New Reviews by Title: E-J

Narrators Alexander Cendese, Brittany Pressley and Samantha Summers combine their talents to tell the story of scientist Harriet Smythe and hockey player Gale Knight. Harriet has created E.M.M.A., an AI program designed to enhance sports performance. Gale has been going through a slump and is hoping E.M.M.A. will help. Cendese ably expresses all of Gale's frustration as well as... Read More

A full cast and exceptional sound effects depict gang life in this semiautobiographical love letter to Chicago. In 1979 Indigenous Teddy, flawlessly introduced by D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, leads a gang across enemy territory to meet other groups, hoping to form a less violent "nation." Diverse narrators with various accents portray the gang members as they ride the El. Evocative... Read More

Brian Nishii narrates a story built around an ancient weapon, contested power, and a world shaped by long memory and conflict. His calm, authoritative delivery helps listeners track shifting alliances and lore-heavy passages that drive the plot, in which characters are pulled into a struggle that blends destiny with personal choice. Nishii helps to maintain a clear narrative... Read More

Mark Linn-Baker narrates this well-researched audiobook for anyone who wants a glimpse behind the curtain of the NFL. It primarily focuses on Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the power troika that has helped guide and develop the league through good times and bad. Linn-Baker narrates clearly, with... Read More

Deepa Samuel's narration brings steadiness and emotional clarity to this story of the longstanding friendship between Ruchi and Deepa, who are shaped by class, migration, and unspoken longing. Samuel softly portrays the girls' intimate friendship during their Indian school days. Samuel's voice gradually deepens as the narrative moves into adulthood and the pressures of... Read More

Listeners are drawn into the Cold War, when tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union were at an all-time high. A complex tale of spies, double agents, and defectors unfolds through multiple points of view in alternating chapters. Narrator MacLeod Andrews masterfully brings to life the wide-ranging cast of characters, including a curious teenage boy, male and female... Read More

Narrator Kimberly Capero transports listeners to the quiet town of Crowhurst, England, in this gripping audiobook. The town is known for its local paper, annual fair, and a series of gruesome murders that occurred in decades past. Capero faithfully delivers the perspective of journalist-turned-detective Kirby Cornell and recounts the many mistakes she makes to keep her friends... Read More

Narrator Ashley Morton guides this tightly plotted, suspenseful tale as it unfolds on a remote human colony on Mars. Medical Officer Gold and fellow mission officers arrive on the planet's surface to find the newly constructed base partially destroyed. Conflicting, unsettling accounts about the mysterious "threat" emerge from their interviews with the two remaining construction... Read More

Narrator Emily Lawrence lays bare New York City investment banker Miriam Geld's precarious situation as her fae prince client traps her in his kingdom. Caught between her evil human boss Jeff and the fae prince's demands, Miri eyes potential allies and enemies as she navigates court politics seeking a way home. Lawrence portrays Miri as idealistic but possessing a sardonic,... Read More

Erin Bennett narrates this unknown story of World War II intrigue that could be straight out of Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Listeners hear how a half-Jewish woman from a prominent Berlin family, Ruth Kuehn, had an affair with Joseph Goebbels. Rather than having her murdered, he sent her and her entire family to live in Honolulu. There the family established a spy network and... Read More

Cookbook author and Vogue contributor Adler narrates with controlled emotion in a lovely voice, with just the right tone and tempo. These meditations on life and food, spanning a calendar year, began as a project to write her way out of depression. Adler's style is intimate yet informed. She includes quotes from poets (Louise Glück, May Swenson, and Mary Oliver among them) and... Read More

Karla Serrato's authentic accent adds to her presentation of the difficult choices faced by two teenagers dealing with corporate greed and its associated damage. Paloma decides to enter a scholarship contest with her ex-boyfriend Julio by investigating the harm the business giant Selva is inflicting on their Southern California community. Winning would provide each their... Read More

Maxwell Glick cheerfully narrates this audiobook about how to create and sustain effective activism practices. Jay Ruderman, who has decades of experience in disability rights advocacy, seeks to outline ways in which activists commonly succeed or fail based on how they approach their chosen areas of focus. Glick highlights Ruderman's open and affable personality while ensuring... Read More

Marion Winik met Tony Heubach in New Orleans during the debauched celebrations of Mardi Gras 1982. She was a self-described "crazy romantic poetess" and he a "gay ice-skater," but their chemistry was instantaneous and explosive, if complicated. In 1986, they were married--despite the skepticism of friends and family--and made a home in Austin, Texas, raising two sons. By 1994,... Read More

James Faulkner delivers a resonant, understated performance as the no-nonsense Inspector Maigret, capturing both the French detective's quiet authority and the wary suspicion with which the residents of a small border town regard him. When a young woman disappears, Maigret is summoned by Anna Peeters to clear her brother's name. Joseph is believed to have fathered a child with... Read More

