New Reviews by Title: K-O

Actor Kelsey Grammer, star of the TV show "Frasier," delivers an emotional examination of his own life through the lens of the 1975 abduction, torture, and murder of his 18-year-old sister, Karen. Kelsey was two years older. This is a brutal listening experience, as was the crime and its impact. Grammer's narration is intense, warm, even slightly lighthearted at times. One can... Read More

Author and narrator Tori Eldridge invites listeners into an entertaining and enlightening new series featuring Ranger Makalani Pahukula. Drawing on her background in acting and her Hawaiian, Chinese, and Norwegian heritage, Eldridge brings depth and authenticity to both her storytelling and narration. Her knowledge of Hawaii's culture, language, spiritual beliefs, and customs... Read More

Lisa Flanagan narrates this historical novel with compassion. In 1942, almost 300 works of art from the Uffizi Galleries in Florence were hidden in a Tuscan villa to protect them from Nazi looting. Stella is sent to stay with her uncle in that villa, which he is overseeing for its absentee owners. There, Stella tries to find her place with relatives she's never known and to... Read More

Steven Weber superbly delivers Peter Swanson's intriguing mystery. The audiobook's structure goes backwards from 2023 to 1982--telling a story that's like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Ultimately, the puzzle's picture is dark and mind-boggling, but all the pieces fit. Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for 25 years. Wendy is a published poet, Thom, a university English... Read More

Narrators Almarie Guerra and Feodor Chin find FBI agent and former military code breaker Dani Vega up to her neck in trouble as hit man Gustavo Toro dies in her arms in a botched sting operation. Toro has left behind an "if you're watching this, I'm dead" video and a list of cryptic clues implicating a mysterious mastermind who's been operating in the shadows for decades.... Read More

Narrator Adam Lazarre-White once again immerses listeners in a dark, complex world crafted by S.A. Cosby. This gripping story explores identity, justice, and long-buried family trauma. When Roman Carruthers returns to his hometown to care for his dying father and support his sister, he's drawn into rescuing his troubled brother. As past and present collide, the mystery of their... Read More

Beth Eyre and Angus King narrate a historical novel set in 1613 during the reign of King James I of Scotland and England. King James's messenger, Andrew Logan, has been sent to Scotland on a clandestine mission, accompanied by his daughter, Phoebe, and court scrivener. At the start of the journey, English Phoebe dislikes Scottish Andrew immensely, and Eyre leans into Phoebe's... Read More

Jaunty music, heavy on bassoon, begins this audiobook, as narrator Fabian Cook, Jr., welcomes listeners to Kittybunkport, Maine, a coastal town populated entirely by scaredy-cats. When the town's lighthouse goes dark, Chowder, full of false bravado, and Crackers, openly timorous, are volunteered to take their lobster boat out to investigate. Narrators Sean Kenin Elias-Reyes and... Read More

Mary Russell's favorite uncle, Jake, turns up at her door after many years of absence. Mary finds herself caught between loyalties to her world-famous husband, Sherlock Holmes, and her ne'er-do-well uncle. Topnotch performances in alternate sections by Amy Scanlon, Steven Crossley and Jefferson Mays make King's latest Russell/Holmes outing sound like a full-cast audiobook. An... Read More

Aida Reluzco narrates a postapocalyptic tale of knights, shape-shifting demons, and a woman who is willing to do anything to protect her wife. Reluzco conveys Shrike's grim determination when she discovers that the knight who has come to slay the demon plaguing her village is none other than Sir John of Cincinnati, a legendary demon killer. Shrike knows she must act fast to... Read More

Narrator Kirby Heyborne joins the Meskimen family--Jim, Tamra, and daughter Taylor--in energetically giving voice to a dozen new stories by the winners of the Writers of the Future contest. In this year's crop, AI features strongly with Heyborne creating a tone of schoolboy innocence in "The Boy from Elsewhen" by Barlow Crassmont. Taylor Meskimen finds a deceptively... Read More

