Caitlin Elizabeth, Victoria Mei, Will Thorne, and Adenrele Ojo perform the first entry in a fantasy epic laden with erotic suspense. For thousands of years, a pact has existed between humanity and the gods: Every 100 years the current human king is bound to send a consort to the king of the gods, Ash, who has the ability to shift forms. Now the current human king is training... 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

Scarlett Everdeen and J.T. Londale bring to life the adventures of Meara Delcourt and Edge, who are both vampires. Meara, Edge, and their friends are in a battle with a group of evil wizards who want to destroy them. Meara is a 300-year-old aristocrat with a haughty tone matching her personality. Edge has a chip in his head; both Londale and Everdeen successfully convey his... Read More

Entrepreneur and business coach Dave Kerpen shares knowledge and skills he gained from launching and growing multiple businesses. His treatise addresses the impacts of AI, social media, gig work, and remote work. These developments require that today's leaders concentrate on the most important, not necessarily the most urgent, company matters--and delegate essentially... 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

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

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

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

Barrie Kreinik narrates the story of Helen Montgomery, the beautiful daughter of a blue-blood Philadelphia family in 1927 who would rather raise cattle than seek a husband. With elegance and a touch of innocence, Kreinik portrays Helen's frustration when she realizes that she must abandon her dream and marry for money and connections because of the financial crisis caused by... Read More

Ryan Hawk, an accomplished host of a successful leadership podcast, is also a former Ohio high school athlete coached by Brook Cupps. They have joined forces to present this highly competitive team- sport-centered treatise on leading by establishing highly personal core values. Hawk's vocal enthusiasm makes him sound much like a cheerleader. Cupps is noticeably slower and a bit... 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

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

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

Nancy Wu brings emotion and depth to this sweeping saga, which follows generations of Chinese immigrants, male and female, through multiple trials in the American West. The fresh perspective brings more fullness to history through a railroad worker and a young woman who is sexually trafficked in San Francisco. Wu's talent allows the listener to stay in the story as she portrays... Read More

Narrator Angela Lin's restrained pace and understated delivery channel the heartrending emotion of this literary family saga. In the devastating Tangshan earthquake of 1976, a seven-year-old girl, Xiaodeng, becomes separated from her twin brother, Xiaoda, and their mother, Li Yuanni. Xiaodeng, who grows up to become a successful writer in Canada thirty years later, continues to... Read More

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

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

Golden Voice narrator Robin Miles brings a sense of wonder to a near future fantasy that explores the consequences of climate change. Firefighter Syrah Carthan has been angling for a return to Sequoia National Park ever since her family's death there in a wildfire when she was young. After a terrible incident during a planned burn, Syrah discovers there are uncanny forces at... 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

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

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

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

These six funny, tender, and romantic stories, full of promising beginnings and well-developed characters, are performed by eight talented narrators. Christina Lauren's meet-cute is a strong start to the collection. A high schooler accidentally emails another student instead of a teacher and begins a correspondence tradition on Valentine's Day. Marli Watson and Andrew Gibson... Read More

In a reimagining of JANE EYRE, listeners are taken to seemingly haunted Thornfield Hall. Hoping to rid the manor of its curse, Edward Rochester requests that a Lowood Witch make a visit, though he's skeptical of the witches' abilities. Jane Aire, now an instructor at Lowood, the same school for orphan girls where she was raised, is sent to investigate. Narrating the brief... Read More

This twisty tale challenges Caroline Hewitt to depict the panoply of colorful characters created by Labuskes. Raisa Susanto, one of the FBI's best forensic linguists, is assigned to investigate a recent murder that occurred 25 years to the day after a murder-suicide. Raisa and psychologist Callum Kilkenny use their skills to read between the lines of a case investigators... Read More

In an alternate universe, King Louis XVI has become the first vampire and has now ruled for three centuries. Carlotta Brentan gives a spirited narration of this novel featuring Jeanne, a young commoner who is masquerading as an aristocrat to seek vengeance for the deaths of her family members. Commoners have no rights; they're just a source of blood for the vampires.... Read More

Gail Shalan narrates this fantastical novel set during WWI. It focuses on Petra, a witch who is hidden from the world until she is sought out to join a special group called upon to fight against evil. Shalan's voice is full of feeling. Her deliberate intonation and quick pace create anticipation and a sense of adventure. Beyond the fighting against monsters and other ghostly... Read More

Cultural historian Kliph Nesteroff narrates his affected and opinionated treatise on the evolution of American cultural trends, especially how immediately succeeding generations find newer forms of entertainment to be outrageously without merit. It all adds up to a dry narrative. While maintaining an appropriate pace, Nesteroff's delivery is breathy and includes... Read More

James Babson and Amy Hutchins are the perfect pair for this flirtatious rom-com. Ellie's reputation on small Fernley Island is damaged after her cheating ex-fiancé, Jason, sways public opinion in his favor. Ellie uses the island's odd jobs app to hire the local mechanic to assist in her plan to take Jason down for his many misdeeds. When the mechanic sends his nephew, Hugh,... Read More

Author Cheryl Strayed traces her emotions in both the text and narration of her short memoir, which revolves around the death of her mother-in-law, Joan. From the start, irony is emblematic of their relationship. Their first meeting is in a bar, where Strayed, a 27-year-old waitress, guesses--wrongly--which one of a trio of women is the mother of her boyfriend. She covers a lot... Read More

Erin Bennett draws the listener into the relationship between Rachel Lindquist and parapsychologist Bryan Hennessy. After years of being estranged from her mother, Rachel returns home to find her mother suffering from Alzheimer's. Bryan is living in her home as he searches for a ghost. Bennett aptly portrays Addie's frustration with her memory loss and her hostility toward... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini returns to narrate another art-heist adventure involving New York artist Luke Perrone and his girlfriend, Alexis Verde, daughter of a famous art thief. Luke and Alexis discover what may be the missing final self-portrait of Van Gogh hidden under another painting. But when it's stolen from them, they embark upon a harrowing trip to the Netherlands, followed by... Read More

Donna Postel and Bahni Turpin effectively complement each other in this mystery, especially as the tension mounts. In a Southern town, a local radio station has been hosting an annual hunt for their Golden Egg, with a big reward for the finder. Mysterious deaths have occurred ever since the launch of the hunt, with a growing group of citizens demanding that the hunt be stopped.... Read More

