New Reviews by Title: K-O

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

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

Rachel Botchan impressively conveys this disturbing story based on an actual unsolved murder in 1800s Killingly, Connecticut, and Boston. When Mount Holyoke student Bertha Mellish disappears, listeners meet her family and other students from the college, including her best friend, Agnes. Botchan deftly re-creates the period diction, snobbish members of the upper class,... Read More

Featuring an ensemble cast, this audiobook introduces teenaged female soldiers known as "kindlings." Trained to kill from the age of five by using magic that drains their lifespan, they are now prohibited from using their skills. But violence lingers, and seven kindlings join together for one last fight to save a country village. Despite the use of an individual narrator to... Read More

Jacques Roy's warm, even performance makes for an inviting listen. We may think we know when an animal is in play mode, but how do we understand the deeper mysteries of animal behavior? Listeners will appreciate this audiobook's deep dive into thoughtful research on concepts we may assume we understand. What, exactly, is animal play? What constitutes fun for a monkey or a seal?... Read More

Paul Bellantoni impeccably presents a small village and its superstitious inhabitants in this look at WWII from an Italian perspective. Listeners join Ezio, who's dedicated to his job as a policeman despite needing a cane. Bellantoni conveys life as Mussolini's Fascists and the Nazis terrify everyone. When Ezio arrests a longtime Jewish resident, his conscience requires him to... Read More

This timely audiobook is an engaging follow-up to the bestselling author's work on psychological flourishing. Narrator Landon Woodson's heartfelt performance authentically represents the author, a renowned sociologist. Keyes's own storytelling skill creates a smooth transition into the audio format since the scientific information is presented in the context of real-life people... Read More

Amy Scanlon takes over from longtime series narrator Jenny Sterlin to provide an exemplary debut performance of King's 18th Holmes/Russell adventure. Sterlin's distinctive voice and extraordinary characterizations will always echo in our memories, yet fans will welcome Scanlon's unique, engaging approach. Holmes and Russell arrive in the French countryside to visit Holmes's... Read More

Arthur Morey's pleasing baritone is a wonderful match for this account of the mass migration of Eastern European Jews to the New World. The whole journey involved many people and eventually became big business for bankers, shipping companies (including the White Star Line of TITANIC fame,) railroads, and charities/NGOs, such as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). I myself,... Read More

Author and narrator Antwan Eady creates a tender first-person story of a boy who helps his Papa harvest, transport, and sell goods at his local farm stand each weekend. Eady speaks slowly and clearly in the cadence of poetry. His lengthy pauses often serve to highlight the colorful imagery and alliteration found in the community--black hands, gray hair, yellow sun, white eggs,... Read More

Cynthia Farrell brings an excellent ear for language to her narration of this wide-ranging and absorbing audiobook. Her Spanish is flawless, and her sense of story adds impact. Author Marie Arana shows how members of our fastest growing minority have added to our literature, theater, music, politics, and sports. Based on thorough research, including hundreds of interviews, the... Read More

Narrators Cris Dukehart and Eric G. Dove combine their talents to tell the tale of ghostwriter Liz Danger's return to her small hometown of Burney, Ohio. When she arrives, Liz is pulled over by local cop Vince Cooper. While intending to stay only a few days, she is drawn into drama surrounding the wedding of her ex-boyfriend. Dukehart and Dove alternate the narration, with... Read More

Chip Conley's narration of his own words of wisdom--drawn from personal and professional experiences, research, and stories of others--challenges listeners to rethink their approach to midlife. Speaking at a good pace in a friendly and encouraging tone, Conley addresses specific realities of aging, prompting listeners to answer questions, rephrase their self-talk, reach out to... Read More

Author and narrator Uché Blackstock sounds authentic and urgent in this plea for medical practitioners to combat the racism that still exists in all aspects of healthcare. Dr. Blackstock virtually grew up in the hospital where her mother practiced as a kidney doctor. Blackstock is appalled at the gaping systemic disparities she observed during her stints at a well-resourced... Read More

