New Reviews by Title: K-O

Yetide Badaki delivers a heartfelt, mystical narration of adventurous short stories by the award-winning Nigerian-American author, Nnedi Okorafor. The listeners are transported into each story. They are on bustling Chicago streets magically taxiing their way to another continent or playing music for a large zombie spider. The listeners are constantly on a ride, playing between... Read More

In an Audible exclusive, Kathleen Turner answers questions on acting posed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Dustin Morrow. In her unmistakable deep, sultry voice, Turner tells us what it takes to make it in the world of show business. A Golden Globe winner for PRIZZI'S HONOR and ROMANCING THE STONE, Turner is a cultural icon. The singer Falco wrote a song called "The Kiss of... Read More

In a new #ownvoices romantic story, narrated by Cynthia Farrell, the three de la Rosa sisters face the challenges of running the family's wedding-planning business after their parents' retirement. Filipino-Americans Mari, Jane, and Pearl navigate the struggles of running the business together while redefining their relationships with one another and possibly finding their own... Read More

The dual narration by Laurie West and William Leroy helps immerse listeners in the romance between Matt Kingston and Parker Speedman. Matt is a sports agent. His sister, Willow, and her friend, Parker, arrive at Matt's house to stay with him while Parker looks for a professional soccer team to play on. As the story alternates between first-person points of view, West takes on... Read More

Narrator Derek Perkins gives a steady performance that draws out the tension and anticipation in this historical romance set in Scotland. After Lady Margaret's arranged marriage falls apart, she never wants to wed again--nevertheless, her family's machinations to gain power involve a second marriage for her. So when Highlander Finn declares he's kidnapping her for ransom, she... Read More

This audiobook is a twist on the Mark Twain classic A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT, and narrator Danielle Cohen is comfortable delivering his flowery style. Arthur's sister, Morgan le Fay, time travels for the purpose of preventing "Sir Boss" from coming to her time and turning her world upside down. But she overshoots her mark, landing in Washington, DC, in 2079.... Read More

Narrator Sullivan Jones captures the playfulness of this story, the poetry of its rhythms, and the emotions of its characters. The author of this audiobook proves himself the king of metaphors as he describes the joy and confidence of a boy on his first day of kindergarten. There's a sadness in the mother whose "baby is going to school" and a wistfulness in the father who sees... Read More

Fiona Hardingham returns to narrate the second installment of the Empirium Trilogy. Separated by a thousand years but slowly coming together as the story progresses, queens Eliana and Rielle have come to terms with using their magical abilities. But as the plot darkens, their strengths, and hearts, are tested. Hardingham's skillful narration connects listeners to the hushed... Read More

Listeners would do well to have heard some of the previous audiobooks before embarking on this particularly intricate one, the twelfth in the Harry Hole series. John Lee--who's narrated most of the titles--does a fine job of conveying the brooding quality of this Norwegian thriller, which opens with Hole waking up from a drunken night covered in blood. He's had many setbacks in... Read More

Narrator Simon Vance immediately places the listener into the action of Dumas's energetic historical adventure. The story takes place during the French Revolution and involves a plot to rescue Marie Antoinette. Vance's narration greatly contributes to the excitement of the novel. He has a consistent serious tone when narrating the events of the story; however, he transforms his... Read More

Imagine getting a lesson on the works of Dante from the poet himself. Jonathan Keeble narrates LA VITA NUOVA, verse Dante wrote in 1295, like a poet who has been asked to explain his own work: with keen interest tempered by a bit of distance, so as not to get carried away. It is the story of Dante's love for Beatrice, told through the various sonnets he wrote for her, as... Read More

In Book 3 of the Duke's Daughters series, Jilly Bond delivers an exuberant and well-acted narration. Bond portrays Lady Ida Howlett, an opinionated and determined spinster. Ida purloins a carriage to find her missing sister, not realizing that it is occupied by a sleeping Bennett, Lord Carson, an overworked aristocrat who yearns for a quiet, biddable wife and a tranquil life. A... Read More

Lorene Cary does a fantastic job narrating her outstanding memoir, shading it with the nuanced emotions it requires. In a wonderfully paced storytelling voice, she captures the reverberations that occur when her grandmother, who lived to be over 100, moves into her home. Her story is filled with all the love, pain, frustration, guilt, sadness, and, most of all, the appreciative... Read More

This laugh-out-loud audiobook is Bill Geist's recollection of his 1960s summers at his Uncle Ed's hotel, Arrowhead Lodge, in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. Geist introduces his memoir with his Midwestern twang; then narrator Allan Robertson transforms Geist's words into one of the funniest performances ever. He effectively delivers the pregnant pauses in the description of... Read More

Ellen Parker's fine narration of this classic collection of meditations on the arid reaches of California is by turns intimate and inspiring. Her nuanced approach--deliberately paced, thoughtfully delivered--fits the the tone and style of this personal exploration of the Owens Valley, which is bounded by the Sierras, near Death Valley and the Mojave Desert. Parker's narration... Read More

This audiobook, narrated by the author, examines the surprising relationship between trash and gulls, birds that have become the rag pickers of contemporary times. Today's world drives many birds away from us--even to extinction. But our landfills bring the gulls closer. The topic is fascinating, and the author's enthusiasm is made clear through the many hours he spent... Read More

This extraordinary audiobook, performed by a quartet of talented narrators, will have listeners devouring its fabulist story while wishing it would never end. The one-of-a-kind Dead Papa Toothwort, a mythological creature existing for centuries in the woods outside an English village, is brought to menacing life by David Timson's deep, raspy timbre and deliberate phrasing.... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini gives a superb narration of this imaginative apocalyptic story set on Last Day, a worldwide event falling on May 27-28 of each year. The story centers on three individuals--Bear, Karen, and Sarah--whose lives intersect in small ways. Ballerini smooths the sometimes abrupt transitions between episodes so that listeners can experience the story in a steadier... Read More

Narrator Peter Noble takes the listener deep inside the rarefied world of those who deal in paintings by the Old Masters. Speaking with the erudition of an art history professor lecturing in London's National Gallery, Noble adds to the sense of mystery in this true story. The painting SALVATOR MUNDI, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, was sold at Christie's auction house in 2017... Read More