Jennice Ontiveros's leisurely pacing allows room for this audiobook's expertly crafted ambiance to draw listeners into a Taos Pueblo murder mystery. The story draws from the real-world tragedies of opioid addiction and the decades-long disappearances of Native American women. The first audiobook of this hauntingly narrated new series features Native American Sheriff's Deputy... Read More

Diop's love story/epic adventure, written with compassion and skill, is dramatized by a talented team of narrators. Mark Bramhall portrays Michel Adanson, a French Enlightenment-era botanist; Adenrele Ojo and Caroline Hewitt portray different members of his family and some friends. Adanson is on a mission to Africa to study plants for a comprehensive book. The Senegalese... Read More

Sneha Mathan is the perfect narrator for this exciting police procedural set in Mumbai. She uses her strong characterization skills to bring a wide cast to life. Listeners join Senior Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput as he is called to investigate an apparent ritual killing at a temple. The story is told from multiple viewpoints, which Mathan handles with ease, especially the... Read More

Samantha Hydeson depicts Bluebeard's castle, its inhabitants, and its visitors in this unsuccessful attempt to lend a feminist slant to the original folktale. Listeners meet unhappy gothic novelist Judith Moore, who feels she'll never find the man of her dreams. Her life changes, however, after she meets a psychopath named Gavin, who is expertly portrayed. He has leading-man... Read More

Amy Bentley leisurely narrates this magical audiobook full of intriguing world-building and a slow-burn romance. Lark ran away from her abusive father years ago. Still desperate to find a home, she hopes for sanctuary in Cagmar, the city of trolls. There, she reluctantly reveals her power to thrust fear into others, and the trolls are intrigued. Lark's voice is higher pitched,... Read More

Alexander Cendese and Lynn Wright bring listeners back to Cape May, New Jersey, for a holiday romance. Jameson Franklin is asked to run his cousin's restaurant while he is away over the holiday season, and he ends up changing the popular casual place to a more upscale one, much to the dismay of florist Devon Pratt. Devon is fostering a mastiff and blackmails Jameson into... Read More

Merriment turns to misgiving when a corpse transforms Christmas cheer into a season of speculation. Kate Rawson deftly narrates this atmospheric addition to the Shell House Detectives series. The spotlight is on all the residents of Mousehole when JP Sharpe, an unpopular chef, is found dead in a dingy. Rawson blends congeniality and solemnity in her portrayal of the town's... Read More

Pidgeon Pagonis's skillfully narrated memoir takes listeners on their coming-of-age journey as they struggled to fit in with other girls. Pidgeon's voice is calm and has a slight Latin accent. Along with typical disruptive changes during childhood, such as moving, parents separating, and new schools, there's also bladder surgery because of previous cancer when Pidgeon was too... Read More

January LaVoy gives Canadian author Julianne MacLean's compelling historical novel an expert performance. Scarlett Fontaine was a Hollywood legend before her untimely death. Gwen Hollingsworth, a distant relative, is curator of a museum dedicated to Scarlett memorabilia. Photojournalist Peter Miller arrives at Gwen's museum with the goal of verifying that Scarlett was in... Read More

Once again, Lady Hardcastle and her loyal lady's maid, Flo, are delightfully voiced by Elizabeth Knowelden. The tenth installment in the series is set in the English village of Littleton Cotterell in 1912. This time, the pair juggle a case of art theft, a murder, and the financial downturn of dear friends. Knowelden's array of British accents is skilled, allowing the listener... Read More

Nina Yndis narrates a bewitching short story about a girl named Judith, who longs for adventure and romance in her quiet life. Judith dreams of the world beyond her small village and resents having to work for her beautiful but cruel older sister. Listeners hear the thrill in Judith's voice when a handsome stranger comes to her village--and her devastation when he marries her... Read More

This audiobook has all the ingredients of an addictive fantasy: mysterious backstories, families torn apart by war, and true friendships that have stood the test of time. Elizabeth Knowelden's narration immerses listeners in a world of shadowy enemies, gods, and gifted chefs who use magical ingredients in food and wine to influence people. When Ada goes on the run from... Read More

Narrators Jane Oppenheimer, Jennifer Aquino, Lauren Ezzo, and Emily Lawrence portray four women whose lives are thrown into turmoil. It all begins with the announcement of a genetic lottery to find the parents of a child who is at the center of a twenty-year-old murder. Cleo, Jemma, and Alex thought they had left their deepest secrets behind in the town of Rosemary Hills, Iowa.... Read More

Indira Varma is the perfect match for this short mystery set in a prestigious apartment building in the center of London. When DS Gish and DI Milton are called in to investigate the murder of a young concierge, they soon find that the residents of the building are their only suspects. Varma creates believable and likable characters in the two detectives. She injects just the... Read More

Narrator Kitty Bang draws the listener into the story of Ivy Jensen, who is returning home to New York after her tech company failed because she trusted someone she shouldn't have. Hoping to rebound, Ivy teams up with Heath Marino, who wants to turn his grandmother's success as a matchmaker into a new computer app. Bang brings a hint of Italy to Heath's Italian grandmother.... Read More

Will Damron's passionate narration of this first novel adds additional layers of emotional depth as two men who were once married and had children discover they're gay. As Thomas and Matt's marriage creates a blended family, the two fathers have strained relationships with their complicated children. A plumbing disaster in their large apartment forces them all into a tiny... Read More

Helen Laser narrates with a thoughtful style, a smart cadence, and an empathetic tone. Author/environmentalist Elizabeth Rush weaves three strands together: an ocean adventure; her life with 57 others on the NATHANIEL B. PALMER, a research vessel traveling to Antarctica; and her personal struggle over whether or not to have a child.The title has a dual meaning, implying both... Read More

Narrator Robert Petkoff combines a natural ease and a classical timbre to deliver this spare, poetic novella. It's about a man cursed with immortality who is exiled to a distant planet with only robots and agricultural equipment as his companions. He waits and waits. Finally, after 200 years, a spaceship crashes on the barren world with one survivor, who the man hopes might... Read More

Jacqueline O'Mahony takes listeners back to mid-nineteenth-century Ireland and the American West in this heartrending novel. Aoife McMahon's multifaceted narration brings this story of grief, resilience, and the burning desire to survive to life. Her melodious Irish accent tells the story of Honora, whose whole life has been a fight for survival that was foretold by a... Read More