Emily Raboteau reads with purpose, a clear voice, and a conversational tone that works well for the personal essays in this satisfying audiobook. Her delivery style adjusts to the varied subjects: a sense of wonder at identifying birds, exasperation at dealing with New York City real estate, and empathy for a water-starved Palestinian family. She has a gift for languages; in... Read More

Four narrators work together in this multigenerational story of migration, love, and loss. Janet Song, Intae Kim, Greta Jung, and Raymond J. Lee create balance to this lyrical story set amid the making of the two Koreas. They bring to life the struggles of Insuk and her turbulent romance and then marriage to Sungho. The female and male narrators trade a wide variety of... Read More

Soneela Nankani creates a sympathetic portrayal of Vandy Guru, a mother and advice columnist who is looking for her missing daughter, Mallika. This audiobook features an experienced narrator and a sophisticated story. Nankani captures the many conflicts facing women of Indian origin in contemporary American society. Trapped between her secrets and her ambition, Vandy finds that... Read More

E.M. Wylde is perfect at narrating this middle-school fantasy novel, the first in a series. Isaac discovers a chest full of glowing glass balls in the attic. He inadvertently drops one, releasing a faery who must perform three tasks in order to become free. Wylde captures the wonder and joy of a boy with unlimited power and, sadly, a lack of thought about consequences. Soon,... Read More

Set in New York City and French Polynesia in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, this mesmerizing audiobook is flawlessly narrated by Rebecca Lowman. Pia is the 15-year-old daughter of Stephen, a cardiologist at a New York City hospital, and Natalie, a marine biologist. Hoping to attend high school in person, Pia relocates from the island where Natalie is conducting... Read More

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

The biggest problem with this audiobook is that it is likely to spark so many ideas that listeners may need to keep stopping it to think about them. From a Jewish perspective, Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur meditates on death through 11 particular deaths. Although she is a leader of the Liberal Jewish movement, she often includes traditional views in her discussions. No one is... Read More

A full cast delivers an original drama from the Hellboy universe. Cynthia, an earnest reporter, investigates the disappearances of several New York elites in 1933. She calls upon the mysterious Lobster to help, but he's on his own case involving break-ins at research labs. Marni Penning shines as the narrator and the character Cynthia, imbuing the noir story with a fun sense of... Read More

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

Jack de Golia narrates the introductory novel in the Lone Wolf series. First published in 1914, the series features the Lone Wolf, Michael Lanyard. De Golia performs with appropriate objectivity, engaging listeners despite the dated language. Revelations of Lanyard's disturbing early history add credibility to his development into a jewel thief. When a group of underworld types... Read More

With outstanding performances, Lee Osorio and Max Meyers illuminate the rich and complicated inner lives of New Jersey high schoolers Sebastian Villeda and Sandro Miceli. Listeners immediately understand that these two young men are much more than outward appearances and stereotypes. Meyers and Osorio make them both feel messy, endearing, and real. "Bash the Flash" is a track... Read More

Using an ethereal voice and delicate intonation, Zura Johnson elevates this mystery loosely based on ancient Greco-Roman mythology into a captivating listening experience. Tirne, the herald for the god of Autumn, escorts him yearly from the godly to the human world. This time, the magical mirror used for the trip shatters. Tirne loses her exalted herald status, and the human... Read More

Two gifted narrators turn in performances that make the authors' ideas about paying attention come alive. Their vocal gifts are different and complement each other: Imani Jade Powers performs with a hushed intensity and a philosophical depth that give her interpretations real power. Byron Wagner's strengths are more stylistic; his amazing array of pitch patterns is fun to hear... Read More

This complex audiobook revolves around Marianne, a textile historian, who is called to the Fondazione Museo Menegatti in post-WWII Verona, Italy, to certify the age of three perfectly preserved Victorian dresses that once belonged to poet Christina Rosetti. In alternating chapters, Marianne's attempts to discover more about the dresses are met with threats and violence, while... Read More

