator Lauren Ambrose is back for the latest Molly the Maid installment, and her crisp diction and emphatic tones are perfect for the neurodivergent title character. Molly and her boyfriend, Juan, are intent on making Christmas festive in this heartwarming story. Instead of solving a murder this time, Molly is trying her best to decipher the secretive behaviors of everyone... 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

Whitstable is a peaceful English village in which a few residents enjoy the benefits of having a garden allotment where they grow flowers and vegetables and tend bees and hens. Jennifer Kirby portrays Pearl Nolan, who enjoys a plot, along with a close-knit group of villagers. Kirby provides the wit and spark of this sharp restaurateur and independent woman. Soon, however, the... Read More

Jenny Funnell impeccably presents this mystery set in an English assisted-living facility. It becomes much more than a whodunit as it offers moving themes of love, friendship, and aging. Listeners meet invincible 87-year-old wheelchair-bound Florrie, who is investigating whether the fall of the home's manager was an attempted suicide or murder. As Florrie investigates, events... Read More

A trio of narrators brings to life this dark, brooding mystery. Shaun Taylor-Corbett narrates most of this story from the point of view of Toby Tucker, who suddenly marries into the wealthy Wright family, famous for their televangelist patriarch, Jerome. Severe weather strands the extended family at their Texas compound, and when Jerome is found dead, deep family secrets emerge... Read More

Narrator Susan Ericksen once again takes the listener through a murder investigation led by Lt. Eve Dallas in New York City in the year 2061. Dallas is called to a club where a young bride-to-be has been murdered at her bachelorette party. Assisting Eve is her partner, Peabody. Ericksen does an excellent job contrasting Dallas's calm determination with Peabody's more youthful... Read More

Ann Richardson's spirited narration keeps listeners focused on the debut entry in Eberhart's popular Nurse Sarah Keate mysteries, first published in 1929. Room 18 at St. Ann's Hospital has a dark history, which grows even darker when a patient being treated with radium is murdered and the radium is stolen. Sarah and Detective O'Leary work together to find the missing metal and... Read More

Three narrators deliver this mystery told from the viewpoints of three women who are connected to a groom named Peter whose secret fiancée is murdered during their surprise wedding. All of them have a motive to have killed the bride. Austenne Grey portrays Catherine, an event planner who is Peter's first love. Cindy Kay voices Leanne, legal guardian of Peter's son, who is... 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 audiobook's high action, espionage, solid characters, and well-paced story are enhanced by Jamie Renell's expert narration. Rick Carter is a recruiter of criminals--most notably, hit men. Now, his latest job hits a little too close to home. As he tries to protect his family, a powerful group closes in on him. Renell shines in the multitude of voices he creates for those... 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

Following Ellie Black's liberation from a harrowing two-year abduction, Detective Chelsey Calhoun must unravel a host of lingering mysteries in this gripping and satisfying audiobook. Calhoun's challenges extend beyond the case as her personal history, including her sister's vanishing 20 years earlier, surfaces dramatically. The narrative is particularly effective as an... Read More

Victor Warren gives Pete a tired voice that is absolutely perfect for an unemployed new father who is not in the most loving relationship. When Pete learns a surfer he knows has died mysteriously, he becomes obsessed with finding out what happened. Naturally, he's met with resistance. Pete often comes across as justifiably exasperated, a trait Warren depicts well. Other... Read More

Once again, longtime series narrator Kate Reading splendidly delivers the latest Lady Sherlock mystery. This time Charlotte herself is suspected of murder. Reading handles the myriad flashbacks with ease. She knows these characters well and fluidly shares moments of banter between Charlotte and her lover, Lord Ingram, as well as maintaining nail-biting excitement whenever... Read More

Peter Noble's stylish narration is perfectly matched to this fast-paced thriller translated from Danish. Freelance investigator Thomas "Ravn" Ravnsholdt calls on his experience as a former member of Copenhagen's special crime unit when a wealthy Danish businessman commissions him to find Jakob, his cult-leading son. When Ravn's investigation uncovers the fact that a previous... 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

Narrator Daniel Henning breathes life into these three stories focused on Yuri Kozlov, "Russia's most famous spy." Against the backdrop of Putin's war with Ukraine, Kozlov comes to the U.S. under the pretense of defecting, but the CIA has questions about his legitimacy. As his handlers attempt to get information and parade him around with politicians and celebrities, listeners... Read More

Helen Laser's narration style, crisp yet conversational, is a good choice for this murder mystery set in the north woods of Minnesota. Siblings Liv and Gave, estranged for many years, connect again when their older brother unexpectedly dies and they both receive emails saying he was murdered. When they return to their remote family-run resort to investigate, Laser provides a... Read More

Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac are back in this psychological thriller, which allows narrator Joe Jameson to shine. Haven, a psychologist, and Evie, a troubled young woman in his care, find themselves getting closer to solving the mystery of Evie's past. Jameson brings everything to life with his animated narration. While it is basic for a narrator to be able to switch between... Read More