When Anna and Peter leave London to start a new life in a gated community on the Scottish coast, their belief that they have found the perfect place is soon shattered. Imogen Church's stylish narration builds the tension in this unusual thriller as it soon becomes apparent that no one is who they appear to be. Her strong characterizations of both male and female characters... Read More

Chris Brinkley and Elyse Dinh pair up for a delightful performance in this fresh nerdy romance. Maggie is 48 and a new empty nester who channels her emotions through an online role-playing game. She becomes close with her guild leader, a friendly healer named Aiden, but is shocked when they meet in person. Aiden isn’t the college-aged player Maggie thought—he’s a 50-year-old... Read More

Author Amelia Possanza's conversational tone welcomes listeners to a topic that ranges from ancient Greece to modern times. She delves into archival records in search of lesbian history while also reflecting on her own. The connections Possanza develops with the complex women she researches are audible, by turns thoughtful, awed, and eager. These women include... Read More

Kate Rawson's warm, flexible tones are perfect for introducing a new cozy mystery series featuring an unlikely pair of bighearted investigators. In a small village near Cornwall, Lewis, who was recently released from prison, jumps or is pushed off a cliff. Then local resident Helena goes missing. Ally, the widow of the town's beloved police sergeant, finds herself investigating... Read More

Listening to Imogen Church narrate this story is an opportunity to spend a week on a guided bus tour up the coast of Scotland to Edinburgh. Listeners will also learn some history and connect with a dozen or so relatable characters. Thirty-something Emma and Mel find themselves on a road trip with Emma's grandmother and a dozen or so other senior citizens. Church adeptly... Read More

Narrator Tim Campbell returns to the role of Casteel Da'Neer in the fifth book in the Blood and Ash series. As Casteel's great love, Poppy, slips into a period of stasis to finalize her transformation into a Primal, Casteel guards her bedside. This time, Casteel tells his own version of how he met Poppy, complete with accounts of the internal and external battles he fought as... Read More

Journalist Paul Burston narrates his memoir about growing up gay in South Wales, his transformation into an AIDS activist and author in London, and the establishment of Polari salon in 2007 and the first Polari Prize in 2011. Taking its title from a David Bowie song, the audiobook shows Burston's struggle to find acceptance of who he was and wanted to be. He doesn't apologize... Read More

The range exhibited in narrator Kristen Ariza's performance of this thriller is unparalleled. She shines at voicing Coco Weber's conflicting emotions as she escapes L.A. and returns home to remote Catalina Island. Her plan to start a new job at the local paper is interrupted by a string of suspicious deaths of the island's elderly land owners, deaths she believes may be... Read More

Natalie Naudus shines as she transports listeners to Maplewood, California, where we meet career-driven high school senior Charlotte Woo. Charlotte wants to create the perfect prom, but her plans go awry when she falls off a ladder right into the arms of her hunky archnemesis, J.T. Renner. Charlotte then wakes up at age 30 and finds herself in bed next to J.T. They soon learn... Read More

Yetide Badaki anchors this fresh production of Okorafor's sprawling postapocalyptic fantasy with her heartfelt portrayal of a fierce, young heroine. Onyesonwu knows she's different; a mixed-race child born of rape, she's considered an outcast among her people. As her magical powers begin to reveal themselves, Onye discovers that she is destined to rewrite the story of violence... Read More

It's fun listening to narrator Helen Laser depict 20-year-old Marilyn's adventures while visiting her Great-Aunt Ada in 1960s Philadelphia. She's been sent there after being caught kissing the rabbi's son. Marilyn is no shrinking violet and can give as good as she gets--as can Ada, the queen of Philadelphia's Jewish matchmakers. She employs Marilyn to vet young Jewish men for... Read More

Almarie Guerra and Feodor Chin bring this fast-paced thriller to life. Guerra tells the story from the point of view of Dani Vega, an FBI agent whose undercover assignment to infiltrate a band of assassins goes terribly awry. She finds herself fighting for her life against the assassins and "Nemesis," a faceless and possibly deranged opponent while her team implements a rescue... Read More

Chris Abernathy delivers tones of weary brokenness and mounting horror as he voices this mystery. Harlan is a failed medical student with a volatile temperament who returns to his hometown in Appalachia. His past is marked by a violent murder. Life in the community is rapidly deteriorating; vandals are destroying property, and community support is almost nonexistent. Soon... Read More

Tom Parks's somewhat slow enunciation works well to make this personal growth audiobook accessible to listeners who are new to this now popular advice about improving emotional self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. His clear and friendly voice sends listeners the palpable message that these important skills are worth taking the time to... Read More

Narrator Katherine Littrell perfectly delivers a mix of emotions in this hopeful love story. It's spring of 1986, and Rachel has found happiness in her Oxford hometown after a tumultuous adolescence. She's engaged to Jonny, will soon be a stepmother, and loves her job at an art gallery. Then she meets Gabe, a visiting American artist, and the chemistry is undeniable. Rachel... Read More

Lucy Rivers and Teddy Hamilton narrate the complicated friends-to-lovers story of Bree and Sam. The two friends live in New York City following difficult childhoods in Ohio. Bree is an urban planner, while Sam writes comedy skits for a TV show. Hamilton's performance is the stronger one. He differentiates Bree and plays Sam's biting wit against his sweet affection for her,... Read More

Katherine Littrell's sultry voice is as lucious and irresistible as Patrick's prose in this steamy coming-of-age novel about a young woman who falls in love with the much older wife of the headmaster at the elite girls school where she works. Much of the novel takes place deep inside the unnamed protagonist's mind as she analyzes her own desires. Littrell masterfully voices her... Read More

This intriguing collection of short speculative fictions features a superb ensemble of narrators. Set in space, the works feature a janitor who is investigating murder on a spaceship, a human who is adopted by a prominent alien, a man whose thousands of clones are dispatched to Earthlike planets, and a group of sentient ships connected to humans who are using futuristic... Read More

Kineta Kunutu voices Rowan Quinn, a newly single father, and Delilah Huntington, a former socialite who is escaping her past. They both come to the coastal town of Sugarbush Bay to start new lives. Rowan is out of his depth managing his new family responsibilities but still finds it hard to resist Delilah's charms as she draws him into the supportive community. Will the ever... Read More