Griffiths narrates her poetic memoir, marked by two traumatic life events, with precision. Griffiths' emotive narration takes measure of the joys and sorrows she experiences in tender moments spent with her best friend, Kamilah Aisha Moon, a talented poet, as they share a deep connection and support each other's work. Despair comes on "the best and worst day" of her life, when... Read More

Narrator Cassandra Campbell's natural resonant voice is the perfect choice for this fast-paced thriller. It's a shocking tale about three teenagers in northern Minnesota who shoot and kill an older man after spending hours with him, and of the neighbor, Catt Green, who takes it upon herself to figure out how such a horrific thing could actually occur. Power, class, tension, and... Read More

An outstanding full cast narrates this thriller about secrets, lingering guilt, and terrible friends. Five years after the death of the obscenely wealthy Claire Monroe, each of her friends is called back to the estate on Lake Como where she died. Expecting a memorial, the friends soon discover that crimes they thought were long forgotten haunt the estate as much as the memory... Read More

Science writer Shea explores the complexities and interconnectedness of Arctic ecosystems and cultures with a calm, respectful narration. His keen examination of Arctic climate change includes impacts to narwhals, caribou populations, and wolf packs, as well as the Indigenous residents of Alaska, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories, whose own cultural traditions and lives on... Read More

Four narrators offer perspectives on the fall, then rise, of The Future Saints, a musical group. Ali Andre Ali dramatizes the point of view of Theo, a record company representative who rescues the failing band after he glimpses their promise. He's certain they can make a hit album, and he falls in love with lead singer Hannah. Hannah's performance of a dark new song leads the... Read More

Atmospheric and deliberate, Suzanne Elise Freeman's narration will grab listeners from the very beginning of this mystery. Marlowe Fisher lives on her family's sprawling farm in historic Gray House. An illustrator in her 30s, Marlowe has been shaped by the disappearance of her best friend, Nora, 20 years earlier. Now, a murder in the fields disturbs decades of secrets, and the... Read More

Author Rix is clearly fascinated with trees. She surveys them, going back millions of years, and describes their current importance as a moderating force on climate change. Rix's English voice is lovely, and her performance is both precise and full of enthusiasm. She travels the world to oak trees in Iraq, cloud forests in the Canary Islands, and eucalypts in Australia. Rix is... Read More

Samuel Barnett delivers a fresh interpretation of the St. George and the Dragon legend. George, whom Barnett portrays in a snide, harried tone that makes him bitingly funny, becomes increasingly hysterical as his contemporary London life falls apart. After he inexplicably time travels to the medieval era, his neuroses are subsumed into the immediacy of survival and the... Read More

Ten narrators lend a contemporary feel, intimate tones, and a nice sense of reverence to 15 well-crafted stories of gothic hauntings and insistent apparitions by twelve of the 19th century's most accomplished women authors. These are stories of longing and loss. In Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," Amanda Stribling builds a strident sound of obsession when a woman's husband... Read More

Narrating his own work, journalist Silverman charts the rightward political shift on the internet. Silverman is not a professional narrator, and his delivery is unpolished but clear as he delves into what he describes as a radicalized Elon Musk and his cohort in Silicon Valley. He also discusses the influence of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and the Gulf Arab states'... Read More

Desean Terry delivers a touching performance of this reimagining of "The Great Gatsby," in which the protagonists are gay Black prep school students. Aspiring journalist Nick Carrington leaves Oklahoma to begin school at Harlem's West Egg Academy. Out of his element, Nick keeps his gay identity a closely held secret, but love interest Jay Gatsby Jr.--the academy founder's... Read More

Jonathan Sleep narrates this unsettling novel, which takes place in the nineteenth century. Gentle Montgomery is grieving the loss of his dear friend, Liam, and preparing to journey to his home to carry on his work as an alchemist. He brings his nephew, Kitt, along. Sleep balances Gentle's gruff personality and Kitt's youth with a thoughtful delivery. As the pair traverse the... Read More

Jennifer Jill Araya narrates a novel set partially in Rome. After Aida Reale unexpectedly loses her academic position, she takes a job in Rome that seems too good to be true, leaving her fiancé behind. Araya captures Aida's frustration with her career, as well as the dread she feels at the financial burden of her approaching wedding. The unexpected job opportunity seems like a... Read More

While author Zengerle provides a workmanlike reading of the lengthy prologue, Beth Hicks successfully presents an engaging, straightforward, and unadorned narration of the balance. Zengerle, a New York Times Magazine writer, presents a well-researched, if highly-opinionated, examination of the life and evolution of conservative pundit Tucker Carlson. Zengerle also examines the... Read More

Benjamin Sands' and Mia Madison's voices complement each other beautifully, heightening the suspense and emotion in this dark, slow-burn mafia romance. The story centers on Creighton, a ruthless and obsessive crime boss, and Blake, the one person he has always protected. When Blake moves to New York for college, their carefully controlled dynamic shifts, creating new... Read More

In his memoir, author and narrator Chesney offers his listeners a candid look into the relationship between his personal experiences and his songs which resonate with millions of fans. He describes his lifelong focus on creating songs, detailing the process and the energy it demands. In his energetic narrative style, he relates the emotional impact he felt when he was inducted... Read More