The events of one night forever change the lives of a young man and woman and others in this gripping audiobook about the power of a single bad choice. Graham Halstead's biting performance is brimming with understated intensity. He gives voice to a black teenager who runs afoul of the law, a spoiled young woman, a gay police detective, and an autistic investigator and proves up... Read More

Narrator Richard Ferrone's slightly gravelly voice fits this hard-boiled true crime, while his warmth moderates its harsh details. As a young reporter in the 1970s, Bowden (BLACK HAWK DOWN) covered the disappearance of two girls from a Maryland mall. Here he tells the story of how the cold case was solved 38 years later when suspect Lloyd Welch was identified, leading to 17... Read More

Using a wide range of voices, narrator Julia Whelan navigates the riveting turns in this thriller. It's challenging enough for Dr. Kate English to grieve for her murdered mother. Then she starts receiving notes filled with twisted threats and begins emotionally unraveling. Whelan keeps to a straight tone for the narrative, saving her theatrical voices for the dialogue. Kate and... Read More

Most of this twisty psychological thriller is performed by Emily Rankin, whose careful pacing amps up the creep factor. Marian loves her job: training dogs to help with wildlife research under the tutelage of her new boyfriend, Tate. After he dies in an accident, Marian discovers that Tate harbored secrets, but surely he wasn't involved with a series of unsolved murders. Hoping... Read More

Listeners are transported back to the 1960s by Heath Hardage Lee and her painstaking research. She narrates the incredible true story of a group of military wives whose advocacy gained their husbands' freedom after they had been taken prisoner during the Vietnam War. Lee takes on the role of interpreter as she explains the strict gender roles at play in American society in the... Read More

Karissa Vacker elegantly gives voice to the story of three different women who are experiencing transformative--and sometimes traumatic--changes in their lives. For Liv and Fionna, it is the changes that take place after their last years at Buchanan College as they develop into adulthood during the recession of the early 2000s. For Simone, it is adjusting to infertility and her... Read More

Anyone who has followed the NBA even from a cursory vantage knows of LeBron James, basketball great. Chris Abell keeps an interested tone while narrating this audiobook, which is not a biography but rather a focused look at James's savvy financial investments. Longtime NBA writer Brian Windhorst, who attended the same high school as James, has written a highly readable... Read More

Holly Palance energetically narrates a story of magical realism set in Florida. When Eulalie Jenkins is forced off the road--to silence her criticism of local racists--she shape-shifts into an alligator. Her cat, Lena, a witness, survives. Palance's Lena tells Adelaide, Eulalie's daughter, who possesses some of her mother's powers, about the accident using thought speech.... Read More

Korey Jackson, Nile Bullock, Adenrele Ojo, and Adam Lazarre-White take turns narrating this young adult title set in the '90s in New York City. Each narrator brings a unique and heartbreaking voice to life. The story follows two best friends who try to honor the life and rapping talent of a friend who has died. With the help of his sister, they hatch a scheme to make him famous... Read More

Bodies are piling up on Douglas Island, off of New York City, as narrator Saskia Maarleveld's soft tones and engaging voice draw the listener into this intricately plotted mystery. The story involves treasure and the possible hiding place of the Ark of the Covenant. Special Agent Craig Frasier, along with his girlfriend, psychologist Kieran Finnegan, must solve the mystery and... Read More

Baseball broadcaster Charley Steiner narrates this illuminating biography of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks. Banks is well known for his stellar accomplishments on the baseball field and for his cheerful public persona. While this audiobook fully covers his twenty-year career in Chicago, it also portrays Banks as a complicated, conflicted man. It delves into his childhood in a... Read More

Matt Addis narrates this expansive tale of chivalry and great deeds, a Dutch classic written in 1962 and recently translated into English. Tiuri, a young squire making his pre-knighthood vigil, cannot refuse a request for help from a mysterious stranger. Thus begins an adventure through dangerous forests, across wide rivers, and among people whose allegiances are uncertain.... Read More

Narrator Imogen Church turns this story about Martha Storm, a selfless, colorless librarian, into a compelling mystery. Martha was cursed with a sadistic father and a spineless mother who never defied him. Only her Nana Zelda encouraged her to use her imagination as a child. Now, with her family members are gone, Church credibly portrays a middle-aged spinster who is often... Read More

Beata Pozniak's accented, dramatic narration conjures a faraway desert land. Sona Van's abstract meditation on the Armenian genocide of 1915-1917 is dedicated to the victims of all wars and atrocities. Plumbing the depths of pain, Pozniak's narration is intense, breathy, and emotional, and is augmented by background sounds of desert winds and distant, echoing Middle Eastern... Read More

"Trading Spaces" host and carpenter Ty Pennington, who has attention deficit disorder, offers a scattered, difficult-to-follow narration of an otherwise fascinating life story. Pennington frequently shares the fact that he wrote this entire work in seven consecutive days. The self-appointed "Ambassador of Goodness," who is quite charitable in his day-to-day life, narrates with... Read More

Comedian Chelsea Handler's decision to narrate this memoir means that her trademark breezy irreverence peppers this laugh-out-loud glimpse of her life and running interior monologue. As she races through her feelings about current events, American politics, and her rise to fame, fans will be clutching their sides with laughter and delight at the intimate feel of the listening... Read More

Narrator Cara Gee perfectly evokes the weary drawl of a battle-hardened soldier in this intricately constructed science fiction audiobook. The listener follows Dietz (first name unknown) through her mandatory training in the Corporate Corps. She learns to follow orders, to kill, and to cross the galaxy as a beam of light in order to fight the enemy that attacked her planet and... Read More

Narrator Kyla Garcia skillfully leads listeners through a story of space travel and distorted time. Nedda Papas is one of four astronauts on a mission to save humanity by colonizing a new planet, but their ship is going haywire. Garcia delights with distinct personalities for each member of the international crew as they struggle to reach their destination. In flashbacks to... Read More