Listeners will find echoes of Raymond Chandler in this audiobook. In the 1950s, private investigator Eddie Church is hired to secure unpaid alimony for a divorced woman in Los Angeles. But in detective fiction a simple job is rarely easy, and Eddie soon realizes much more is at stake. Patrick Lawlor is perfect for the genre, narrating with clear diction and a tone that fits the... Read More

Leta McCollough Seletzky narrates her audiobook about the man who is kneeling beside Martin Luther King, Jr., in the iconic photo of the Civil Rights leader's assassination. He was Seletzky's father, Marrell McCollough, who worked as a spy within the Black activist group called the Invaders. Though her father remained quiet about his experiences, his daughter has unraveled... Read More

Reporter and narrator Tamara Leitner provides listeners with a unique true-crime narrative in this audiobook. In April 1999, Leitner's neighbor was sexually assaulted by serial rapist Claude Dean Hull II. Horrified by the attack, Leitner set out to connect with other survivors of his multiple assaults. This audiobook explores the way survivors of sexual violence in general are... Read More

Security guard Michael Mace dies in a catastrophic lab accident and wakes up alongside his dead co-workers in a makeshift morgue. Koontz's latest thriller is superbly narrated by Edoardo Ballerini. Mace is stunned to learn he now has a superpower: With his mind he can tap into and manipulate any electronic data system in the world. Narrating largely from Mace's point of view,... Read More

Narrator Luzma Ortiz adds a charming, lovable quality to this story about finding hope after loss. Gabby is a 29-year-old L.A. native who recently lost her mother to cancer. Emotionally and financially devastated, she accepts her biological father's proposal to flip her great-grandmother's house in New Mexico. Gabby hires the town's attractive mayor/handyman, Diego, to help her... Read More

Jane Wong's soft voice contrasts with the brutal life she faced with her abusive father, an alcoholic gambling addict who put her family in financial jeopardy. Her poetic words and phrasing soothe as she describes later boyfriends, including "the Bad One," who cruelly reinforced her negative self-image. Respite and love came from her friends, her mother, and the fantastical... Read More

Robin Miles enchants as she introduces New Orleans Mambo (Priestess) Reina Dumond, who practices Vodou, Haitian-African magic. Listeners meet kindhearted Mambo and her close friends, 20-something wrestler Tyka and talkative chef Darryl. They always have her back. A friend who is worried about her sometimes crooked husband asks Mambo to investigate his activities. This is an... Read More

Based on a real person and filled with factual details and characters, this deeply engrossing novel is performed flawlessly by Tavia Gilbert. Due to family difficulties, Deborah Samson becomes an indentured servant, but when the War of Independence breaks out, Deborah, who is tall and lanky, enlists in the Continental Army. As Robert Shurtliff, Deborah proves herself,... Read More

Nina Yndis stylishly narrates Icelandic volcanologist Anna Arnardóttir's race against time to save all that is dear to her when new activity in previously dormant volcanoes creates imminent danger to those around her. Yndis's authentic-sounding pronunciation of place and character names helps conjure the ambiance of Iceland, and her warm tone and perfect pacing keep the... Read More

Narrators Soneela Nankani and Fajer Al-Kaisi are a winning combination in this contemporary romance. Tara and Silas, both young adults who are searching for meaning, meet while part of a tour group in India. While both attempt to embrace their Indian heritage, at the same time they recognize that their U.S. citizenship brings privileges. The romance between these two is a slow... Read More

Ell Potter introduces Fi McKinnery and her drag queen pals, who perform at Dublin's Trash Club. Descriptions of facial, hair, and costume preparations, along with lip-synching, are impressive, and most entertaining is meeting the splendidly rendered drag king, Stan the Man. At first, the mystery involves the disappearance of performer Sparkle McCavity. Then, Fi's best buddy,... Read More

Robyn Holdaway's delightful performance shines throughout the second installment of this queer Regency-era romance series. Lovelorn Peggy Delancey is enlisted by her former lover and friend, Arabella Tarleton, to draw the attention of the charming Italian opera singer Orfeo. But Peggy quickly becomes enamored herself. Holdaway's thoughtful portrayals enliven a range of... Read More

LGBTQ+ activist Brandon J. Wolf narrates his heartbreaking yet hopeful memoir with graceful clarity and much tenderness. He recounts his childhood in rural Oregon, where he was the only Black person in his family, and his eventual move to Orlando, Florida, where he found a life-saving queer community. He goes into detail about the night of the Pulse club shooting, the... Read More

Narrator Cassandra Campbell does a fabulous job bringing the author's words to life. Campbell has an attractive, youthful-sounding voice that fits well with the characters in this romance story. Everlynne is 18 years old when she meets her soulmate, Joe, on a trip to Spain before starting her freshman year in college in San Francisco. But a family tragedy changes her plans,... Read More

Eilidh Beaton performs this charming, slow-moving, somewhat dark ghost story set during the blackouts in England in 1940. Soft-spoken literature student Ruth Gladstone and her grandmother, Edith, evacuate Cambridge University for rural Martynsborough, where her Aunt Vera lives. After hearing about the ghost of a local man who died around 1910, Ruth joins forces with her... Read More

With the printed novel having been nominated for both Hugo and Nebula Awards, Deepa Samuel has a high bar to reach as narrator of this audiobook, and she fills it. Samuel's youthful timbre and clear pronunciation help to bring this complex space opera to life. In a world in which humans are denigrated and "alloys," or artificially created people, are running the universe,... Read More

The foreboding tone of this audiobook's narrators suggests the brutality of the Nazi occupation of Vienna. Performed in a low-key yet effective style by Angela Lin, Jesse Vilinsky and Feodor Chin, the novel focuses on Grace Fengshan, wife of a Chinese diplomat who is posted to Austria during a period of pogroms and other actions against the Jews. Grace forms a friendship with... Read More

This is an example of a great story with narrators who understand their characters and who portray them beautifully. The unique aspect of the story--and an added challenge for the narrators--is that multiple first-person perspectives are used. A woman is missing, and suspicion is cast on her husband. The family is split over his innocence. The emotions that come with this... Read More

Thoman's debut novel, presented by an ensemble of narrators, is a time-traveling, mind-bending second-chance story well suited for young adults. Justin Warren's life is going nowhere until fate sends him traveling from 2023 back to 1985. There he teams up with optimistic Rose Yin, and together they have one week to stop the mysterious deaths of Justin's grandparents. The first... Read More

