New Reviews: Mystery & Suspense

A large cast narrates this audio-original mystery, which merges laugh-out-loud humor and suspense. Nadiya, an author, enjoys her privacy and solitude. Her anonymity ends when she and her half-brother, Chase, witness a crime by a dirty cop. Chase posts the robbery on TikTok, where it quickly goes viral--making them a target for retribution. Their only recourse is to contact... Read More

Hannah Curtis, Sarah Cullum, and Christine Rendel, led by the incomparable Dan Stevens, skillfully deliver this extraordinary twisty novel. One night Anna Ogilvy, a young wannabe writer, inexplicably stabs two people to death while sleepwalking. She hasn't woken up since the crime. Stevens's portrayal of Anna's psychiatrist, Ben, a specialist in sleep-related homicides, carries... Read More

Emilia Fox's stylish narration brings Freya and her eccentric Aunt Carol to life as they set out to discover the truth behind the death of their old friend and mentor, Arthur. Their adventure escalates as they find themselves sharing an English manor house with some shady individuals. Fox creates believable characters in both the protagonists, injecting just the right amount of... Read More

The dual narration team of Charles Halford and Christine Lakin keeps this audiobook thriller moving along--actually, straight up, as the title suggests. Kurt, a former cop, is busted on trumped-up charges and finds himself headed to prison. That same day, Julie, the governor's daughter, is set to tour the facility. The day goes horribly wrong, and they end up trapped. Their... Read More

In this eighteenth entry in Berry's bestselling Cotton Malone series, narrator Scott Brick shepherds the new adventure with perfect pacing and emphasis. A CIA investigation into a stockpile of WWII Japanese gold stashed in Luxembourg's Bank of St. George pushes retired Justice Department operative Malone out of his Copenhagen bookstore and back into action, babysitting the... Read More

Ray Chase performs an unusual story of good versus evil centered on the nicest man in the world. Benny Catspaw is a nice guy who can't hold a negative thought in his head--to his detriment. But then his life starts falling apart, and a large crate arrives containing a seven-foot-tall "bad weather friend." Chase's portrayal suits the jaunty character well, shifting between... Read More

Two Indigenous narrators deliver a compelling listening experience in this fast-paced thriller. Two Spirit Afro-Indigenous Latine voice-over actor Carolina Hoyos portrays Syd Walker, a Two Spirit Cherokee archaeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Hoyos's deep, raspy voice amplifies Syd's toughness and determination to get to the bottom of the the disappearances of several... Read More

This engaging audiobook features powerful, proficient women who are facing off in the world of espionage. Who better to bring them to life than Suzanne Freeman, whose performance is filled with self-assurance? This is especially true in the way she voices Adrienne Astra, a former college heptathlete who grows into a confident elite assassin. Adrienne accomplishes this feat in... 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

Narrators James Urbaniak and Jesse Vilinsky grip listeners throughout the roller-coaster ride of this inventive thriller. The story features the California Bear, a serial killer who mysteriously disappeared decades ago. As interest in the long dormant case is reignited, an ex-police detective, Hightower, and his cohorts go on a mission to reveal the real Bear. The plot unfolds... Read More

Tanis Parenteau delivers Marcia Muller's latest intense Sharon McCone mystery. At first, Parenteau's scratchy voice is unappealing, but as she navigates more twists and turns than a carnival ride, her tone fits the story. Vandalism has hit several upscale San Francisco neighborhoods. PI McCone's agency is hired by a neighborhood watch group to keep an eye on local streets.... Read More

Janina Edwards returns to narrate the third installment in the Spice Isle Bakery mysteries, voicing bakery co-owner Lyndsay and a variety of other characters. Deftly delivering various accents, inflections, and pitches, Edwards leads listeners through a cozy story of murder at Brooklyn's Caribbean American Heritage Festival. Her entertaining narration provides ample emotional... 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