Kristin James has the characters' personalities and vocal mannerisms well established as she continues narrating the Dark Stars trilogy. In the second installment, much of the action unfolds through dialogue. With appropriate levels of drama, James follows the ebb and flow of the suspense, never dropping her intensity. The steady development of the dynamics among the friends is... Read More

With remarkable vocal agility, narrator Michael Crouch takes a fascinating novel and makes it downright riveting. No matter what appears in the audiobook, Crouch is game. Ilya is an exchange student from Russia who is living in Louisiana. Fluent accents emerge without hesitation or exaggeration. The cast of characters expands, time shifts between past and present, and a mystery... Read More

Three narrators depict a trio of teens who, in alternating chapters, search for love and self-identity in New York City amid the AIDS crisis of the late 1980s. Lauren Ambrose's narration has the perfect tone of sarcasm to capture the wit and self-deprecating humor of Judy. Aside from her beloved Uncle Stephen, who has AIDS, Judy's best friend is Art. Michael Crouch's portrayal... Read More

Narrators Priya Ayyar and Ron Butler work together to chart the ups and downs of the Chandaria family's unexpected move from the U.S. to Kenya. As they confront long buried secrets, listeners soak up the narrators' expert performances. Ayyar sounds young, hopeful, and determined as Sunil, the rebellious son who doesn't want to be a doctor or marry an Indian woman. She describes... Read More

Jenna Lamia expresses the youthful longing of Lucy, who still grieves for her late mother, a marine biologist. After five years, she's adjusted to life with her father and is buoyed by her lifelong friendship with her neighbor, Fred. But then, he drowns. Lamia balances Lucy's grief with her determination to uncover the answer to a question her mother once studied: Why are white... Read More

Norah Tocci narrates in the calm and deliberate cadence of a seasoned meditation teacher. This exciting new work from the director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA expands the secular mindfulness meditation field to include a wide spectrum of natural awareness practices. The collection of essay-style mini-chapters seeks to cultivate an open awareness that resembles the... Read More

Luis Moreno masterfully narrates Detroit ex-cop August Snow's second mystery adventure. Snow goes on the offensive when his community, Mexicantown, falls prey to an insidious human trafficking system with roots in immigration enforcement. As the vulnerable are trapped by circumstances, Snow puts his life on the line to rescue them. Moreno's narration blends with the detailed... Read More

William Hope narrates this highly informed work with a sharp focus on its scientific language. His clear, frank style helps the listener follow the author's deep dive into the lives of wild honey bees in their natural colonies, as opposed to those raised and kept by beekeepers. Seeley's goal is to let the implications of how honey bees live in their natural world inform the... Read More

Amielynn Abellera touchingly portrays 12-year-old Lizzie St. Claire as she adapts to challenges when her dad goes to jail. Lizzie and her supportive mother move into Good Hope's temporary housing. As Lizzie grieves for her old life, she notices Birchwood Stables and hopes to make her dream of having a horse come true. Well-realized descriptions of diverse settings are vivid,... Read More

Drawing on the Icelandic Eddas, two medieval source works, Mark Binder's performance piece tells most of the stories that are known about Loki, the Norse trickster. But whereas the traditional stories show Loki as mischievous or even evil, Binder has Loki himself tell what happened, so he becomes, if not the hero, at least the chief victim. The lively and entertaining tales are... Read More

Essayist T Kira Madden performs her memoir with the raw, brutal honesty no one else could give it. With little emotional modulation, she lets her stream-of-consciousness writing plunge listeners into her childhood in Boca Raton, Florida. It was marked by material wealth, neglect by parents who were struggling with addiction, and racism. Her calm, steady voice provides some... Read More

Focused on how to support our body's microorganisms, this audiobook could have been a slog but isn't because of the author's vocal energy and facility with describing technical issues in everyday language. His voice is full and rich, and he draws listeners into his message with his tone of respect, along with lively phrasing and believable enthusiasm. The food we eat and our... Read More

Paul F. Verhoeven's dry performance, with his ability to witness dark moments, makes this audiobook both compelling and hilarious. Verhoeven's father is a career police officer in Australia; throughout the audiobook, Verhoeven seeks to come to terms with a childhood memory of seeing one of his father's grisly crime photos. Verhoeven learns how his parents met and how his father... Read More

This is an important, infuriating, enlightening, engaging, and engrossing audiobook. The author tells the tragic story of how the world, and the U.S. in particular, could have done something significant about climate change decades ago--but chose not to. Narrator Matt Godfrey sets just the right tone of exasperation and understanding. He delivers Rich's audiobook in a way that... Read More

Ann Marie Lee's emotional narration allows listeners to engage further with this audiobook's characters. The story's principals have connections to each other through shared experiences, bereavement, memories, and their concepts of time. After Helen Clapp, a pragmatic MIT physicist, learns of her college roommate Charlie Boyce's death, she begins receiving mysterious text... Read More

Author Helen Cullen and Rupert Penry-Jones share the narration of this debut novel celebrating the power of letters while less successfully exploring a marriage in trouble. Penry-Jones introduces us to William, a postman whose dream of being an author has been sidelined by his dedication to the task of connecting lost mail to intended recipients. Penry-Jones brings William's... Read More

Each of the narrators delivers this story of love and friendship from an individual character's perspective. The novel involves the Russian Revolution of 1914-1917 and the upper classes of New York during that period. Tavia Gilbert adopts a passionate, sometimes strident, voice for Eliza Ferriday, New York socialite and protector of White Russian emigrés. Kathleen Gati uses a... Read More

In an impressive audiobook of connected short stories about the city of Houston, three narrators and the author take on a myriad of personalities. Some characters tell one-off tales from their neighborhoods in Houston, while others reappear as we follow them through their lives. Author Bryan Washington voices the most frequently recurring character in a bored and nasal tone... Read More

This sweet Muslim teen romance with dual narrators begins with the author's voice vowing faithfulness to her characters' (fictional) journals, pieced together for the audiobook. Priya Ayyar gives American Zayneb an upbeat, strident tone that is distinctly teenaged. Her anger sparks at the Islamophobia she faces everywhere. Tim Chiou voices Canadian expat Adam in a calm,... Read More