Multiple narrators tell the story of what happens when 18-year-old super influencer Evie disappears, sparking a social media frenzy. Her protective older sister, Hazel, is determined to cut through the chatter and find her. The main narrators, Amara Jasper and Jesse Vilinsky, tell the story from the perspectives of Hazel and Evie, each creating a well-rounded character: the... Read More

Fans of the private investigation duo Hap and Leonard are sure to be entertained by this 13th installment of their exploits. It involves arson, murder, a missing adult daughter, and evil forces. Christopher Grant does a fabulous job capturing the respect--and sometimes not-so-PC bantering--between Hap and Leonard. Hap's wife, Brett, the not-to-be-messed voice of reason, is also... Read More

Each portion of this slow-burn thriller is tackled by a different narrator who adds their own unique twist to Swanson's layered characters. Saskia Maarleveld delivers librarian Martha Ratliff's chapters, highlighting Martha's curiosity and distress. Kathleen Early narrates Lily Kitner's point of view. Early's performance sounds stiff in contrast to Maarleveld's. Newlywed Martha... Read More

Kathleen Early is almost too good at realistically voicing the abusive and sadistic characters who populate the latest Will Trent thriller. Listeners will feel their skin crawl. Audiobook 12 in the series revolves around a gruesome murder that occurs at a remote mountain lodge owned by a criminally dysfunctional family. As a counterbalance to Early's vocally distinct portrayal... Read More

Many characters are featured in this sweet little mystery--all focused on finding the little red truck named Tilly by Raelynn Hadley. Narrator Anne Marie Lewis keeps the story moving at a nice pace and effectively creates an authentic Texas accent. She narrates with skill, talent, and a joyful attitude. Tilly is stolen from Raelynn, and so the hunt begins for the perpetrator.... Read More

Narrator Rebecca Macauley pulls listeners into the time period, unique setting, and compelling characters of this satisfying mystery. At the end of WWI, Eva Willoughby flees an abusive marriage in England and seeks refuge with her friend, Sylvia, in the Black Mountains of Queensland, Australia. Eva begins a job as assistant to Detective Sergeant Jack Shaw and soon learns that... Read More

Narrator Emily Lawrence uses an energetic voice as Veridian, a recent Rhode Island School of Design graduate who is looking to have her work shown at an art gallery in New York City. Lawrence's voice matches Veridian's flagging optimism after several rejections. She's determined to work as an original artist in New York City, but people are only interested in her ability to... Read More

British actress Nicola Walker's subdued tone, unhurried cadence, and restrained use of accents perfectly suits the characters and situations in Richard Osman's newest mystery. The story revolves around jet-setting bodyguard Amy Wheeler and her widowed father-in-law, Steve, a former London cop she's close with. Also featured is Amy's current client, the fabulously wealthy... Read More

In this thrilling historical novel, Johnathan McClain has command of the pacing, the multiple characters, and their varied accents. He adds zest to a twisty plot about how the U.S. once planned to bring down the German economy. The story starts in 1939, when a young tax attorney joins a small group of Treasury Department misfits who plan to wreak economic warfare on the... Read More

Narrator Jayne Entwistle returns for her 11th performance as Bradley's precocious 14-year-old amateur sleuth, Flavia de Luce. When Buckshaw Mansion's longtime cook, Mrs. Mullet, is suspected of poisoning local recluse and former hangman Major Greyleigh, Flavia and her pesky, young cousin, Undine, are on the case to clear her of murder. Entwistle infuses Flavia with a crisp... Read More

Narrator Jeremy Carlisle Parker perfectly portrays Maggie Moore in this quirky, clever mystery. Maggie, a graduate student in forensic linguistics with a complicated history, is unique. Tattooed, pierced, and foulmouthed, she diagrams sentences for fun. Parker captures all of these characteristics, and listeners will find themselves charmed. Maggie, a genius when it comes to... Read More

Narrator Kim Mai Guest takes listeners through the rapidly crumbling world of Annie Shaw, an artist who is struggling with her obsessive-compulsive disorder and a strange series of deaths that mimic her secret fears. After the death of her mother, Annie throws herself into her artwork and multiple failed attempts to repair her rocky relationship with her own daughter. As... Read More

In this twisty psychological suspense, narrators Eunice Wong and Risa Mei team up to bring competing social media influencers to life. Meredith, voiced by Wong, starts out more successful than her friend Aspen, portrayed by Mei. Then, Aspen surpasses Meredith in followers as a popular "momfluencer." When Meredith becomes jealous and resentful of Aspen, the ensuing falling out,... Read More

How fun for listeners to dive into the launch of this series. Hillary Huber has found the perfect voice for PI Margo Angelhart, portraying her as confident, righteous, and brave. Margo's chapters, told in the first person, let listeners experience her thoughts and emotions as she protects an abused woman and uncovers her own client's deceptions. Despite her drive to be... Read More