Moniqua Plante and Jacob York narrate this contemporary romance, which salutes southwestern cuisine, the entrepreneurial spirit, and love. Plante creates a memorable heroine in Elena, a Latina who is about to become head chef of the Orange Bear, a new upscale restaurant in Aspen. Despite her natural reserve, Elena finds herself falling in love with Julian, a Hollywood director... Read More

Will Collyer's narration will hook listeners as author Douglas Preston reveals an assortment of true stories behind his fictional works. Listeners will have to wait for the final chapter to hear about the tomb where several of Ramses II's sons were laid to rest, protected by curses that are both amusing and chilling in Collyer's narration. Collyer also brings drama to his... Read More

It's no exaggeration to call narrator Dorothy Dillingham Blue's performance of this audiobook a Southern charmer. Putting her Vanderbilt PhD on hold, PJ Spoon becomes Pennywhistle, Tennessee's, Chickie Shak chef. She competes with her co-workers--the button-cute Boof and the frighteningly efficient Linda--in a no-holds-barred chicken pageant. Blue's voice weaves and dips... Read More

Jeffrey Kafer and Marnye Young narrate the first title in the Angels & Devils MC romance series, inspired by ROMEO AND JULIET. Two generations ago, a love triangle caused a split in the Devils MC, forming the Angels. Romeo is descended from the Devils, and Julianna is descended from the Angels. Insta-love between the two creates a ticking time bomb just as both clubs'... Read More

Narrators Preston Butler III and Mela Lee beautifully portray a modern-day love story with deep connections to the Harlem Renaissance. Lee's upbeat tone and expressive voice embody Ricki Wilde, a bright, impulsive young woman who is opening a flower shop in Harlem with the help of her feisty 96-year-old landlady, Ms. Della. Lee has an uncanny way of adding and removing years... Read More

Nicholas Boulton delights in this story of passionate lovers. It's told from the perspective of a detective who is determined to charge the lovers with a crime following their torrid night of lovemaking in Spain's Guggenheim Museum. Boulton speaks brusquely as Detective Larramendi separately interviews the couple, who both offer the same explanation. Boulton uses pacing to... Read More

Kai Kennicott and Corvin King bring their vocal talents to the fore in this emotionally charged audiobook, which tells the story of Kerris Moreton's conflicted heart. Kerris stands at a crossroads between her commitments and her undeniable connection to Walsh Bennett. Her story is woven with complex layers of feeling, and Kennicott's performance deeply resonates as she... Read More

Antonia Hylton does a bang-up job narrating her own work, a searing account of Crownsville Hospital, a segregated mental institution in Maryland that served as a dumping ground for any Black person whom white authorities found inconvenient. Crownsville was, for much of its 93-year history, not a place of healing, despite the best efforts of some staff members. Instead, it was a... Read More

This audio play is drawn from letters written over several years between Major Warren Lewis, brother of C.S. Lewis, and Blanche Biggs, a missionary in Papua New Guinea. Their story is brought to life by two stellar narrators, Simon Vance and Anne Flosnik. Vance sets the scene, interjecting stage directions when appropriate as a deep friendship develops between the... Read More

Principal author Grace Hawthorne presents the chapters of this intelligent guide with appealing assertiveness while a Stanford colleague delivers brief segments with equal authority and charm. Hawthorne's vocal confidence makes these coherent ideas even more arresting among the sea of published advice available on creativity and getting things done. Most interesting is how this... Read More

Natalie Duke perfectly delivers the tone of Slade's concise deep dive into how America came to reject domestic manufacturing and the long-term damage that resulted. Listeners may be familiar with how union membership has bottomed out, the ripple effects of so-called free-trade agreements, and the explosive growth of online shopping. Slade's audiobook brings this damaging... Read More

Listeners will find it hard to pause this sci-fi political thriller--and unlikely love story. January is a climate refugee who has relocated to a colony on Mars. In London, he was a professional ballet dancer; on Mars, because he's dangerously "Earthstrong" in the lower gravity, he must wear a metal exoskeleton that inhibits his strength. With his British accent and confiding... Read More