The three narrators of this romantic comedy set in Leeds, England, play their characters charmingly. Grace, portrayed in an airy Yorkshire accent by Annabel Scholey, has fallen in love at first sight with a beautiful woman, only to find that the woman has a wandering eye. Violet, depicted in a childlike Greater Manchester accent by Lucy Dixon, experiences anxiety episodes that... Read More

With quiet power, Ayaz Virji narrates his own audiobook about facing prejudice and discrimination in middle America. Virji is a Muslim who moves his family to a rural Minnesota town. He adapts to the friendly community while building his reputation as a caring doctor. Then Donald Trump is elected. Virji's interactions with his colleagues and friends the day after are raw and... Read More

Emily Lawrence narrates Kira's story in a deliberate tone that belies the trauma the teen has kept buried. Her earliest memories are of being young and alone and lost in the woods before being found by Cady Bennett and her search-and-rescue dogs. Now, another little girl, Bella, is lost in the wilderness, and as Kira and her team rush to find the child, the past resurfaces.... Read More

In a warm voice and upbeat tone, narrator Robin Miles depicts a mother's unfailing love and concern for her son. When Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., began serving 30 months in federal prison, his mother, Jacqueline, wrote him a short letter reminding him that "all life has purpose and meaning, and only God directs the meaningful purpose." Every day afterward, Jacqueline... Read More

Adenrele Ojo narrates a taut psychological thriller featuring two willful women with a dark connection. Gyre Price lies her way into a cave exploration job on another planet and tirelessly pursues any information about the fate of her mother, who has disappeared. Her handler, Em, guides Gyre from the surface of the planet with a heavy and manipulative hand. Gyre's haunting... Read More

Narrator Matt Addis brings care, talent, and skill to these stories from twelfth- and thirteenth-century Wales, but he could have exercised more restraint. He takes his cue from the stories themselves--fantastic, fanciful, somewhere between myth, legend, and fairy tale--and from the archaic tone of the mid-nineteenth-century translation by Charlotte Guest. Addis's phrases,... Read More

Steven Crossley is a frequent narrator for McEwan's novels, and one who conveys with subtle effect McEwan's most ingenious and subversive storylines. That voice is a modern variation of the detached, worldly narrator of classic British suspense fiction--a voice that might have fit Adam, one of the first 25 autonomous robots on the market, rather than Adam's owner, Charlie, this... Read More

With a clear voice and a slow, steady pace, Lee German narrates the true story of Maggie, an elephant in an Alaskan zoo who is bereft when the only other elephant at the zoo dies. In the wild, elephant families stay together, so lonely Maggie befriends a tire and carries it everywhere. German has a Midwestern accent and a friendly tone that perfectly matches the story, which... Read More

Xe Sands creates a gritty and entirely believable voice for Ivy Gamble, a P.I. who is recounting the investigation of a gruesome murder case at Osthorne Academy of Young Mages. Sands captivates listeners with a fatigued yet steady delivery of the first-person story and creates an atmosphere of intrigue with masterful pacing. Ivy's anxiety about taking on her first murder case... Read More

Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award-winning screenwriter and LGBTQ activist, narrates his family's heartwarming and poignant journey growing up across intersections of faith, poverty, and sexuality in the southern U.S. and California. Black's conversational storytelling illuminates his cherished mother Anne's irrepressible spirit and tenacity in the face of adversity and... Read More

Michael Butler Murray seems to channel the tone and style of a sportscaster as he narrates Tony Castro's last book about Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle. Murray's delivery is enthusiastic and lively, and he adds color with his interpretation of Mantle's Oklahoma drawl. Castro's final installment of his trilogy on the troubled ballplayer, based on his twenty-five-year friendship... Read More

Narrator Susan Duerden smoothly paces this thousand-year history of scholarly ideas that were lost and then rediscovered. The plethora of historical figures and intellectual works, especially from the medieval Arab world, at once sets this audiobook apart and makes it maddening. It unfolds a history of ideas from 500 to 1500, with attention to Muslim scientific achievements... Read More

Narrator Jeanine Bartel brings three stories of cowboy romance to life, giving each a unique tone. The first one involves a young screenwriter from New York who is hiding from scandal in the rural West with her father. There she meets a handsome rancher. Bartel gives the heroine and her father an appropriate accent and tone that hint at being fish out of water. The second story... Read More

A natural storyteller, Chris Wilson delivers an engaging narration that pulls no punches as he recounts aspects of his childhood in Washington, DC, his eventual path to prison at age 17, and his personal transformation. Realizing the full weight of his life sentence at 19, Wilson decided to make a change--many changes actually, which resulted in a "master plan" that evolved... Read More

Jennifer Dixon narrates this audiobook on the life of twelfth-century Empress Matilda in an expressive and engaged tone that transport listeners to an earlier time. As the only legitimate daughter of Henry I, ruler of England and Normandy, and the widow of Henry V, ruler of the Romans, Empress Matilda played an important role in political affairs--both in her own right, and... Read More

Kate Levy scores a triumph with her first audiobook narration, masterfully delivering this exhaustively researched biography of First Lady Barbara Bush. Even listeners with only the most casual interest in Mrs. Bush will find themselves transfixed by complex and fascinating insights that are short on sentiment and long on family dynamics. Levy's narration is appealing,... Read More

Driving rock music sets the scene for this gripping audiobook set in a bleak dystopian world. Maximillian Fly looks like a human-sized cockroach, but his gentle voice reflects his sensitive nature. When he harbors two children who are running from the oppressive government forces that killed their parents, his quiet life takes an adventurous turn. All the narrators in the... Read More

Brittany Pressley performs this audiobook at a fast pace that will be familiar to listeners who live in large, bustling cities. But she knows how to moderate her energy for the tender sections, and her overall performance sounds authentic, conversational, and true to the core intentions of the author's story. Lori Gottlieb, a psychotherapist, describes her experiences trying to... Read More