Narrator Samantha Piper takes listeners to Camp Burntshore, a Jewish camp on a fictional lake in Ontario. This summer several staff vacancies have been filled by young members of the Israeli Defense Forces. They fit in way better with the horny, seemingly perpetually high counselors than does protagonist Ruby, a staunch anti-Zionist. Piper's staccato narrative style works well... Read More

This long, drawn-out audiobook is a fictional account of the ultra-glamorous lives of two of the richest women of all time, Barbara Hutton and Doris Duke. The smooth, nonjudgmental voice of narrator Whitney Dykhouse describes their lifestyles. Listeners hear about designer clothes, priceless jewels, and sumptuous meals; valuable antique furnishings, enchanting villas, and... Read More

The author narrates her own work, a memoir about the period when her Missouri-raised children were coming of age. The title is a misnomer; the story really recounts a series of educational and entertaining road trips across the country as they visited state parks, caves, small-town museums, and many other colorful places. Kendzior uses the political landscape of the times we... Read More

Chris Andrew Ciulla narrates a thought-provoking story about a small team of observers who arrive at a dying planet and confront an unusual alien race. Warin's only job is to monitor and report on the final days of Retti 4, where an extinction-level virus is about to wipe the planet clean of the "rettys" that inhabit it. He learns the aliens aren't primitive but are vastly... Read More

Narrator Julian Elfer has undertaken many daunting subjects: the pharmacist of Auschwitz, the Borgias, lost expeditions to the Greenland ice cap. Here, he faces down the challenge of a 300-year generational narrative in which all the principals are named either Ptolemy or Cleopatra. At the early death of Alexander, Ptolemy, his shrewdest commander, took the grandest prize:... Read More

Narrators Hillary Huber and Allyson Ryan deliver captivating performances of Bartz's second novel. Thea, a social worker, is certain she knows the patient who has been brought to her unit. And the patient, Catherine, has a resemblance to Thea. When Catherine leaves the unit, she leaves behind clues for Thea, which lead Thea to a retreat center in New Mexico. As Thea... Read More

The challenge for narrator Susan Ericksen is to construct while deconstructing. Tart, dismissive, at times even derisive, Ericksen captures the spirit of the author's dour reassessment of art history's most hallowed figure. Here is a very different portrayal of Leonardo da Vinci, one that strips away hyperbole and idolatry to focus on what's verifiable about da Vinci's life and... Read More

Marni Penning portrays Callie McCallahan, who returns to her hometown of Hoker, Kentucky, when she inherits her uncle's property. The land abuts a tree farm belonging to Tanner Patrick, who had a crush on Callie in high school, though she never noticed him. Callie's cousin is staying with her, and Penning gives her a timid voice, matching her personality. When Callie's... Read More

Chris Tester and Caroline Hewitt narrate this locked-room steampunk mystery, which takes place aboard the airship LADY AIR in 1890. As the airship makes her maiden voyage from New York City to South Hampton, Cora Beaumont, its collected and self-assured owner, must deal with multiple murders. She is aided by aristocrat Nicholas Tristan, her fiancé's older brother. Hewitt... Read More

Narrator Natalia Payne draws the listener into three short romances, tailoring her narration to match each story. In one story, Natalie returns home to help her parents and encounters a beekeeper named Garrett. Payne brings out her initial frustration with him before warming her tone as the two draw closer. In the second story, Payne voices characters who range from the hero's... Read More

Daniel and Alexander Macmillan were sons of a Scottish crofter. Together, they founded a small publishing company in London in 1843. By the time Alexander died in 1896, they had published Lewis Carroll, Thomas Hardy, and Rudyard Kipling, among many others. This audio biography of the brothers and their company, narrated by the author, focuses more on the creation and growth of... Read More