A trio of narrators makes this lighthearted historical fantasy with touches of mystery and romance a delight. The setting is an island off the coast of Rhode Island in the mid-1800s. Merritt inherits Whimbrel House, which is said to be haunted, but in truth the house is enchanted. Graham Halstead portrays Merritt, a young writer who is somewhat naïve and endearing. Amanda Leigh... Read More

Amanda Prowse, a bestselling author, narrates her own look at the unlikely trajectory of her life and career. Prowse's posh British accent and arch confidential tone will appeal to many listeners. She holds nothing back in exploring her struggles with food and self-esteem. Prowse is a natural narrator. Confident even while she is confiding, she is sure to draw in new fans in... Read More

Mapuana Makia lends fluidity to this memoir's descriptions of Hawaii--its lush settings, legends and lore, and musical language. In contrasting tones, Makia delivers the painful history of colonialism and stereotyping of Hawaii as merely a tourist destination. Similarly, Makia gives listeners a felt sense of the intersectional issues faced by Machado through the juxtaposition... Read More

Meg Sylvan and Hunter Millbrook combine their narration talents in this story of love and betrayal--filled with references to Broadway. Erika Greene was a Broadway diva until she was injured in a tragic stage accident. Now she's running her grandmother's failing opera house in Paris, Nevada. Christof Daae had a great band in Germany until he and the band's keyboard player broke... Read More

Narrator Dan John Miller is perfect as the voice of widower Baxter Shaw. Miller has a deep voice, and the Southern accent he affects is ideal for the rising country star turned contractor. Baxter is raising his young daughter, Mia, alone while still coming to terms with the death of his wife, who was born in Spain but was adopted in the U.S. Through a twist of fate he finds her... Read More

Each narrator presents one of the five novellas in this collection. The short thrillers place ordinary people in unusual situations. Edoardo Ballerini takes listeners to Philly in 2004 for Lisa Scottoline's memorable "Pigeon Tony's Last Stand." Reba Buhr convincingly narrates phone conversations between a female crisis counselor and a male caller in Lisa Unger's dark "Unknown... Read More

Natalie Naudus narrates with the emotion required for a Koontz thriller in which danger lurks around every corner. Katie, an artist who is recoiling from a past loss, lives on an island. She soon learns that a neighboring island houses a government research operation, but what goes on there is a mystery. When she discovers agents snooping around her own island, she teams up... Read More

Soneela Nankani narrates a dual-timeline story of two women who are both seeking the truth about themselves. After her father's unexpected death, Sophie Shah travels to France to find out what happened to her mother. Nankani invests both Sophie and her mother, Nita, with dignity and authenticity, creating sympathetic characters despite numerous clichés. Sophie has lived a... Read More

Narrators Lynn Wright and Alastair Haynesbridge combine their talents to breathe life into the romance between Tessa Harper and Ford Maddox. Ford and Tessa have always been at odds with each other. But when he needs her help to capture the attention of the woman of his dreams, they end up spending considerable time together. Wright and Haynesbridge seamlessly alternate... Read More

Harlan Coben could not ask for a better person than narrator Steven Weber to portray a man wrongly accused of killing his own son. Weber, known for his movies, television shows (like the long-running "Wings"), and top-notch audiobook performances, including several other works by Coben, has a natural ease and an ability to transport the listener into a world of panic,... Read More

Emily Pennington's voice isn't booming, but her awe at seeing Alaska's Mt. Blackburn comes through strongly as she tells listeners about her attempt to visit every U.S. national park in one year. A romantic breakup is included in her story. Early on, her adventures head in expected directions, with frustrations palpable. For example, she recalls parking her van on the opposite... Read More

The evocative, melodic voice of Channie Waites brings to life the character of Jeannette, who struggles to find her identity and reclaim her birthright. Listeners empathize as Jeannette, the daughter of an enslaved woman, suffers when her beloved father, a white plantation owner, dies and she is sold into slavery in 1850s Mississippi by his wife. Listeners meet many... Read More

Soneela Nankani's performance adds endearing charm to a chaotic teen romance. Roles are reversed in this fun audiobook: Math nerd Samaya is a gamer girl who needs to regain respect after a very public breakup with the "it" boy at her school. Daniel is a hockey jock who loves baking but desperately needs a math tutor. Together, the two whip up a sweet plan to make everyone... Read More

Peter Kenny narrates an entrancing historical fantasy that propels an impulsive mage into the midst of political conflict. The 1950s finds Great Britain once again in peril as the Virtuis Party rises to power and threatens to expose a rage form of magic. Paul has managed to curry favor with the royal family and is the only mage capable of stopping Britain from descending into... Read More

Shaun Taylor-Corbett's reverent performance creates an intimate and engaging listening environment. Eastman's original work, first published in the 1800s, remains as valuable as ever. The son of a Sioux, Eastman was the first Native American to be certified in Western medicine. His unique lived experience informs his work here. This short audiobook provides listeners with... Read More

This taut collection of psychological thrillers offers a wide variety of vacation settings. The short, sharp stories transport listeners to a consciousness-raising cruise on which honesty isn't necessarily the best policy, a family beach house haunted by generations of secrets, and a tropical paradise where a serial killer stalks the unwary. Each narrator in the ensemble is... Read More

CJ Bloom and Aaron Shedlock work together wonderfully to enhance this fun contemporary romance. After social media influencer "Chick Nic" has a very public romantic breakup, she moves away to start anew, bringing her beloved chickens with her. Her new neighbor, Will, is the local veterinarian. She soon learns that he hates the chicken movement or any fad involving animals.... Read More

Frank Ryder can throw a baseball well over 105 mph. But behind every pitch is an emotional weight that comes from a tragic event that happened years earlier. Ryder takes Major League Baseball by storm, but his past haunts him, and much of the league's ownership turns on him. Shea Taylor is outstanding with every voice. He excels at differentiating men's and women's voices and... Read More

Ell Potter portrays the queens who work at the drag club Trash. Among them are feisty and faithful Fiona "Fi" McKinnery and unpredictable, spoiled Mae B, who have been friends since childhood. Learning about the preferred terms for the queens, as well as the extraordinary effort they put into their body shaping and costumes, is interesting. Particularly well rendered by Potter... Read More