The talented Holly Warren and Teddy Hamilton narrate this charming story with real heart. In high school Kailyn was a fangirl of a boy named Dax. Later, in law school, she's surprised and delighted when she literally runs into him. They become friends--and then he breaks her heart. Years later, the two meet again when Dax is trying to secure guardianship of his sister. Warren... Read More

A riveting story of character interplay and politics, this audiobook features the cool, calm narration of Amy Landon. The political space opera follows Mahit Dzmare, a mining station colonist who is sent as an ambassador to the world-consuming alien empire of Teixcalaan. Her first order of business is to investigate the untimely death of her predecessor. Incredibly... Read More

Fans of the Queen biopic BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY who are hungering for more about Freddie Mercury may find a bit of satisfaction in this work cowritten by Mercury's longtime lover, Jim Hutton--but ultimately the audiobook is more about Hutton than Mercury. Narrator Patrick Moy lends gravitas to the work, skillfully interpreting the author's memories of a complicated relationship, but... Read More

Narrator John Lee presents the iconic Bernie Gunther in a compelling origin story. At the beginning of his tenure on the Murder Commission, Gunther is focused on pursuing a serial killer who is targeting disabled war veterans. To uncover the killer, Gunther agrees to follow his boss's revolutionary idea of going undercover. Lee imbues the entire production with gravitas and... Read More

Narrator Jas Walker deftly re-creates small-town Britain in the 1980s with this homage to microcomputers and programmers. Young Billy Twist and his buddies, who are mad about computer games, persuade a willing dad to let them use his "man castle" as a place to meet and compete. Listeners will join in the fun as they plan their game purchases and enjoy lots of junk food.... Read More

Amber Benson's compelling narration brings to life a world in which numbers and words are more than they seem, alchemy is real, and time is not a constant. Seanan McGuire's fantasy is a complex and intricately told story of siblings who come together through pain and longing to save each other and the world--if they don't destroy it first. Benson's portrayals of Roger and... Read More

Jacques Roy's nuanced performance of Higginbotham's harrowing audiobook keeps listeners deeply engaged. In 1986, the Russian nuclear plant at Chernobyl failed. The result was a disaster of a global scale, with the details surrounding the event unclear until now. Many characters are involved up and down the chain of command--from the technical staff at the plant all the way up... Read More

Narrator Ariana Delawari's childlike pitch and pacing perfectly capture the magical realism of this delicious spin on Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Eleven-year-old Mimi wants to win the baking contest being held by the interesting new bakery in town. While seeking inspiration in the woods, she meets a boy from India who shows her edible flowers and herbs, which she... Read More

Narrator Chloe Cannon's Southern accent enhances this sweet story of contemporary friendship on an island off the coast of South Carolina. After a life-saving heart transplant, 12-year-old Sunny is ready to reinvent herself, starting with finding a new best friend and then kissing a boy. Sunny's engaging personality shines brightly through Cannon's narration. She gives Sunny's... Read More

As the sun rises on a bevy of construction vehicles poised to undertake a new and large job, Dion Graham is just the narrator to get in on the fun. With precise diction and steady pacing, Graham lets the rhyming text carry listeners into the action-packed day. His cement mixer lets out a BLAST to summon helper trucks, who respond with enthusiastic honks. Work begins with pairs... Read More

Sullivan Jones comfortably narrates John Urschel's focused memoir, which alternates between his life as a football player and his off-the-field mathematical studies. It's evident that Urschel is a rare high-level athlete who is not one-dimensional. Jones's storytelling is spot-on. Occasionally he imitates someone, like a Southern teammate who has a bit of a drawl or a professor... Read More

Renowned professor of medicine and meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn narrates his own work on mindfulness as applied to the individual's relationship to the world at large. Kabat-Zinn's roots shine through in his New York accent, while his background in mindfulness and meditation is reflected in his relaxed pace and considered tone. Expressing such themes as the connections... Read More

English actor Andrew Wincott narrates the compelling story of George Orwell's masterwork, 1984. Wincott's ability to emulate Orwell's "windowpane prose" and to shift almost effortlessly into the voices of other writers makes his narration stand out. His subtle performance brings the listener inside the complex fate of the dystopian novel and interprets its meanings. Both writer... Read More

Narrator Jennifer Lim brings Angie Kim's debut novel to life. In rural Virginia, an experimental treatment facility offers cures for conditions like autism using a device call the Miracle Submarine. Then the device blows up, killing two people, and a murder trial follows. The story is full of unreliable narrators who are given unique voices by Lim. Protagonists Young and Pak's... Read More

Narrator Cynthia Darlow does the real driving as she portrays Julia Murdoch in another wacky adventure with the folks in Abbotsville, North Carolina. As Lloyd, who has his learner's permit, drives Miss Julia and her friends all over the county, they keep running suspiciously into one or the other of the new folks in town, Dr. Crawford and his wife. Darlow expertly navigates... Read More

Narrator Mark Owen is required to be the voice of Everyman in this chilling audiobook, which tackles every parent's worst nightmare: the disappearance of a child. Ryan and Karen Lane discover their 12-year-old daughter, Maddie, missing from her bed one morning. Her bedroom window is open. The police consider everyone connected with the Lane family a suspect, starting with... Read More

Narrator Dan Woren's deep voice brings drama to the stories told by surviving Eagles--men who participated in NASA's lunar missions. He provides a conversational tone to the astronauts' stories of the jobs they had while growing up and delivers a more formal tone for their public speaking, in particular, the words they spoke from space. Woren especially captures the surface... Read More

A sensitive, skillful narration elevates this E L James novel, an obvious departure from her bestselling 50 Shades series. A newly minted earl, Maxim Trevelyan mourns the loss of his elder brother while becoming romantically involved with his housekeeper, Alessia, a victim of human trafficking. Narrator Dominic Thorburn uses an aristocratic British voice for Maxim, managing to... Read More

AudioFile Golden Voice Barbara Rosenblat brings her inimitable style and incredible range to Benjamin's roman à clef based on an actual couple who were resistance fighters during WWII. Claude Auzello, manager of the famous Ritz Hotel in Paris, meets outrageous American Blanche Ross and pursues her so persistently that she marries him. Problems arise almost immediately. Claude... Read More