Thanks to Stig Abell's remarkable debut novel, Oliver Hembrough has the material needed to provide hours of engrossing listening. When former police officer Jake Jackson inherits his uncle's remote farm, he decides to disconnect from his London life and move in. Leaving behind all modern conveniences, Jake finds contentment he never dreamed possible, but when human bones are... Read More

This post-Cold War thriller set in Moscow in 1976 is primarily a murder mystery with a cameo of Henry Kissinger. Its enjoyable listening benefits from David Aranovich's well-paced narration. The central character is Viktor Moroz, a Russian refusenik who stumbles on a murder scene and is given a choice: Find the murderer, or the KGB will name him the murderer. From there, the... Read More

Narrator Carlotta Brentan transports listeners to a private island in coastal Maine, where a group of friends united by hidden secrets meet to celebrate an engagement. Brentan's talented performance builds the tension in this Christie-esque locked-room mystery as the deeply unpleasant characters find that the consequences of previous actions are fast catching up with them.... Read More

In this second audiobook featuring Detective Harriet Foster, a serial killer in Chicago is killing the city's aldermen. Narrator Chanté McCormick has a strong no-nonsense tone that suits the sharp detective, who has recently lost her son in a senseless murder. McCormick also creates appropriate voices for the various other police officers and for the murder suspect. McCormick's... Read More

Beth Eyre and Chris Harper share the narration of Frear's precarious story. Ellen leads a seemingly perfect life with her husband, three children, and luxurious house in Britain. When she receives a letter threatening retribution for past deeds, she must identify the culprit while keeping her secrets and maintaining her social status. Eyre narrates the chapters involving female... Read More

Mari Oyaizu Carson enthusiastically brings to life the delightfully eccentric inhabitants of a senior mobile home park. At the outset, Stewart Johnson and his daughter determine that he's a good fit for living there--even though the well-rendered perky saleswoman irritates Stewart. As time passes, nosy neighbors are intrusive, and bigmouth Suzy unhesitatingly shares advice. But... Read More

What starts out sounding like chick-lit fluff, soon takes on the gravitas of a tangled, engrossing mystery. Narrator Stephanie Cannon delivers the bright enthusiasm of Rosie, a senior at Yale and a member of the elite equestrian team. When new girl Annelise, a superb rider and a gifted tarot card reader, joins the team, jealousy, bitterness, and classism overtake the genial... Read More

Narrator John Rubinstein returns to take listeners on a ride-along with psychologist Alex Delaware and Police Lieutenant Milo Sturgis as they solve another complicated crime. Rubinstein has perfected the voices of Milo and Alex, while skillfully performing secondary characters male and female, including a precocious male teenager. This 39th addition to the series provides... Read More

Stacy Gonzalez performs a dystopian novel set in a near-future America in which government-sponsored counseling centers treat radical behavior. Riley continues her family's practice of speaking out in the face of injustice and winds up in an renewal center for mandatory reeducation. Gonzalez imbues her performance with a surprising brightness that contrasts with the... Read More

Music piracy meets murder in this fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable audiobook. The story features criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck and focuses on Imani Nichols, a pop superstar who is at odds with her estranged husband. Jonathan Davis delivers a superb performance, giving every character a distinct personality that reveals the depth of author James Grippando's story.... Read More

Sarah Cullum commendably portrays 19-year-old Jane Austen as she's traditionally known and as an intrepid amateur sleuth. Listeners attend a ball with Jane, where a body is found. Unfortunately, Jane's handicapped brother finds himself under suspicion because he has the victim's necklace in his possession. Jane is determined to find the murderer. Cullum masterfully delivers the... Read More

In a crisp British accent, Jane Collingwood fills this mystery with tension as police investigate the 1990 disappearance of Charlotte Salter, who never arrived at her husband's fiftieth birthday party. Collingwood portrays Charlotte's 15-year-old daughter, Etty, as frantic, while her four brothers, who are mostly stoned or drunk, are voiced with all the nonchalance of... Read More