Narrator Chanté McCormick hits a home run in this police procedural. Harriet Foster, an African American seventeen-year veteran of the Chicago Police returns from bereavement leave after the death of her partner and jumps right into a murder case. A girl with red hair and red lipstick traced around her hands and ankles has been found stabbed to death. Then two more bodies are... Read More

Tamika Katon-Donegal captivatingly narrates the second book in the Nena Knight series. Nena is a female assassin whose missions are intended to protect her high-ranking political family. Katon-Donegal narrates with precision and care. This plays well, given the nature of the main character. She is a protector who is extremely disciplined yet conveys warmth to loved ones.... Read More

Michael Crouch delivers a heartwarming—and heartbreaking—performance in this exploration of generational differences and death. When Lewis Madigan loses his job and his boyfriend on the same day, he begrudgingly agrees to be an end-of-life caregiver to his combative and homophobic neighbor, Chester Wheeler. To fulfill Chester’s dying wish, Lewis takes him on a cross-country... Read More

Youssif Kamal lends his flexible baritone to this ambitious novel about the universal feeling of wanting to belong. He becomes the ever shifting Dawoud, also known as David, Adal, and Dawit, depending on where he is living and trying to fit in. Kamal's narration is smooth and well paced, almost to the point of a silkiness that reflects the more sensual moments of the plot.... Read More

Cauley's satirical comedy about survivalists, gun dealing, and finding happiness is masterfully narrated by Bahni Turpin. Aretha, an up-and-coming attorney, falls for Aaron, a coffee dealer. When Aretha moves in with Aaron, Turpin captures her love-blind naïveté and acceptance of his survivalist friends, Brittany and James. Turpin then delivers Aretha's shock during her first... Read More

Elizabeth Knowelden zestfully presents Bristol, England, in 1911. Listeners meet eccentric and down-to-earth Lady Hardcastle and her feisty, dedicated companion/confidante, Flo Armstrong. When the ladies and several friends attend a play, no one expects that the corpse on the stage is real. Lady Hardcastle, Flo, and her twin sister, Gwen, swing into action, even before the... Read More

Narrator Sneha Mathan's strong performance transports listeners to the streets of Mumbai as police Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput is called to investigate a dismembered body, which he soon realizes is the work of a serial killer. As he races to track down the murderer, using any methods available, his past and present converge, bringing new challenges. Mathan's narration is... Read More

An ensemble of voices delivers this candid collection of interviews with gender-nonconforming teens who struggle to be accepted. The diverse compilation of narratives presents two trans feminine, two trans masculine, and two nonbinary young people. Tanya Eby voices author Susan Kuklin, narrating in a neutral yet respectful tone that allows the more emotional content conveyed by... Read More

Laura Jennings narrates this Nordic noir with style. Stockholm police officer Hanna Ahlander takes refuge at her sister's lodge in the Swedish ski resort of Are to recover from professional and private disasters. When a girl goes missing there, Hanna can't help getting involved as the local police race against the clock to discover what happened to her. Jennings's use of... Read More

Fabio Tassone deftly introduces young listeners to David Aguilar, who was born missing a hand, for which he faced discrimination from taunting classmates and rude strangers. Listeners will feel connected to David and his supportive family, who live in the tiny European country of Andorra. Touching descriptions of family members, particularly his beloved abuela and his kind,... Read More

When controversial podcaster Josh Shoe disappears, his mother hires private investigator Elvis Cole, who uncovers a far more complicated story than he anticipated. Although Cole and his partner, Joe Pike, are at the center of the audiobook, they quickly discover that Shoe's disappearance involves multiple people who range from corrupt politicians to a porn star, and even Cole's... Read More

Narrator Kimberly Woods is the solemn voice of Dylan, a senior who is laser focused on her violin audition for Juilliard. With only a few weeks of preparation to go, her ex-best friend, Langston, crashes into her family, trying to recover from his high-publicity antics. Woods's dazzling characterization of Langston radiates the swagger and vulnerability of the boy who suddenly... Read More

Leading a cast of well-established, award-winning African American voice talents, Tamika Katon-Donegal gives a voice full of bright sensitivity, intelligence, and hope to Rachel, a young early-twentieth-century Black woman who is coming of age and looking to the future. When Rachel runs headlong into the real-life horrors of American racism, she doubts whether she can follow... Read More

Christina Traister's talented narration is the perfect match for these four interconnected stories, each one packed with plenty of Deaveresque surprises. Listeners follow a developing cat-and-mouse game between Paul Offenbach, a twisted sociopath, and Special Agent Constant Marlowe, who is set on avenging the brutal murder of her friend by Offenbach. Traister creates highly... Read More

Narrator Moira Quirk takes listeners through the multiple twists in this thriller based on school-day grudges. Ruby is halfway across the world when she discovers that her best friend and several other classmates have been systematically killed in her hometown of Missbrook Bay. When she returns to profile the killer, Ruby quickly learns that she might also be a target. Quirk... Read More

This audio collection is difficult to describe--and even harder to resist. Zora Neale Hurston's range as an author is showcased by some supremely talented narrators whose voices radiate innocence, experience, and all the stops in between. Bahni Turpin's skills are at their best in "Drenched in Light" as she repeatedly transitions between grandmother and granddaughter without... Read More

Narrator Vivia Font provides a vibrant characterization of Alex, who is having a challenging year made worse by learning she has a brain tumor. Alex is petrified; her sister died of cancer, and her family was devastated. Font successfully conveys Alex's stress by increasing her tempo and pitch. Reflecting on her sister's short life, Alex decides to travel. She hikes the Grand... Read More

Narrators Deepti Gupta, Soneela Nankani, and Anita Kalathara come together to represent three generations of the Desai clan. Gupta is the taboo-breaking Bindu, the feminist grandmother and mother-in-law every South Asian woman longs for. Nankani evokes sympathy for the overworked and frustrated Aly, who is beloved by her mother-in-law because of their shared Goan roots, despite... Read More

Imogen Church's spirited narration brings the protagonists alive in this suspenseful mystery and helps make this a standout listen. Two couples, each with unpleasant character traits and backstories that influence their behavior, head into the Swiss Alps for a hike. However, of the four people, only two return. Church's strong characterizations differentiate the key... Read More

Jennifer Jill Araya brings the two sisters in Hoffman's short story to life. She projects the hurtful emotional baggage they've been carrying throughout 12 years of estrangement. When Isabel receives a mysterious letter containing the single word "HELP," she assumes it's from Sophie and heads to Brinkley's Island, Maine. Isabel's voice reflects her curiosity, defensiveness, and... Read More