Multilevel marketing companies such as Mary Kay and Amway promise the freedom, security, and status of being your own boss but seldom deliver on those promises. This gripping audiobook reveals the industry's misleading recruitment practices, financial tricks, and cunning social manipulation. Nikki Massoud narrates with documentary seriousness that resonates with every personal... Read More

Some of the poems in this collection were recorded at a reading in New York City, where Kay grew up. Her hometown is also one of her subjects. In those recordings, she connects with her audience, and we can hear the joy that she and they share in her very fine readings of her very fine poetry. She also reminds us of her successful background in spoken-word poetry--although even... Read More

Patti Murin skillfully narrates this engaging romance, capturing a wide range of emotions. Katie, a video producer, must choose between making a Coast Guard recruitment video or losing her job. To complicate the assignment, she doesn't know how to swim, and she will be working alongside Tom, known as Hutch, a well-meaning individual who dislikes social media. An anxious Katie... Read More

Sharmila Devar's evocative, compassionate narration suits this audio biography. Born to a South Asian mother and a Caucasian father in India, Queenie Thompson, later known as actor Merle Oberon, traveled a challenging route to become the first of her ethnicity to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Film critic Mayukh Sen, himself of South Asian descent, tells Oberon's story,... Read More

Rebecca Lowman's propulsive narration brings listeners into the tensions of a couple whose affair leads them into danger. Nick, a high-powered attorney, and Jenny, a successful novelist, have secretly met for six years. Each lies to their spouse, so they can spend one night in a Manhattan luxury hotel. When fire alarms go off, Nick and Jenny try to leave the room but are told... Read More

In this riveting work of historical fiction, listeners learn about the remarkable exploits of French Resistance leader Marie-Madeleine Fourcade and her intrepid agents who supplied vital information to the Allies during the dark days of WWII. Award-winning narrator Saskia Maarleveld tells this story in a hushed voice and conspiratorial tone. The plot moves swiftly, and... Read More

Emily Woo Zeller delivers this hopeful domestic drama about an unnamed Chinese American woman who is navigating a divorce and an illness. Weeks after her husband, Sam, bluntly confesses to an affair and moves out of their home, the woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. She copes with the separation by writing a manual about her ex-husband and sharing Chinese folklore that was... Read More

Lauren Ambrose continues her stellar performance of Nita Prose's quirky and heartwarming Molly the Maid series in the newest adventure of our favorite Regency Grand Hotel head maid and events coordinator. During an "Antiques Roadshow"-like event, Molly learns that her favorite trinket is actually a rare Fabergé egg. Soon, the precious keepsake is stolen. Molly launches an... Read More

Two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father's lakefront home in Maine after his death travel a bumpy road toward sisterhood. This audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Mara Wilson. Thirty-year-old Lucy, portrayed in a light, earnest tone, is spending the month of July at her father's summer home. Lucy and her warmhearted mother, a waitress, never lived with Hank... Read More

Listening to bestselling author Judith Viorst narrate her own stories and poems--and share tales from others about life in the "final fifth"--is a special experience. Listeners will appreciate the bittersweet humor and candid reflections on the ups and downs of life in one's 90s. Viorst shares her own journey, including moving from the home where she raised her children to a... Read More

Master storyteller David Timson appears to be having lots of fun delivering this British Golden Age Mystery. His performance captures each nuance of the novel's gallows humor. Dr. Edmund Bickleigh, a philanderer whom women find appealing, states that he must murder his shrewish wife, Julia. Bickleigh meticulously plans Julia's demise in hopes of marrying his latest wealthy... Read More

With his appealing baritone, Golden Voice Stefan Rudnicki draws listeners into this first outing of Inspector Alan Grant. An unidentified man is stabbed while waiting in a long line to see the final London performance of a popular musical comedy. Grant can't understand how none of the others in the queue saw anything. Nonetheless, he takes the few clues he has and begins his... Read More