Anyone--fan or not--who tuned into tennis in the 1970s remembers Borg, the long-haired Swede who captured tournaments across the world. But the top-ranked player left the sport at a young age, seemingly at the apex of his game. Here he recounts his memories of his formative years with his family, his relationships with girlfriends and wives, his partying, and his career. Julian... Read More

In her latest audiobook, Wilson explores everyday kitchen objects and how they become an extension of ourselves. Wilson's marriage unexpectedly ends around the same time that her mother is diagnosed with dementia. Wilson finds that she can't bear to be around her husband's left-behind belongings because they are so thoroughly a part of his identity. She then introduces... Read More

Narrator Victoria Villarreal performs a story about how easily public opinion can turn against women. When her best friend, Lucy, goes missing in a parking lot, leaving her infant behind, Michelle is terrified. But she also can't help worrying that her friend may have made good on a fantasy and faked her own kidnapping. When the media turns against the missing Lucy, Michelle is... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Simon Jones takes a well-cogitated approach to his performance of Doyle's famous tale of a frothing hound on the Devon moors. Dr. Watson, our narrator, eases into the account with a measured pace, rotund vowels, and a refined, somewhat high-pitched tone that conjure an older gentleman settling back after dinner to tell a scary story. Sherlock Holmes' deep... Read More

Raquel Beattie voices two characters, Sephre and Yeneris, in this LGBTQ+ fantasy audiobook. While both are fighting in the same war, they face different threats to their missions. Beattie's frustrated tones engender sympathy for Sephre as she must decide whether to give up her present life in a convent and return to the military to fight for her people. Yeneris is a spy who has... Read More

Rebecca Soler makes action scenes impossible to pause as she narrates this romantic Bluebeard retelling. Mallory descends from witches, but her only magic is the ability to see ghosts. To earn a living she and her sister sell fake spells and artifacts and give tours of the mansion that once belonged to Count Bastien Saphir, who many believe murdered three wives. When Bastien's... Read More

Though author Mari Andrew doesn't have professional-level narration skills, she's an appealing messenger for this lesson on what we can learn from the way animals live. Her gentle enunciation and slow pacing reflect her earnest intentions, and her sincerity and deep respect for humanity will draw listeners in and make them curious about the possibilities she offers. She says... Read More

Reena Dutt delivers an impeccable performance, capturing the nuances of two mixed-race girls navigating adolescence in Wyoming and the unease that follows when their uncle and his family from India move in. Dutt moves deftly between American-born sisters Georgie Ayyar and Agatha Krishna's candid musings, and a growing dread as Uncle Vinny's presence turns intrusive. Sexual and... Read More

Lindsey Dorcus narrates this audiobook with an effortlessly engaging performance as the struggling, overwhelmed heroine Dr. Lizzie Wells, a literature professor navigating the fallout of her husband's death. Listeners hear Dorcus ground the story with a warm, relatable, and acerbic style that gives texture to Lizzie's inner monologue as she makes a spur-of-the-moment move to... Read More

This audiobook, the third of the Dalton novels, recounts the hardscrabble lives of people in a rural town in northern Maine. The friendly, gossipy voice of narrator Patricia Shade ensures that listeners become familiar with some of the citizens in this close-knit community--their dreams, secrets, and vulnerabilities. The most compelling character is Rose, a single mother who is... Read More

In this allegorical novel, Adenrele Ojo's rich narration introduces a shopkeeper who longs for connection while burdened with a condition that renders her unable to be touched or to touch others. While preparing to fulfill her dream of opening a bookstore, The Shopkeeper participates in her writing group and meets ME, a mysterious customer who is familiar with her... Read More

Scott Eyman, an accomplished film specialist, offers a detailed personal and professional amalgam of Joan Crawford's life. Crawford was a highly successful actor who survived the transition from silent movies to the first "talkies" and the movies that followed--up to the 1970s. Pedestrian language mars this audiobook. Excessive detail, such as quoting every memo wafting down... Read More

From the 1980s to the early 1990s, there was no bigger, bankable, likable, and funnier Hollywood star than John Candy. David Bendena uses an upbeat journalistic style to narrate this celebration of Candy's remarkable rise from small-town Canada to Toronto's groundbreaking "Second City Television" (SCTV). With his innate comic talents and easy charm, Candy quickly went on to... Read More

American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist John Waters' irreverent style is definitely an acquired taste and not for the faint of heart. Called "The Pope of Trash" by author William S. Burroughs, Waters performs "every single role in my movies out loud for your twisted enjoyment." As Waters narrates the screenplays of six of his movies, his over-the-top style is outrageous;... Read More

This holiday audiobook features Leo, a successful financial analyst, and Camille, a barista at his favorite coffee shop. When Leo needs to fake a committed relationship for a holiday event in order to secure a client, he asks his coffee shop crush. In the time leading up to the party, they realize their mutual attraction. Mackenzie Cartwright and Sean Masters, who have both... Read More