The cofounder of ROLLING STONE magazine, Jann Wenner, has released these original recordings of his interviews with superstar artists Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Jerry Garcia, and Pete Townsend. The audiobook is a mixed bag, hampered at times by decades-old recordings. The interviews range from amazing statements by John Lennon to indecipherable... Read More

Narrator Jennifer Sun Bell deftly portrays a believable grieving family through the voice of seventh grader Freya June Sun. Bell's brisk pacing matches the short, active chapters recounting the events that take place after the recent death of Freya's father. Freya, a talented violist, adheres strictly to her father's Chinese superstitions and is constantly seeking signs or... Read More

Hope Newhouse magically presents this fantasy replete with Greek mythology. Listeners meet brave, endearing Ava, whose encounter with a classmate prompts her parents to send her to a Venetian school founded by mythological gods to teach their descendants how to control their emotions. Newhouse colorfully introduces the prodigious cast, including some faculty bearing... Read More

Thérèse Plummer offers a rich narration of this audiobook, a modernized LITTLE WOMEN meets PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. The Benedettos were a once beloved family on a popular reality show. Now they've blown through all their TV money and are close to bankruptcy. With her eldest sister courting a new neighbor, Lilly is stuck with Darcy--who proves to be a lot more than meets the eye.... Read More

Narrator Maria Liatis is superb at portraying both the characters in this novel and the rural environment they inhabit. It's 1990, not far from Interstate 80. Marly and her mother arrive in the Pennsylvania town and soon encounter two brothers, one of which Marly will marry at a young age. But she remains close to both. The discovery of a skeleton in the church attic threatens... Read More

Listeners return to Coyote Canyon, Montana, as Amy McFadden tells the story of Jane Tanner and Kurt Elway. Jane is taking care of her elderly grandfather, who is suffering from dementia. She wants a baby and turns to Kurt for "assistance." McFadden brings out Jane's longing for a child, as well as her trepidation about making changes in her life. McFadden's performance aptly... Read More

Narrators Zara Hampton-Brown and Alex Moorcock return for the sixth audiobook in the Dark Olympus series. Hampton-Brown voices Eurydice in a high, youthful voice that reflects her reputation as the most naïve person in her family. Frustrated and more than ready to move on from her ex-boyfriend, Orpheus, she begins a steamy romance with Charon. Moorcock's deep, commanding voice... Read More

Shawn K. Jain and Deepa Samuel are dual narrators of this rom-com with a woman in a hijab at the center. They trade between them the chapters that make up this humorous, charming contemporary novel of manners. Sana Saeed must find a suitor that pleases her mother or lose the chance to be her younger autistic brother's guardian. With the seemingly hopeless search losing steam,... Read More

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

Guy Gunaratne narrates his audiobook, which is centered on the fractured life of its Syrian protagonist, Yayha Bas. We listeners are flies on the wall as Yayha's interrogator asks him to recount the actions that brought him to the present moment. Gunaratne delivers this wending tale about a poet turned revolutionary and then prisoner in a tender voice that makes us draw near.... Read More

Cree actor Billy Merasty's authentic inflection evokes the rhythm of Indigenous storytellers in this heart-stopping sequel to MOON OF THE CRUSTED SNOW (2018). The story begins 12 years after a catastrophic power grid failure forces a small group of First Nations people in northern Ontario to live off the land, following their Anishinaabe customs. As resources diminish, four... Read More

Hala Alyan's velvety tones add a paradoxical dimension to her collection of poems exploring themes of displacement and identity. Alyan, a Palestinian American poet, novelist, and clinical psychologist, illuminates the diasporic experience in these poems but also addresses general discord in life, especially the trials she experienced after an ectopic pregnancy. Her use of... Read More

Krystal Hammond's warm voice creates a familiar atmosphere and relatable characters for a story that takes place during the pandemic. This is a feel-good audiobook about an elderly woman, a middle-aged mother, an angsty teenager, and a disabled little girl who are finding hope amid the lockdown of COVID-19. Recent widow Vivian Laurent finds her saving grace when she offers to... Read More