Dion Graham takes listeners to New York City to recount the 1983 killing of a Black man by transit cops and its aftermath. Michael Stewart was a promising young artist and model who was part of the East Village art scene; his death galvanized the community. Author Elon Green's leggy story encompasses the sensational (the removal of Stewart's eyeballs during autopsy) and the... Read More

Talented actors Lesley Manville and Tim McMullan bring drama and rich characterizations to their narration, just as they do in the Masterpiece television adaptations of Horowitz's series. Their dynamic performances create an audiobook experience that's fun, immersive, and expertly voiced. Though this may be the final installment, ample backstory allows new listeners to jump... Read More

Narrator Maggie Ollerenshaw is perfectly matched to 89-year-old Margaret Winterbottom in this debut mystery. Listeners quickly learn that Margaret is an unreliable source of information--not out of malice, but due to frustrating memory gaps. She joins her teenage grandson, James, to uncover who murdered her neighbor and dear friend, Barbara. Ollerenshaw skillfully... Read More

Helen Laser adopts a gravelly voice for this story of love, jealousy, and secrets. The creepy plot involves a painting titled "Marguerite By The Lake" and takes place at a garden estate named Rosecliff. Phoenix, a gardener, has a tumultuous affair with owner Geoffrey Gray, which is followed by the unfortunate death of his wife, Marguerite. Her death appears to have been an... Read More

Twain's twang, as delivered by Jason Culp, runs through this compelling and comprehensive audiobook like a vein of gold. He convincingly portrays the great humorist in all his guises--raconteur, lecturer, parent, public figure, wit, and philosopher--homespun and not. Culp expertly narrates the exposition (and in a 44-hour biography there's plenty) and modulates his voice and... Read More

Author and narrator Tourmaline invites listeners inside her warm and revealing biography of Marsha P. Johnson, an LGBTQIA+ icon, Black trans activist, and irrepressible spirit. In a deliberate, earnest performance, she explores the pivotal 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, one of many key moments in Johnson's eventful life. Tourmaline adds vibrancy to quotations from... Read More

Samantha Desz dials down the vocal drama to provide a pitch-perfect documentary-style narration of this inspiring biography of the 20th-century pop music giant. With her comforting voice adding warmth and her interpretations never faltering, her easy-listening performance allows the author's writing and Krupa's captivating story to remain prominent throughout. The... Read More

Euan Morton, who narrated the first in this duology, concludes it with the strength it deserves. Story and narration find new depth as 13-year-old Max, a German Jew trained by British spies, returns to Berlin amid the horrors of the Nazi regime. His official mission? Infiltrate the heart of radio propaganda. His personal mission? Find his parents. Morton's narration has an... Read More

Narrator Harrie Dobby has her hands full performing this important audiobook, full of academic references and economic formulas. Cambridge economist/public policy professor Diane Coyle says that common economic benchmarks like unemployment rates and gross domestic product are designed in arbitrary or misleading ways. She says these measures of societal progress, formulated... Read More

Narrators C.J. Bloom and Alexander Cendese deliver hilarious performances in this contemporary romantic comedy. Juniper Perry has always had a secret crush on her best friend's older brother, Beau. Now as they work together on a dating app, Juniper can finally flirt with him anonymously. Bloom's expressive, upbeat performance perfectly balances Juniper's quick wit,... Read More

Ariana Delawari reflects the uncomfortable mix of feelings of Cassie Perera, which began with her betrayal of her best friend, Ben, in sixth grade, when the two were caught swapping outfits. She denies her friendship to avoid revealing her same-sex attractions, hiding behind being perfect at school, church, and home. Delawari carries listeners forward into Cassie's junior... Read More

Times have changed for John Rebus in this audiobook: He's not just a retired detective; now he's an ex-cop in prison who has been convicted of murder. Siobhan Clarke is heading up a missing-person investigation from a different Edinburgh office, while her friend Christine Esson has her old job and is investigating a murder that took place two doors down from Rebus at the... Read More