Christina Delaine's deep, rich voice makes for a mostly easy listen as she narrates this cat-and-mouse thriller. Listeners may find Delaine's slow-paced and low-pitched delivery a bit monotone in contrast to the adrenaline-fueled scenes. The story is told mainly from the perspectives of the hired assassin, Leo Sealy, and his target, smart and well-trained security expert... Read More

Dual narrators Alexandra Dowling and Jaye Jacobs tackle a twisting tale in this engaging audiobook. When she is abruptly summoned to the Gravesdown Estate to discuss a possible inheritance, Annie Adams is eager to meet her famously paranoid Great-Aunt Frances. But Frances is murdered just before Annie arrives, and Annie's attempts to investigate may put her squarely in the... Read More

Not every listener has felt that Tana French's stand-alone novels have lived up to the pleasures of her psychologically shrewd Dublin Murder Squad series, but THE HUNTER marks a return to form, at least in Roger Clark's thrilling audio performance. Here Cal Hooper, an American emigré like French herself, has moved to a ferociously insular Irish village. He's a retired Chicago... Read More

An ensemble of wildly talented narrators elevates this fictional true- crime case told through first-person interviews. The narrators infuse a generous amount of personality and empathy into their portrayals of the community, media, and family involved in the tragic case of missing teenager Sara Parcell. Robert Fass's weary voice portrays Dave, Sara's downtrodden father, as he... Read More

Narrator R.S. Klein leads a full cast in this spirited mystery. Listeners first meet Mitchell, an ex-cop turned private investigator whose confidence and offbeat humor serve him well. He is portrayed by Tom Westley. When acid-tongued Eleanor Marbury-Coyne, splendidly portrayed by narrator Laura Ann, calls on Mitchell to rescue her husband from a loan shark, the action takes... 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

Amy Scanlon takes over from 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... Read More

January LaVoy and Will Damron give sterling performances in this audiobook about a woman who is suspected of committing a murder five years earlier and the popular true-crime podcaster who exposes her. LaVoy is simply outstanding as the often funny Lucy Chase; she adopts a sardonic, fatalistic tone that matches Lucy's character. LaVoy also is great in supporting roles,... Read More

Narrator Scott Brick dons a trench coat and breathes life into a former black-ops government assassin code named Orphan X. When Evan Smoak left the Program, he reinvented himself into a righter of wrongs for victims needing a savior. Brick employs perfect timing and emphasis to portray Evan and plays him with heart. Initially asked to find a little girl's dog, he soon finds... Read More

This compelling psychological thriller adroitly weaves together a murder mystery with salient truths about being Black and in the crosshairs of law enforcement. Breanna's romantic vacation in New York City with her boyfriend, Ty, becomes a nightmare when a stranger winds up dead inside their swanky vacation rental and Ty goes missing. Ariel Blake skillfully conveys Breanna's... Read More

Popular NBC television personality Al Roker is the coauthor and narrator of this fast-paced murder mystery. Roker portrays a character much like himself--a charming morning show cohost named Billy Blessing. Billy is a celebrity chef, as well as a news commentator, and he owns a famous New York restaurant. Listeners are inundated with the names of television executives, media... Read More

AudioFile Golden Voice Simon Jones delivers Agatha Christie's classic locked-room mystery to perfection. After the overdose death of Mrs. Ferrars and the murder of his friend Roger Ackroyd a short time later, Dr. Sheppard recounts a story of guilt, blackmail, and despair. Hercule Poirot is renting the cottage next to Sheppard's and soon is drawn into the investigation. Jones... Read More

This marvelous audiobook unfolds through a series of emails complete with verbal emojis--a narrator's challenge. Kristin Atherton gives a knockout performance as journalist Amanda Bailey, who is investigating the malevolent cult of the Alperton Angels. Years ago they attempted to persuade a teenage mother to sacrifice her baby--but then the infant disappeared. Sid Sagar... Read More

Katherine Littrell portrays Theodosia, who gives up her law studies in Australia and goes to stay with her brother, Gus, in Kansas to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. When she finds the body of a famous writer who had befriended her in a coffee shop, she and Gus find their world turned upside down. They're drawn into a world of preppers, conspiracy theorists, and book... Read More