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

This near-future dystopian novel is set in a time of ecological disaster in the mostly underwater community of Island City. Carlotta Brentan portrays the cast of characters smartly by subtly shifting tone, cadence, and timbre. She smoothly portrays the protagonist, who begins as a gangly 11-year-old named Sylvia. Brentan contrasts Sylvia's size and temperament with those of her... Read More

Ana Osorio's youthful voice seems an appropriate vehicle for recounting the story of a young Venezuelan reporter who experiences the personal and political upheaval that is taking place under the government of Hugo Chavez. Poignant moments occur throughout the audio; for example, Ramón imagines that a coup might rescue her from having to finish homework. Osorio's voice takes on... Read More

Humphrey Bower narrates the Australian fugitive Lin's further adventures in Bombay. Part autobiography and part fiction, the story brims with action and romance centered on the dashing hero. Bower delivers another mesmerizing performance. The large cast of characters crackle with individuality and Lin's confidence, giving believability to high action. Bower complements the... Read More

Bahni Turpin narrates this atmospheric audiobook, lending her voice to the four young Cauley women as they fight for their magic and their lives. As sisters Charlie, Lynn, Nicole, and their cousin, Rene, gather to grieve a loss, they are faced with literal demons. To save their family magic, they must work through their rivalries and look to the past. This audiobook features... Read More

Martin's latest audiobook takes place in 1954 on Verona, a tropical island near an unspecified mainland, where Mrs. Gulliver runs a discreet legal bordello. Cassandra Campbell narrates as Lila Gulliver telling her story in an intelligent and determined voice. Campbell employs minor adjustments in tone as she delivers the dialogue of the other characters in the audiobook.... Read More

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

Kevin R. Free and Michael Crouch delight listeners in this charming and heartfelt romance, a combination of MY FAIR LADY and the teen movie classic SHE'S ALL THAT. Wade Westmore has always been the star of the show. But when his ex lands the lead role in the new school musical, his ego is put in check. Elijah Brady, on the other hand, is used to being in the background and... Read More

Narrating his novel, Hisham Matar gives the story of love, loss, and exile during political turmoil a melancholy undertone and a delicate cadence. Khaled is a young Libyan man whose love of the written word takes him to the UK for further studies. But even far from home, he cannot remain unaffected by the rumblings of the Arab Spring. This is a lyrical journey into the ties... Read More

Published in 2006, this audiobook is performed with verve and nuance by Piper Goodeve. Her light intonation and high pitch are perfect for her portrayal of sharp-witted 16-year-old Frederica. She lives with her professor parents--Aviva and David--in a small New England college dormitory in the 1970s. Her parents are the resident houseparents. The arrival of flamboyant Laura... Read More

Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez powerfully narrates her memoir of her experiences in the broken immigration system of the United States and her fight for a better future. Gutierrez's family was split up when her parents' visas expired and they were sent back to Mexico. A high school freshman, she was left alone to raise herself and her younger brother in Arizona. Gutierrez's... Read More

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

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

Leading a fine ensemble cast, acting stalwart Richard Schiff brings easy kindness, humor, and a delightful Eastern European accent to the brilliant and eccentric Dr. George Papanicolaou, inventor of the Pap smear. It's 1959, and hiring an intelligent young woman as an assistant seems like a no-brainer. But Nan, played with an energetic goodness by Ginnifer Goodwin, has more... Read More

It's difficult not to recommend an audiobook this well researched and performed but just as difficult to recommend a history so unrelentingly horrific. Author Anna Reid is a gifted narrator and an equally fine storyteller--brisk, forceful, incisive. Her account of the civil war that followed the 1917 Russian Revolution portrays the international force that was sent to topple... Read More

L.J. Ganser narrates this wonderful historical look at the rise of baseball in New York City with his usual interested style. You can tell when Ganser is reading a quotation, but he never imposes a campy tone or a vocal imitation. He sounds involved without being overly animated as he delivers the narrative, which starts in the nineteenth century and moves through... Read More