This powerful audiobook history of the closing months of the Civil War is fascinating and compelling. However, its narration by author Scott Ellsworth proves stiff, and several beats too slow. The listener will be riveted by Ellsworth's descriptions of the brutal battles that finally crushed Lee's army, Sherman's calculated ravaging of the Confederate heartland, and the... Read More

Senn Annis narrates this sci-fi thriller. The principal storyteller is Raina. She and Cedric are genetic engineers who were blacklisted in the industry when technology they developed was misused. When an eccentric billionaire approaches them to genetically engineer a solution for the survival of humanity, Raina sees a way of regaining the respect of their peers and escaping... Read More

E.A. Castillo brings enchanting charm to this captivating adventure. After a misstep, Maggie is sent to the Midwatch Institute. Pleasantly surprised and a little mesmerized by the reality of the orphanage, Maggie and her fellow first-year students embark on intriguing class schedules. The girls quickly discover that the school is engaged in solving mysteries and keeping the... Read More

Elaine Pagels, renowned scholar of Christian history, is no stranger to the Gospels, those that are canonical, as well as the more obscure versions she calls "secret." However, deciphering the meaning behind those differing accounts of Jesus's life results in an often dense text. Eunice Wong's clear, well-paced, and straightforward performance works hard to make this material... Read More

The competition among the parents of Los Angeles's elementary school scene is front and center in this audiobook, narrated by Helen Laser. The dark comedy focuses on four moms: Milly, head of the PTA; Jillian, whose daughter is wait-listed by every private middle school; Dawn, who is back in L.A. after being exiled because of her husband's actions; and Heather, the person who... Read More

Leighton Pugh masterfully delivers Emile Zola's heady mix of urbane prose, playful dialogue, and meticulous descriptions of stock market trading and manipulation in this one-of-a-kind cautionary tale. It's the roaring 1860s of the Second French Empire. Growth and prosperity are in the air, the Suez Canal is almost complete, and a devious stock market speculator plans to... Read More

Hillary Huber narrates this charming story of a cross-country road trip, an elderly woman with a wild past, and the subdued college student she convinces to be her getaway driver. Louise is a senior citizen with a newly healed hip, a need for privacy, and a secret past. Tanner is a college student who was recently divested of her soccer scholarship after a major injury and is... Read More

Sanya Simmons narrates this debut audiobook set in a coal mining community in southwestern Virginia. Bennie is trying to find out what happened to her best friends and other mine workers who have disappeared inside the mountain. When Bennie rescues a half-drowned white woman named Motheater in a stream near a borehole, she soon discovers that Motheater possesses a strange form... Read More

When Sloan McPherson stumbles upon a vagrant who is suffering from amnesia in a Florida swamp, she discovers a connection to Mr. Whisper, a villain who uses mind control for his schemes. She joins forces with three other investigators to track down Mr. Whisper, each being the lead in one of the author's other series. Multiple narrators tell the story from each investigator's... Read More

Siobhan McSweeney captures each nuance of this creepy yet moving mystery set in 1952 in a decaying English seaside town. Listeners meet Nora, who leaves a convent after 30 years to search for a young novice named Freda, whose letters to her have mysteriously stopped. The suspense begins as Nora moves into Freda's boardinghouse, where residents include a retired puppeteer, a... Read More

Debra Michaels's performance takes full advantage of the descriptive scenes and energetic dialogue in this first novel from playwright Mel Pennant. Thirty years ago, Miss Hortense, who immigrated to the UK from Jamaica in 1960, was the backbone of her suburban Birmingham neighborhood. She even ran the Pardner, a money-raising and savings club that allowed members to accumulate... Read More

A quartet of narrators tells the story of Amber, a wannabe private investigator who moves in with her heretofore unknown grandmother in her retirement community when her latest relationship fails. Her grandmother, Jade, portrayed by Cynthia Darlow, is a true-crime podcaster. When a member of the podcast team is found dead, Amber puts her PI knowledge to the test. Darlow... Read More