At a time of celebrity biographies, Melinda Gates, philanthropist and wife of Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, narrates her own story of growing awareness of women's lives worldwide. She does so in a strong, affirmative voice that tells all, even her own reluctance, as a practicing Catholic, to become a spokesperson for contraception. Gates is the feminist we all need; she... Read More

Narrator Jesse Vilinksky gives a wistful performance of Arnett's debut novel. After her father's suicide, Jessa-Lynn Morton takes over running the family taxidermy shop, drinks too much, and ignores her own grief as well as the disappearance of her brother's wife, Brynn, who was also Jessa's first love. It's a dark story filled with damaged characters, and Vilinsky's melancholy... Read More

Narrator Rachel Bavidge takes listeners through a deep meditation on the world's oldest profession: motherhood. She aptly delivers the history, anecdotes, and reflections that comprise this exploration of what it means to be a mother, both in the past as well as the present. Bavidge takes on the various personas of the women who were interviewed on these very personal subjects,... Read More

Cheerfully lewd and sincerely disingenuous, cult filmmaker, comic, and lifelong raconteur John Waters narrates his latest memoir/tell-all with a good-natured wink and a well-earned dab of sentimentality. Waters happily doles out observations and advice on any number of subjects from how to make it big in Hollywood and Broadway (CRY-BABY, HAIRSPRAY) to how to choose and... Read More

Jesse Bernstein returns to narrate the exploits of Kyle Keely and his band of puzzle-solving, book-loving, code-cracking middle schoolers as they take on legendary game maker Mr. Lemoncello's technologically magnificent library challenge. The cast of characters in this audiobook series varies in nationality, gender, and age. Bernstein deftly shifts between being an angry boy, a... Read More

It's as much about the language in Saul Bellow's 1970 novel as it is about the philosophical, and what better narrator to handle Bellow's complex characters, ideas, and luscious layering of words than AUDIOFILE Golden Voice George Guidall? Arthur Sammler is a Polish refugee--a Holocaust survivor with only one good eye. But that doesn't keep him from seeing. Guidall portrays the... Read More

Listeners hear about the lives of two sisters through a whimsical performance by Ari Graynor and Beth Malone. Jo, an athlete and aspiring writer, and Bethie, an elegant socialite, grew up in a Jewish household in Detroit during the 1950s. However, their lives drastically changed after they experienced traumatic events, including sexual assault and issues relating to sexual... Read More

Listening to this comprehensive report is a riveting and fascinating experience, and is made even more interesting by the talented narrators who present it. What's more, the report is mostly written in a literate, conversational style that allows them to deliver it as a book as opposed to a dry government account. Alternating sections of the report, the narrators have... Read More

Dale Berra, along with a fine cast of narrators, gives a first-rate performance in this audio biography of his father, Yogi Berra. This isn't a tell-all but rather a tribute to a man who grew up dirt poor but with discipline and talent became one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Dale's narration is heartfelt and honest, and listeners will hear his clear admiration... Read More

Narrators Emily Woo Zeller and Richard Ferrone alternate chapters, engrossing the listener in this intelligent thriller about a series of murders in Los Angeles. Zeller's appealing voice captures the emotionally fragile mind of Dylan Cross, a tall, beautiful architect--who is the murderer. As Dylan, Zeller masterfully walks the line between sanity and insanity, self-control and... Read More

Narrator Sadie Alexandru captures an adolescent protagonist with compassion, evoking both sorrow and shock. Violet Rue Kerrigan witnesses her brother's involvement in a vicious attack and is disowned by her family after she tells authorities what happened. As Violet's voice audibly matures throughout the arc of the novel, Alexandru illuminates hot-button issues of allegiance,... Read More

Narrator David Pittu's smooth, soft delivery is the perfect contrast to the unnamed protagonist in this domestic thriller about a happily married couple whose hobby is killing innocent women. The story is told mostly through the voice of the husband, who describes his relationship with his wife and problems with his kids, as well as details of the couple's secret life and... Read More

Narrator Jem Matzan exuberantly presents Key West's ex-Mafioso, Bert the Shirt, and his trusty chihuahua, Nacho. (They wear matching flashy outfits.) Lively descriptions of the locale, residents, food, and drink, along with diverse accents, add to the fun. When newcomer Rita Janneau lands a job serving at Wrecker's Rum, locals are concerned about the bar's legitimacy. Bert uses... Read More

Narrator Cynthia Farrell makes this charming look at grandparenting a treat for everyone, especially new grandparents (and parents) everywhere. Channeled by Farrell, former NEW YORK TIMES columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Anna Quindlen plops listeners unceremoniously and often hilariously into her earliest days in grandma mode. From the moment she looks into her... Read More

Kimberly Alexis continues as narrator for this installment in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, and she is on fire! She maintains her witty, sarcastic, and sexual exuberance while bringing this roller-coaster ride to its greatest height. Blake, who is on the brink of becoming a were-leopard, must protect a number of creatures who come in contact with her. Alexis clearly... Read More

In this audiobook, Natalie Tan returns to her childhood home in San Francisco's Chinatown after her mother's death. She is determined to reopen the restaurant once run by her mysterious grandmother and revitalize the neighborhood. Listeners eager to discover the fate of Natalie's restaurant may be frustrated by narrator Catherine Ho's leisurely pace, but those interested in... Read More

In this audiobook, historian Jay Sexton affirms George Santayana's belief that "those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it." In a measured pace and professorial tone, narrator Graham Corrigan delivers a comprehensive, easy-to-understand overview of how events from the American Revolution to the Civil War and to the present presage the next chapters in American... Read More

Tan France's unique accent, chummy intimacy, and cheeky delivery make audio the best way to experience his memoir. Fans will get to know the "Queer Eye" fashion expert as he shares stories about growing up South Asian in England, meeting his American husband and settling in Salt Lake City, starting his fashion businesses, and the road to getting cast in "Queer Eye." France is... Read More