Like a gifted storyteller conjuring scary tales, Michael Crouch gives a riveting performance of this gripping psychological suspense by Norwegian mystery writer Jo Nesbo (in a departure from his Harry Hole detective novels). Crouch channels 14-year-old Richard, recently arrived in a foster home after the deaths of his parents in a fire. Before long, Richard starts to experience... Read More

Narrator Eva Kaminsky portrays three women who spent a night together and awoke with psychic abilities they hadn't had before. Now one of them, Phoebe, has gone missing. Talia March and Luke Rand join forces to find her and to uncover the mysteries of that lost night. They track Phoebe to a remote retreat on Night Island, where they encounter the night gardener, whom Kaminsky... Read More

Narrator Nina Yndis establishes a determined voice for 12-year-old Mika, an orphan in 1880 Sweden who learns of a murder when a baby girl is dropped off at her orphanage in the middle of the night. Now Mika is determined to use her skills to help the local detective identify the killer of the baby's mother. Yndis captures Mika's emotions as she deals with the dire living... Read More

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

This complicated story of friendship, migration, and loss is told by Jessica Sarkodie, Ekua Ekumah, and Sarah Dorgbadzi. They create a delightful listening experience with lilting rhythms of slightly accented English. The trio display the variety of personalities in Ghanaian women as depicted in this tale of Selasi and Akorfa. As children, the two girls are best friends,... Read More

Janina Edwards is impressive in her ability to create believable women, each with her own attitude and personality. Two very different Black women heed the call to serve when the U.S. enters WWII. Leila, a single mother, and Dorothy, a college librarian, leave their ordinary lives behind and enlist in the Women's Army Corps. Despite their differences, the women's friendship... Read More

Ramón de Ocampo's narrative momentum captures the dramatic 72 hours experienced by 17-year-old Antonio after he is released from a youth detention center. As Antonio reunites with friends and family, de Ocampo captures his anger at his wrongful arrest for robbery and the painful relationships that led to it. De Ocampo also expresses Antonio's remorse and desire to follow the... Read More

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

Felix, the son of the much admired author Dick Francis, has written a horse-racing novel worthy of his acclaimed father's series. In this colorful mystery, the distinguished Golden Voice narrator Martin Jarvis gives voice to Theo Jennings, a bloodstock auctioneer in New Market who happens to overhear two buyers discussing skullduggery and possible equine murder. Jarvis portrays... Read More

British performance artist and writer Travis Alabanza narrates their own expansive exploration of race, gender, and trans identity. Throughout this engaging production, they reject the expectation of a tidy response to the "When did you know . . . " question and the demands to perform according to narrowly defined gender parameters. Alabanza shares their experiences growing up... Read More

History consists of events conducted mostly by men and recorded by men. In her clear, uncompromising voice, Philippa Gregory turns the tables, taking listeners through 900 years of abuse and betrayals, yearnings and near-miraculous accomplishments of women. Frequent interjections by Clare Corbett, Tania Rodrigues, Nneka Okoye, James Goode, and Joe Jameson provide voices for the... Read More

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

Karl Jenkinson introduces Neville Watkins, who is shocked when his wife leaves him, he is fired from his job, and he plows into a car while sneezing. It is through that last event that listeners meet 50-something Neville and Laura, the other driver. Jenkinson outdoes himself performing characters of all ages and classes who are experiencing life's joys and sorrows. Things start... Read More

Structural engineer Roma Agrawal cheerfully tells listeners that she was the type of kid who snapped crayons to see their insides. Narrating in an accent that blends India and Britain, she good-humoredly shows listeners she still is that kid. Her joviality and personal touches make her stories of important inventions relatable. She slips in puns and jokes, and makes light of... Read More