Kimberly Farr delivers a pitch-perfect performance in this cozy mystery featuring widowed Mrs. Muriel Blossom. Just when she needs a fresh start, Muriel finds a winning lottery ticket and sets off for a Seine River cruise. On her way to Paris she meets the gentlemanly Allan. With his help, she is upgraded to business class and receives a sleep aid, which causes her to miss her... Read More

A steamy holiday fake-dating romance features a full-cast narration from Samantha Brentmoor, Jason Clarke, and others. Brentmoor portrays Fable in a breezy voice, while Clarke plays Fable's gravelly voiced employer, Wilder, the owner of a football team. As Fable and Wilder engage in games in and out of the bedroom during a holiday wedding, the chemistry they have is obvious... Read More

Fredrik Backman, the talented Swedish novelist, is a witty writer and a keen observer. Golden Voice narrator Marin Ireland grandly performs this story of art, friendship, and what it means to be a teen. Ireland replicates the snarky tone of Louisa, who has just released herself from foster care to go see the work of art that is the fulcrum of the plot. Ireland captures the... Read More

Narrator Meghan Kelly delivers this audiobook in a rapid and breathless voice. Emma remembers nothing before she came to Mist Glen. Now she works at Pages & Potions Bookshop because the witches who own it like her; furthermore, they helped her recover from a botched C-section. Also, Emma can see and talk to ghosts. Jody Haversham, a regular customer who is now a ghost, asks for... Read More

Narrator Coral Peña brings sensitivity and strength to this sweeping historical novel about bold Emilia, a young woman who is driven by her intellect, curiosity, and deep longing to chart her own path. She begins as an illegitimate daughter in America and grows into a fearless war correspondent in Chile. Peña's handling of multiple characters across continents and classes is... Read More

Emily O'Brien voices 16-year-old Mullory Prudence and the other characters in this novel with a wide vocal range and quirky accents. James Babson's baritone pitches provide an abundance of variety for other characters, as well. Mullory is bombarded with multiple invitations to Stoutmire Estate to compete in a game of mystery royale for the chance to win a sizable inheritance.... Read More

Dervla Kirwan delivers a stunning performance of Knapp's powerful novel about the weight of choice, the search for identity, and the complexities of family. Her buttery voice creates a striking paradox--soothing and steady yet cut by the cruelty and sharpness of this story about Cora and the three narratives that unfold around the different names she gives her baby boy. Kirwan... Read More

Narrator Evan Sibley captures the tone of empathy and regret in this novel about a young couple's budding relationship. Natch sees himself as "some wild thing let loose on the world." He works as a tree trimmer in northern Georgia and lives simply in a cabin at the end of a dirt road. One day he meets Asha, who works at a convenience store and hopes to put herself through... Read More

Narrator Emily Pike Stewart has the energy and pitch needed to create authentic characters and captivate listeners. Working as a wilderness guide, Emlyn has a new simple life that keeps her safe and prevents her from thinking about her past--that is, until the man who ruined her life and left her for dead years ago shows up to ask for her help in finding Janessa. Reluctantly,... Read More

Set sail with narrator Ellie Gossage and this contemporary romance. Micah's band gained popularity in her teenage years after being featured on a hit television show. However, the group's second album never took off. A decade later, the band is reuniting for a performance on a themed cruise ship. Micah's bandmate and childhood best friend, John, misses playing music and is... Read More

Jessie Mueller provides a rich, satisfying performance that should please fans of King's audiobooks, particularly his most recent works. By now, King has fully embraced the detective genre. Private investigator Holly Gibney is back--with her dizzying intellect, ability to think through tough cases, and relatable quirks. The story is a revenge plot that has the murderer... Read More

Faladé re-creates a post-WWII Paris filled with verve, trepidation, and heartbreak. As the City of Lights mends physically and emotionally from the war, it's overflowing with international students--Africans, Indo-Chinese, Arabs, and Americans. Narrator Jasmin Walker shines as she portrays Minette Traoré, a spirited French-born girl of Senegalese descent, and Cecile Rosenbaum,... Read More