Listeners who enjoy a good old-fashioned locked-room mystery will appreciate this classic police procedural, set in a picturesque Yorkshire village. The steady, gravelly voice of longtime narrator Michael Page transports listeners to a present-day film shoot at a vintage railway station. An actor, dissolute and disliked, is found shot and killed in a locked antique railway... Read More

Seven Amazon Original short stories are collected into one audiobook production, each performed by a different narrator. The unique tales take the listener to worlds full of magical realism, fantasy, and the unknown and span centuries from a seemingly medieval time to contemporary settings. All seven narrators are skilled in their craft; however, as one may expect with such a... Read More

This cute holiday rom-com invites listeners to participate in Nola and Caleb's rekindled relationship. Narrators Carly Robins and Aaron Shedlock capture the main characters' emotions and inflections. Robins articulates the female voices a bit more distinctly than Shedlock does the two primary males, but, overall, the novella is easy to follow. There is a scene in which Caleb... Read More

The touch of fantasy interjected into this compelling audiobook is a unique departure from author Kate Quinn's usual historical fiction. Gifted narrator Saskia Maarleveld portrays a member of the British Women's Royal Naval Service (WREN) who is monitoring radio transmissions from Nazi ships in 1943. Andrew Gibson portrays an American radio operator who is sending out a... Read More

A supremely talented quartet of narrators will delight listeners with their vibrant and expressive voices. This addictive story follows four cousins who are navigating life as individuals and as part of a large Mexican American family. As children, they were very close, but family dynamics pushed them apart. Now, as adults, they wonder if they can be close again. All four women... Read More

Gripping from the beginning, this audiobook features a well-crafted story delivered by Timothy Andrés Pabon using an ideal mix of fear, remorse, and personal animosity to define characters and scenes. A whodunit at its core, this is also an exceptional psychological thriller that benefits from Pabon's performance, particularly his ability with nuanced dialogue. Central to the... Read More

Narrators Nelson Hobbs and Joy Beharie join together to bring to life the story of Malia Evergreen and Palmer Matterson. Malia has been handling the advertising for Palmer's wedding planning company. After she leaves the position, Palmer admits to his interest in her. Beharie skillfully voices Malia's uncertainty about her feelings for Palmer, while Hobbs brings decisiveness to... Read More

Narrator Alaska Jackson takes listeners through this twisted thriller involving a TV writer who finds herself in the middle of a horrifying mystery. Yara Gibson is not thrilled to return to her hometown of Palmdale for her parents' anniversary party, but as a dutiful daughter, she feels she has to. When an estranged family friend tells Yara that she needs to tell her a shocking... Read More

Iraqi-Canadian actor Fajer Al-Kaisi narrates this twisted horror story set under Montana's big, dark sky. Joanna Chase is no stranger to tragedy, but when she starts receiving odd phone calls asking her to return to her childhood home in Montana, she feels she has no choice but to go back to the place she thought she'd left behind forever. A frightening man with dark dreams and... Read More

A full cast of narrators takes on the second in Lillegraven's Clara series. Each chapter, representing a different character, is delivered by one of these outstanding narrators. Clara Lofthus, portrayed by Stina Nielsen, has just been appointed Norway's Minister of Justice and has vowed to protect children. Then her twin sons, Andreas and Nikolai, are kidnapped. Listeners hear... Read More

The wistful sweetness in Siiri Scott's narration perfectly complements the small-town South Carolina setting of this audiobook. The residents of a five-unit complex become enmeshed in each other's lives when one of them is found dead inside her apartment. Each character is an "other bird," someone whose difficult family history or other trauma creates challenges for them to... Read More

In this latest Tracy Crosswhite audiobook, the cold case detective sets out to discover whether investigative reporter Lisa Childress, who disappeared 25 years earlier, is dead or alive. Now married and a young mother, Tracy gets a call from Lisa's grown daughter, Anita, who wants her to reopen the case of the missing reporter, who never returned from meeting a source. Narrator... Read More

Narrator Samantha Brentmoor brings to life the romance between Isabel MacKenna and Michael Buchanan. Isabel's sister is married to Michael's brother, and when Isabel runs into trouble, Michael is there to help her. She is the type of person people gravitate to, and Brentmoor deftly conveys her warmth and compassion. As a lawyer and former Navy SEAL, Michael has a no-nonsense... Read More

Shaun Taylor-Corbett's narration is calm and friendly, and he handles this 1928 classic's occasional humor in a charming understated manner. This is a strength, given the book's didactic intent. However, at times this even-toned approach may become dull for some listeners. Despite this drawback, Taylor-Corbett brings the story to life, and his narration embodies its theme that... Read More

The title character, Quinn Quicksilver, recounts his journey from his upbringing at an orphanage to being on the run, a trek that takes on supernatural elements. Narrator Todd Haberkorn really gets into the characters, all of whom he gives drastically different voices that fit their personalities. It's as if he is a cast of multiple people. Quinn has a slightly nasal tone,... Read More

Zibby Owens recounts her meandering path from coping with self-doubt and battling an eating disorder to launching a successful podcasting career. She treats listeners to her characteristic honesty whether she's describing crippling self-consciousness or later love and finding her métier. Owens's style is gentle, easy on the ears, and relatable. She chronicles her search for... Read More

Elizabeth Knowelden's versatile British accents enhance this charming cozy set in the sultry summer of 1911 in the quaint English town of Littleton Cotterell. When the Apple Cider Warden of the ancient Weryers society is stabbed to death, Police Inspector Oliver Sunderland of Gloucestershire enlists the assistance of the aristocratic-sounding amateur sleuth Lady Edith... Read More

Narrator Zara Hampton-Brown does an exemplary job with the British and American women in this audiobook. Lia, a Brit, works in New York, where she runs a bookstore with her best friend, Rosie. As Lia makes plans to return to England for her brother's wedding, her family presses her to bring her girlfriend. But there's a problem--Lia doesn't really have one. Luckily, her friend... Read More

Robert Fass narrates this historical thriller, which takes place in the opening month of WWII. A German agent in Los Angeles spearheads a plan to assassinate President Roosevelt when he lights the national Christmas tree. Martin Browning travels to Washington DC by car and train, hiding in plain sight in various disguises; each new persona is voiced with a slight difference by... Read More