Author Jill McCorkle joins a talented group of narrators in a memorable performance of her terrific new short story collection. Sly, funny, perceptive, and searing, the stories explore what gets us through our days and years. Hayden Bishop, Teralyn Davis, Marcella Cox, Kathy Bell Denton, and Cary Hite bring a euphonious mix of Southern accents and helpful interpretations of the... Read More

At the beginning of Abrahm Lustgarten's futuristic look at climate change, narrator Patrick Lawlor depicts the fear in the voice of a woman who wants to leave California because of its worsening wildfires. Lustgarten predicts that a wave of migration will soon affect the U.S., with Americans moving north to beat the heat and Latin Americans heading away from an even hotter... Read More

At the start of this fantasy/mystery narrated by Nikki Massoud, teenager Marjan's father, a veterinarian, has recently been murdered. Marjan soon discovers that she is now the only remaining member of an ancient family with a gift for working with mythological creatures. As she investigates her father's murder and provides veterinary services for magical animals, she is forced... Read More

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

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

Narrator Mike Lenz adeptly guides listeners through the extensive research supporting the concept of emotional intelligence (EI). More than a quarter of a century since the publication of his groundbreaking book, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Goleman and fellow psychologist Cary Cherniss bring together years of academic research and the results of organizational initiatives to... Read More

While Nolan's novel begins as a police procedural, it soon evolves, with the help of narrator Jessica Regan, into a study of hereditary hopelessness. In England, as police investigate the murder of a small child, the novel pulls back the curtain on life in the 1990s with a focus on political and social forces of the period. Regan's prodigious range guides the portrayal of the... Read More

Juliet Stevenson brings her usual alacrity to this challenging audiobook. Woolf's unconventional novel is in expert hands with Stevenson, whose rich voice and lilting accent keep the listener on track through the many shifts and changes in the plot. Called a "biography" by Woolf herself, the story follows protagonist Orlando through centuries of change, including Orlando's... Read More

This illuminating audiobook provides clarity and a degree of legitimacy to friendships that are central to a person's life but not romantic or sexual. These relationships can take many forms--from friendships that are unusually close and time consuming to committed relationships that involve cohabiting or even raising children. When people in these close relationships are... Read More

This long and personal account of the Ukrainian-Russian War is narrated ably by David Furr. Trofimov's family has lived in Kiev/Kyiv for many generations, and he is a Ukrainian patriot who has spent much time at the front, interviewing numerous individuals to compile the story of the Ukrainian people's struggle in this horrific war. The current war between eastern Slavs, or... Read More

Diontae Black and Griswold Addams narrate the second Moonlighters novella, a queer romance. Kai was the last person Aiden expected to see at karaoke night as he's waiting for his best friend to arrive. Neither did he expect that bad weather would keep his friend from showing up. As Kai and Aiden spend the evening together, they discover their long-held impressions of each other... Read More

Peabody Award-winning journalist Michele Norris and a full cast deliver a must-listen performance of Norris's riveting examination of race in America. Based on 12 years of submissions to Norris's Race Card Project--six words about race from over half-a-million people--the audiobook shifts between Norris's clear, warm, thoughtful commentary and participants' contributions, all... Read More

Michael Langan's narration infuses curiosity and delight into this memoir and guidebook on sustainability. The authors moved into a 1930s lodge when Peter accepted work as a forester in northwestern Germany. Langan's gentle, uplifting tone captures their enthusiastic but not fanatical attitude during their quest for self-sustainability and small-scale farming. Through his... Read More

Joniece Abbott-Pratt performs this multigenerational novel set over several decades in the American South. In the 1830s, a mysterious woman named Saint frees enslaved people from plantations throughout Arkansas and brings them to a town they call Ours. There they find a safe haven from the rest of the world. But when Saint tightens her control of the townspeople, they begin to... Read More

This layered audiobook could be experienced as one man's midlife crisis. The undistinguished Professor Q steps out of his lifeless marriage to have an affair with Aliss, a mechanical ballerina who somehow comes to life. Greg Chun's subtle performance encourages the listener to look beyond the dullard protagonist to what's happening around him. Q's island country of Nevers is in... Read More