Written by a team of notable leadership experts, this comprehensive guide describes how high performing groups of all kinds keep the momentum of success going strong. The authors use interviews, research, and moving stories from sports, business, and politics to create an accessible model of continuous effectiveness. Actor Julian Thomas performs with near flawless elocution and... Read More

Narrator Will Damron introduces listeners to Michael Connelly's newest character, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Stilwell. Damron skillfully delivers this police procedural, rich with the detail, atmosphere, and character depth that we expect from Connelly. What sets this story apart from most of Connelly's others is its setting, Catalina Island, where police patrol in... Read More

Suzanne Toren's slower pacing, mature vocal timbre, and suffer-no-fools confidence make her performance a perfect fit for the late author's last audiobook, a collection of works written in the five years before her death at 96. Toren modulates her outsized dramatic talent to capture the full measure of class, wisdom, and charm of the New York City icon who was well known for... Read More

This homespun audiobook mixes memories and recipes. Golden Voice narrator Cassandra Campbell brings her talent for storytelling, ease with Italian words, and melodious intonation to this fun and fascinating listen. At Enoteca Maria restaurant on Staten Island, New York's least celebrated borough, eight Italian grandmothers, nonne, rotate their services as chef.... Read More

Actor Peter Outerbridge, who doesn't have a large body of work as a narrator of audiobooks, is outstanding in this debut novel by fellow Canadian Mooney. Although the story is told from the point of view of a 12-year-old boy in the early 1950s, it's not nostalgic, and Outerbridge captures the forthright, occasionally detached, tone of the preteen. The other primary... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini splendidly narrates three of the Russian writer Gogol's best-known works. All three display the author's use of the grotesque and surreal. "The Nose" and "The Overcoat" also exhibit Gogol's satire of the Russian bureaucratic hierarchy. Anyone wishing for an entry into Russian literature would do well to listen to these three works. Golden Voice Ballerini has a... Read More

Four narrators authentically convey the emotional weight of teenagers thrust into a dangerous magical competition that is part of a murder mystery. When the Holtzfall heiress is murdered, a sometimes deadly contest to determine the next heir begins. Karissa Vacker voices Nora, daughter of the murdered heiress. She and journalist August, voiced by Colin White, work to uncover... Read More

No one is better than Sir David Attenborough at communicating authentic awe and wonder at discoveries in the natural world. So it's no surprise that this audiobook on ocean ecosystems is an intimate and wildly informative joy ride into the sea. Attenborough, at age 99, reflects on his iconic career, including the horrific declines and astonishing recoveries he's witnessed over... Read More

Karissa Vacker strengthens this audiobook with her depictions of sadness and confusion as fifth-grader Pearl sinks into depression. Vacker captures the dismal messages in Pearl's brain, nasty communiqués from mean inner voices. Vacker also depicts caring family members and friends who note Pearl's changed behavior and worry. Vacker conveys Pearl's healing with the aid of a... Read More

Author and narrator Stephen Fry's fourth and final installment of his Greek Myths series showcases, yet again, his virtuoso storytelling skills. His literary retelling of Homer's tale of Odysseus's arduous journey home from the Trojan War stays true to themes of heroism, home, and the human condition while infusing the narrative with a modern wit and accessibility. There's... Read More

This heartfelt sci-fi monster mash-up of an audiobook is stunningly narrated by an excellent ensemble. Charlie Albers voices DEMETER, a spaceship that travels between planets whose human passengers keep getting murdered through paranormal encounters. Albers's impressive skill at differentiating voices enlivens the robotic DEMETER, who is filled with anxiety; sobbing children... Read More