Narrator Rachel Atkins is a gift. Her performance of Dawson's suspenseful psychological thriller will seep into listeners' consciousness, keeping them on the edge of their seats. Atkins's talents are showcased immediately in the opening scene in which the protagonist, Jude, stands in a courtroom, awaiting the jury's decision about her fate. Jude, an emergency room nurse who... Read More

Karissa Vacker performs this complex thriller featuring three sisters and the haunting mystery of who brutally murdered their parents in the family home 14 years earlier. When Emma is forced to return to the home where her parents were killed, she hopes to keep her presence as quiet and temporary as possible. With everything seemingly working against her, Emma has to solve her... 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

The narration team of Zac Aleman and Chris Henry Coffey does a fine job with the pace of this audiobook featuring characters with strong emotions and varying internal struggles. While combat veteran Eli North hasn't hit rock bottom, he's close--but he must keep his head above water as he and an FBI agent investigate the death of a teenage boy in a Wisconsin resort town. With... Read More

Narrator A.J. Cook utilizes her considerable acting skills in portraying single mother, divorce lawyer, and suicide hotline volunteer Felicia, whose life was forever changed by her sister's suicide. She is matched in talent by actress Tess Albertson, who portrays Chloe, a teenage rape victim who has called Felicia's help line. Albertson conveys Chloe's humiliation at the horror... Read More

College sophomore Margot mysteriously loses two best friends in the span of two years in this psychological thriller, which should be categorized as a YA audiobook. Narrator Karissa Vacker does her best with the material, which features voluminous scenes of postadolescent self-reflection that are hard to enjoy listening to if you are well past your twenties. Vacker is gifted at... Read More

Saskia Maarleveld is a bravura performer, particularly dazzling with European accents. Here she is performing in her own native New Zealand accents, and the result is unexpectedly confounding. While the consonants are familiar, the vowel sounds are so different from those in standard British or American English that the meaning is often hard to follow, particularly when a... 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

Allie Rose's light, genteel performance is just right for the fourth novel in Cara Devlin's Bow Street Duchess series. Once again, Lady Audrey and Bow Street runner Hugh Marsden must solve a baffling puzzle. When his half-sister, Eloisa, is brutally murdered during a ball, Hugh becomes the prime suspect. Meeting in secret, Hugh and Audrey set out to prove his innocence and to... Read More

Susan Ericksen's energetic performance is unparalleled in this latest in the futuristic In Death series. Jenna, a teen who is enjoying a live performance of her favorite band, is jabbed at the show by a killer with a needle filled with a deadly combination of pure heroin and other drugs. To top it off, the needle itself is covered in infectious bacteria. Lt. Eve Dallas fears... Read More

Boady Sanden is a lawyer with lots of baggage, and it all gets unloaded in this audiobook. What starts with a request to get a new trial for a wrongly convicted murderer and seeming clairvoyant turns into a far more complex story involving Emma, whom he has raised since her father and mother's deaths and never fully come to grips with. Delivered by a team of narrators, with... Read More

Suehyla El-Attar Young delivers a strong narration of this disturbing psychological thriller. Leah has a rare medical condition, akinetopsia, which prevents her from seeing anything in motion. She can see stationary objects, but once they move, they disappear. However, her other senses are heightened. At first, Young presents this first-person narrative conversationally, but... Read More

Daniel Philpott's vibrant character portrayals create palpable tension in this murder mystery set in Brighton, England. Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens's Christmas is off to a sinister start: Two children have gone missing. Philpott conveys the town's growing anxiety as time passes and they are not found. His diverse voices bring out the personalities of the town's... Read More

Through Hillary Huber's masterful performance, listeners are introduced to former spy Maggie Bird, who is now happily raising chickens on her small farm in Maine. But a dead body on her doorstep and an attempt on her life force Maggie to use her espionage skills once again. Joined by her fellow former spies, the members of the Martini Club, Maggie travels back to several former... Read More