Narrator Heather Wilds brings listeners into the magical but strange town of Near, where Lexi has just met a stranger for the first time in her life. Children have been disappearing in the middle of the night, and the residents of Near are quick to place blame on the mysterious boy who has just arrived. Wilds characterizes Lexi as independent and indignant, unafraid of the... Read More

It is only fitting that a story about a family told in three parts should involve more than one narrator. Emily Watson, Georgia McGuire, and Richard Armitage complement each other's depictions of a dysfunctional household that is hiding secrets. Adam, a pastor, and Ulrika, a criminal defense lawyer, are stunned to hear that their teen daughter, Stella, has been arrested and... Read More

Vanessa Johansson smoothly narrates this story of intense friendship and its perils. Violet--a quiet, intelligent girl from the wrong side of the tracks--and Stella--a charismatic, rich beauty--become best friends at college. Johansson shines at her adept emotional portrayals of these two very different young women. After college, when Violet excels in a career she loves and... Read More

Colter Shaw, the protagonist of Jeffery Deaver's latest audiobook, who claims to be psychic, devotes his life to solving crimes and locating missing persons with the goal of receiving the monetary rewards being offered. Narrator Kaleo Griffith's understated performance allows listeners to parse each character's personality while avoiding the incredulity that could result from... Read More

Narrator Nicole Poole returns to the sixth book in the Crossbreed series to wow listeners with such vocal versatility that it sounds like an entire cast of narrators is at the helm instead of just a single voice. Raven is home to repair her relationship with her father, but even as she learns of the staggering amount of debt he's in, she wonders whether her romance with vampire... Read More

Bill Quinn's sublime narration of this detailed biography of Alain Locke would meet with its subject's approval. The writer, educator, and philosopher was ahead of his time in extolling black intellect and was instrumental in the development of the Harlem Renaissance. At points, especially during descriptions of literary or philosophical styles, Quinn's voice can seem... Read More

In an unvarnished performance, JD Jackson captures the inevitable aftermath of America's buried legacy of racism and violence. Elwood Curtis was headed for college when he was sentenced to Nickel Academy, a segregated reform school. Inspired by the burgeoning Civil Rights movement, Elwood aims to defy the system and survive with his ideals intact. It's clear-eyed Turner,... Read More

Jane Oppenheimer's narration of this contemporary paranormal mystery will keep you listening all night. After reaching out to a women's support sanctuary, Alice, who is running from an abusive relationship, and Oren, a 10-year-old boy, arrive in Delhi, New York, hoping for a safe haven. Mattie, a member of the sanctuary group, meets their bus in the midst of a snowstorm. Oren... Read More

Narrator Christine Lakin provides a determined voice for Nikki, who joins one of the best club basketball teams in town as a step toward her goal to play high school ball one day. In order to pay the club's many fees, she must babysit her younger brother, whose youthful voice perfectly reflects his energetic personality. The pressure of the tough practices, extra... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks delivers this teen romance with a vein of science fiction. High school has just ended, and Eden couldn't feel more alone. Her best friend won't give her the time of day. Her mom is hiding a secret that could destroy her family. The only person Eden can talk to is her longtime crush, Will--the same Will who died a few weeks ago. Before he died, Will donated... Read More

Previous excursions into the world of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency through these BBC dramatizations have been a pleasure. This latest collection, "Radio Casebook, Volume IV," is no exception. Since it was adapted by the author, one can be assured that the most salient bits of the original stories--both plot and character--are preserved. Narrators Claire Benedict and... Read More

Kyla Garcia narrates this colorful Latinx-inspired fantasy. Finn, a face-shifting thief, isn't afraid to take risks to get what she needs. Reluctant prince Alfehr is still reeling from the sudden death of his older brother. They must join forces to defeat the powerful dark magic that was just accidentally unleashed in the kingdom of Castellan, overcoming their own demons to do... Read More

In this memorable audiobook, Connell and Marianne, both smart, odd, and socially at sea, are deeply connected to each other and too young to know how rare their bond is. Everyone at their village high school in Sligo knows that Connell's mother cleans house for Marianne's family, so they feign indifference. At university, everything changes, then reverses, then changes again.... Read More

Narrator Michael Crouch places listeners inside Strom's debut novel with subtle vocal inflections that reflect its rural Minnesota setting. Forced from home by his uncle following graduation, Shane spends the summer between high school and college searching for his absentee mother. Androgynous in appearance, he encounters reactions from townsfolk ranging from virulent hostility... Read More

This audio version of an acclaimed fact-based one-woman play is performed by its author and star. It is excellent and quite intense. Part of it is about Freddie Gray, who died of spinal injuries in 2015 after being arrested by Baltimore police. It is also about activism, school, prison, and race, among other things. Smith reveals much about her characters through her command of... Read More

In heartrending detail, Emilie Pine shares her struggle to cope with her father's illness after his life of addiction. She delivers her narration like a sister confessing to sibling who is her shoulder to lean on. The result is a warm, slightly raspy delivery in which she reveals the details of corrosive liver disease and her own musings on mortality and blame. Her intimate... Read More

Narrator Ann Marie Lee does an excellent job of emphasizing the tension between FBI agent Lucy Kincaid and an old-school police officer who distrusts the FBI. As Kincaid applies her keen psychological skills to the case featured in this police procedural, Lee emphasizes the two investigators' different approaches. She also rises to the challenge of creating strong personalities... Read More

Warren Zevon was one messed-up dude--but a true genius. This audio biography of the Southern California songwriter is justifiably painful to listen to, despite Fleet Cooper's excellent narration (though Cooper needs to do better at pronouncing the names of rock stars). Zevon was an alcoholic self-destructive artist, a terrible friend, and a worse husband, but when his genius... Read More

Narrator Kim Fields pulls out all the stops portraying a sophisticated young jazz trumpeter and the many gnarly characters she meets in the urban jazz scene. Didi Herron is crisscrossing the country, looking for a tape of her father's last jazz performance. The versatile Fields captures the heroine's longing and determination, as well as the edgy dynamics of African-American... Read More