Set in 1967 in Toronto with scenes in Vietnam, this historical novel is performed admirably and authentically with Canadian inflections throughout by Liz Leafloor and Erin Moon. They deliver the voices and styles of both women and men in just the right tones and cadences. This matters in a novel that jumps from war protest to a psych ward and to the jungles of Vietnam. The plot... Read More

This is a serious and, at times, personal discussion of one of America's finest 20th-century writers. Colm Tóibín makes interesting connections between the American Black experience and that of the Irish. In fact, Tóibín winds up making meaningful connections between Baldwin and James Joyce, Henry James, and Oscar Wilde, among others. Gary Furlong's relaxed, pleasant tone and... Read More

Bonnie Tsui is clearly fascinated by how our muscles work and why we should use them. Her performance is appealing--full of joy and heart. She reels us in with her appreciation for both muscles and people. Tsui profiles the first woman to lift Scotland's massive Dinnie Stones and a champion high school runner who runs to honor his great-grandfather, who ran 50 miles to escape a... Read More

This captivating fantasy-romance audiobook is delivered with emotional depth. After the mysterious death of her husband, Queen Calla must marry by season's end or lose her crown. To avoid another heartbreak, she hosts a series of deadly trials to choose a new king, only to be confronted by her former love, General Matthias. At that point, Calla must decide between love and duty... Read More

Patti Murin manages to unite generations in this Old Hollywood and Gen Z mash-up. When legendary actress Julia Mann wakes up from a drunken stupor to find her rival, Tony, dead in her pool, she's ordered to attend AA meetings. There, she meets Natasha Mason, a young, unemployed spitfire who becomes her sponsor. As the two women bridge the many divides between their... Read More

Yetide Badaki returns to narrate the next audiobook in the She Who Knows series. Najeeba, now in her 40s, has lost her daughter, Onyesonwu, after the events of the author's novel WHO FEARS DEATH. Onyesonwu saved the world, erasing a history of genocide but also erasing her own existence. Only Najeeba remembers this forgotten history. Badaki's portrayal of Najeeba features a... Read More

Sebastian Croft gives a quiet, emotional performance of this tender debut novel by Irish poet Seán Hewitt. Sixteen-year-old James's small world breaks open when a new boy, Luke, arrives in his rural village in the north of England. James's feelings for Luke overwhelm him, and over the course of a year their friendship slowly transforms his life. Croft's soft narration captures... Read More

Annie B. Jones shines as she narrates her first book, an essay collection about all the ways an ordinary life can feel extraordinary. An independent bookstore owner and host of the popular podcast "From the Front Porch," Jones narrates with confidence, a lively intonation, and expert pacing. The Florida native has a sweet voice with an audible smile that welcomes listeners into... Read More

Compelling and thought-provoking, this audiobook pulls listeners in and immerses them in a single-room flat in Singapore. Beginning in the present, the story jumps back to the past, introducing Genevieve, who is an only child for eight years--until Arin arrives. The girls navigate that transition, bonding as sisters until fractures take place. Ambition, betrayal, and resentment... Read More

Always comfortable behind the mic, coauthor and CNN journalist Jake Tapper is a natural choice to narrate his pointed rebuke of the Biden administration's disastrous end. Tapper--who moderated the infamous Biden-Trump debate during the 2024 campaign--has an animated delivery style that is mostly unadorned. There's one exception, however: When reading direct quotes, he mimics... Read More

Kaffe Keating and Heather Long give masterful performances of Everett's debut thriller about 10 strangers who have been kidnapped and brought to a mysterious house. Keating's and Long's nimble narration of strangers who range from an arrogant army captain to an ornery, lonely woman and a young, single mom with an infant daughter is full-bodied and keeps listeners invested.... Read More

Narrator Marisa Calin shines a light on women's opportunities in this unconventional historical rom-com. Lady archaeologist Georgina Harrington doesn't back down from any challenge, and Calin's voice is imbued with her steely resolution. To locate her missing cousin, Georgina teams up with Alexander Lovett, heir to a dukedom, despite not being pleased that both their families... Read More