Narrator Jeena Yi transports listeners to the suburban town of Wesley Falls, where the Capstone Six, a group of diverse students, witness a horrifying event that they seek to avenge. Yi's talented narration helps listeners keep track of the plot, which is told from various viewpoints over two timelines, one covering the events in 1995 and the other taking place 20 years later,... Read More

Thriller fans will be delighted that Hillary Huber continues her successful run as narrator of the Frankie Elkin series. In the third installment, Huber brings out the sassy charm of Frankie, an unconventional cold case investigator. She's hired by a serial killer on death row to locate her little sister, who disappeared in Hawaii. Huber impeccably pronounces the audiobook's... Read More

Siho Ellsmore transports listeners to Japan in the near future for the story of Susie Sakamoto, who is navigating life after the loss of her husband and son. Susie's only companion is Sunny, a home-help robot designed by her husband. Ellsmore is the perfect narrator for this harrowing story. She reflects Susie's Irish background in her characterization and keeps the story... Read More

Leslie Howard's range suits this psychological thriller in which emotions run high. A year ago, Caseham High School was rocked by rumors of a student/teacher affair involving a student named Addie. This year, Eve, a math teacher, is apprehensive about having Addie in her class after her mentor, the accused teacher, resigned due to the rumors. Addie is hiding something--but what... Read More

Narrator Robert Petkoff masterfully portrays U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport and his daughter, Letty, in the 34th addition to the Davenport series. A deranged British medical doctor decides people are killing the earth and he has the solution. Then he disappears in New Mexico. Investigator Letty Davenport is brought in to track him down. With potential catastrophe looming, she... Read More

There are few novels that are part legal thriller, part family saga, part redemption story, and that do it well. This compelling narrative is brought to life by the tremendous Edoardo Ballerini. With gentle authority, Ballerini invites listeners to meet the Devlin family, a seemingly tight unit who work in a family law firm. The story opens with favorite son John calling his... 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

Gary Hoffman masterfully narrates this historical thriller based on a true crime in Leesburg, Virginia, in 1872. Emily Lloyd, a young widow considered odd even by her friends, is charged with murdering her four children, her husband, and her aunt. In a town full of jealous wives and mysterious neighbors, everyone is already convinced of Mrs. Lloyd's guilt--except Powell... Read More

In this sequel to CITY UNDER ONE ROOF, Cara Kennedy, compellingly portrayed by Aspen Vincent, is a smart detective from Anchorage who is adjusting to her new life after the deaths of her husband and son while hiking. Now she learns that what was determined to be an accident may have been murder. Blaire Chandler energetically takes on the role of Ellie, a hard-boiled character... Read More

Inspired by a true event--the 1911 murder of muckraking writer David Graham Phillips--this well-researched mystery casts author Edith Wharton as a reluctant detective probing the death and life of a man she abhorred. Kitty Hendrix performs in a low-register breathy voice that emphasizes Wharton's mix of high-society manners and fierce determination. Her moderate pace allows... Read More

Janine Granda narrates this thriller about a woman and her lover who are on the run from a violent mob family. Melissa and Jake are struggling to keep one step ahead of Lucky Wilson, an assassin with a wealth of emotional problems and a mandate to bring Melissa back to her ex-boyfriend, the mob boss. A bizarre mix of assassins and mob associates await around every corner.... Read More

Megan Tusing and Samantha Desz provide a captivating dual performance with confidence, especially when the narration is deliberately unreliable. Kat Bird awakes from a coma, coming face-to-face with her twin sister, Jude. Her memory a blank, Kat must piece together the story of their lives, with Jude's guidance. Secrets come to the surface as Kat puts the pieces of their shared... Read More

Heads up, listeners: This audiobook runs over 29 hours. Listening feels like the equivalent of bingeing on a twelve-season streaming spy thriller. Harding's deep voice for the protagonist, Kane, a specialist who infiltrates extremely hostile areas, seems more mature than the character but sustains interest throughout. In efforts to address threats to the United States, Kane... Read More