Part of what makes this audiobook trilogy so memorable is the talent of narrator Sullivan Jones. In this action-packed conclusion to the Nyxia Triad series, the initial journey for resources on an alien planet turns into an ugly fight as the Genesis teens strive to defeat Babel and return home. Jones gives main character Emmett a strong personality that comes off as casual at... Read More

Narrator Jennifer Van Dyck delivers a solid performance in a cool, crisp style that works well with this futuristic mystery involving a missing space station, a black hole, and a possible alien artifact. While tracking down leads, Chase Kolpath and her antiquarian employer, Alex Benedict, find more questions than answers as they reconsider the meaning of life. As the mysteries... Read More

Narrator Ramon de Ocampo fills this story with cartoonish voices and an astounding array of fart noises that are sure to thrill middle-grade fans of crude humor. Oddonis, Adonis's plain twin brother, is optimistic on his first day at Olympus Middle School, but the schoolyard cruelty of his god classmates squashes his hopes. With a band of misfit friends, he challenges his... Read More

The theme of this anthology of short stories is unlikely pairs who solve a mystery together. With 10 narrators voicing stories from 19 mystery writers, the listener is in for a rich smorgasbord of audio experiences. The narrators have been carefully matched to their short stories and enhance the nuances of the plots. The production quality is top-notch, with smooth shifts... Read More

Three narrators work together to create this intergenerational family saga. Adjoa Andoh, Richard E. Grant, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith alternate chapters to create the three families whose fates and thirst for revenge tie them together for more than a hundred years. Written and told as a series of short stories, the works introduce listeners to new people, settings, and time... Read More

Ari Fliakos provides listeners with a clear and confident performance of a dense family drama. The story features Cole, who left his childhood home in Connecticut for a better life in Oregon. Returning home 30 years later, he finds his aging father struggling with early-stage dementia. As he reacquaints himself with his earlier life, Cole encounters familiar faces while... Read More

Kimberly Farr has previously narrated two other Elizabeth Strout novels, earning Earphones Awards for both. Her clear grasp of Strout's characterizations and the flow of her delivery are, therefore, not surprising but remain praiseworthy. While named for a single, recurring character--an emotionally unpredictable yet surprisingly sympathetic one--OLIVE KITTERIDGE uses a village... Read More

One of the great narrators, Arthur Morey takes the simple beauty of White's well-wrought words and delivers them eloquently. John Meacham's introduction to this essay collection is a love song to the excellence of the author's achievement. The title piece exemplifies this happy meeting of writer and narrator. Morey's tone, tempo, and style are pitch perfect for White, who... Read More

Ocean Vuong narrates the story of a young Vietnamese immigrant to the U.S. who is completing a letter to his mother, who cannot read. As both author and narrator, Vuong is in the perfect position to narrate the audiobook just as it was intended. His delivery gives even more power to the captivating prose, keeping the listener hooked as the main character, Little Dog, discovers... Read More

Jayson Greene narrates his beautifully written memoir with a quiet, restrained intensity suited to the challenging subject: a recounting of the traumatic accident that claimed the life of his daughter and the heartbreaking aftermath of this loss. His daughter, two-year-old Greta, was sitting on a New York City bench when a brick from a crumbling windowsill eight stories above... Read More

Narrator Kyla Garcia provides a bright voice for the unnamed woman, an art gallery tour guide, at the heart of this Argentinian novel. Speaking in the first person, the protagonist finds her extensive knowledge of painting, both current and historical, blending into her own personal experiences. Approaching middle age and battling cancer, she reminisces about significant events... Read More

Narrator Jorjeana Marie's delicate voice and whimsical tone fit right in with the quirky, frantic, and messy Blatchley sisters. Along with their mother, the teens are scrambling to hold onto to their beloved Victorian home. Marie's performance is especially admirable because the animated Blatchley sisters couldn't be more different. For little sister Plum, Marie utilizes an... Read More

Listeners can expect tears to well up when Anne Dover narrates this heartbreaking story of two English sisters who are abandoned by their mother and raised in an orphanage, where they are bound together by sorrow and suffering--and love. Dover reads this WWII novel with passion and precision, portraying the characters expertly. Listeners won't forget the woeful voice of little... Read More

Narrator Vaneh Assadourian's rich, lilting voice underscores the lyricism of this audiobook spoken in verse. She gives sonorous dignity to the Muslim family featured in the story. Twelve-year-old Jude is an ordinary girl who loves her family, her home in Syria, and American movies--but as war comes closer, her pregnant mother decides it is not safe to stay there. Jude and her... Read More

Author Lucy Strange narrates her second book, capturing the historical thriller's gothic atmosphere. The story transports listeners to the southeast coast of England at the beginning of WWII. Strange imbues her words with impactful inflections and poignant pauses that take listeners into the heart of 12-year-old Pet. An encroaching war is confusing enough, but worse yet are... Read More

Narrator Joe Barrett's voice is learned, rugged, and dry--the perfect fit for Packer's political biography, which spans decades as it follows career diplomat Richard Holbrooke from the Vietnam War to the war in Afghanistan. Packer's audiobook doesn't polish Holbrooke's story; his personal flaws and fierce political ambition are on full display. His intellect and political... Read More

Narrator Kathleen McInerney memorably portrays both adult and child characters in this compassionate audiobook. She particularly shines as the misfit protagonist, Cove, an emotionally intelligent middle schooler living on Martha's Vineyard. Cove is heartbroken when her best friend, Nina, moves off the island, leaving Cove on her own in dealing with the mean girls at school.... Read More

Joshua Swanson's youthful no-nonsense voice makes him a good narrator to portray high school football quarterback Bobby Framingham--who is publicly outed by a classmate. Bobby's team is fractured, and his story is pushed into the national spotlight. Swanson exudes the self-assuredness and perseverance of the sports star as he finds support while enduring homophobic attitudes... Read More

Mike Chamberlain narrates Reeves's fish story in the voice of a classic reporter. His delivery has the feel of an investigation as Reeves pursues the story behind an $18 billion proposal to block Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes through access points in the Chicago area. Reeves goes back to the beginning: In the 1960s, carp were introduced as a biological solution. Carp... Read More