Listeners will relish Joel Froomkin's exemplary narration of this exciting WWII mystery featuring the British Royal Court. The story begins when Lord Blackwater, a courtier, is found dead. Since Blackwater had many secrets, the Crown assigns advisor Guy Harford to investigate his death. Aiding Guy is his girlfriend, Rodie, a burglar turned civil servant, whose lower-class... Read More

Saskia Maarleveld's narration is the best part of this historical mystery, set in Brooklyn in October 1942. At times a bit convoluted, the story centers on half-siblings Will and Maggie Scripps. As WWII rages on, Will works for the Manhattan Project, and Maggie struggles to find consistent work. Their isolated existence is interrupted when they find a freezing woman under their... Read More

Narrators Mackenzie Cartwright and Alexander Cendese combine talents for this short yet enjoyable romance between drummer Axel Forrester and veterinarian Tara Stillman. For Axel, Tara has always been the one who got away. When he discovers that they are finally in the same area, Axel borrows his bandmate's dog to reconnect with Tara. Cendese's and Cartwright's performances both... Read More

Zitkála-Sá's vivid and empathetic stories draw listeners right into the controversies of her time, the late nineteenth century. With topics ranging from children being torn from their families to go to Indian schools to the elderly being denied land rights, these stories capture American history from the eyes of the author and her people. Although Katie Rich's narration sounds... Read More

In the 13th audiobook of the Rizzoli and Isles mystery series, Tanya Eby performs with charm and intensity as Detective Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, and Jane's mother, Angela, resolve not one, but five cases in the Boston area. Eby employs gasps and shortened phrases as she becomes a young woman who is being chased by a stranger and then ends up the victim of a hit-and-run.... Read More

Roxanne Hernandez returns to portray FBI Agent Nina Guerrera in the third book in this series. Hernandez's effective accents and tone draw listeners into Guerrera's world. Maldonado's gritty police procedural is humanized by her two well-developed main characters, both of whom have managed to rise above their troubled backgrounds: Guerrera herself and 18-year-old academically... Read More

Karla Serrato's animated, upbeat voice enhances this charming enemies-to-lovers romance. Her moderately paced narration quickly picks up as a midnight kiss sparks an affair between Mariana and Angelo, mariachi musicians from rival bands. When the bands enter a major competition, the couple secretly work together to keep the feud at bay. Serrato's emotive performance evokes the... Read More

This introspective collection of short stories by Black authors treats listeners to an astonishing array of futuristic worlds and circumstances. From the alleys of New York to the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, these stories push the boundaries of humanity. An outstanding assembly of authors is matched by a stellar set of narrators, including both... Read More

Narrators Brittany Pressley and Ryan West depict a story of triumph in a hopeless situation. Kenna, who has just been released from prison, is focused on connecting with her daughter, Diem. Then she meets a man named Ledger, and they get on track for romance--until Ledger discovers that Kenna was the driver who killed his friend Scotty in a car accident. Worse, Ledger is also... Read More

Narrator Robin Miles transports listeners to the hidden corners of New Orleans in this tale of murder and magic. Mambo Reina Dumond considers herself a native of New Orleans despite her Haitian background. When a grisly murder is blamed on a fellow vodouisant, Reina feels compelled to investigate. Her questions and the powers granted by her patron spirit, Erzulie, bring her... Read More

Narrator Adjoa Andoh showcases her acting talents in portraying Eva, a woman in desperate search of her birth mother, and the women and men who are part of Eva's life. With appropriate pacing and intense emotion, Andoh expresses the tension and pain felt by the women she voices. Some of the most heartbreaking moments come in Andoh's masterful performance of young Eva's... Read More

Award-winning trans actor and LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist Alexandra Billings exuberantly narrates her life story. With high energy and a commanding presence, Billings lays it all on the line, candidly sharing her painful and resilient journey through sexual assault, attempted suicide, the AIDS epidemic, and extraordinary barriers to living as her authentic self. The structure... Read More

Narrator Hillary Huber is enchanting in the role of a daughter who is spilling her mother's dark secrets. Raised in the 1950s, the daughter details the strange habits and lore of her single mother. Dangerous herbs, a father turned into a garden gnome, deadly prophecies--the daughter hardly knows what's fantasy and what's real. Huber's vulnerable confessional tone for the... Read More

Unfolding in the early years of the last century, the plot of this audiobook transports listeners to Iceland, and the destination is as interesting as one might expect. Karitas is a young woman who shares her rather desperate coming-of-age experiences; her dreams are focused on one day becoming an artist. Anita Briem offers a decent performance. Her pace is somewhat uneven and... Read More

Narrators Mia Barron and Callie Beaulieu are a dynamic duo in their portrayals of estranged half sisters who are reunited after their mother Bette's passing. Gabrielle is 55 and dealing with career fallout, which is tied to her ex-husband. Lulu is 48 and grieving her husband's death. The sisters mend their relationship as they catalogue and make decisions about their... Read More

This collection of short stories spans genres from magical realism and survival fiction to Lovecraftian horror, the common factors being nature and a pervasive sense of unease. Starting off the collection is Moreno-Garcia's story, set during the Mexican Revolution and narrated by Cynthia Farrell, who employs a slight Spanish accent and conjures a determined protagonist. Next is... Read More

Joyce Bean's warm, friendly voice is by turns serious and smiling in her excellent narration of Margaret Renkl's insightful new essay collection. Drawn from Renkl's weekly NEW YORK TIMES column, the 60 pieces in this audiobook cover all manner of life in the American South, including animals, culture, plants, and politics. Renkl, who lives in Tennessee, is a detailed observer... Read More

Narrators Keira Stevens and Nelson Hobbs join forces to tell the story of a second-chance romance between Chiara Kennedy and Sebastian Ryder. When the two met, they clicked but chose not to pursue a relationship. Sebastian ended up married to Chiara's best friend and was then widowed. Stevens and Hobbs provide a multilayered performance as Chiara and Sebastian struggle to... Read More

Narrator Soneela Nankani pulls out all the emotional stops in this short but charming audiobook about love and relationships. When a tragic accident killed Ajay, Ayesha Shetty lost much more than a brother--she lost her dreams, her independence, and herself. Her best friend's wedding will be a welcome reprieve except that her mother, amma, and others are ready to find her a... Read More

Brittany Pressley narrates this mystery about an idyllic coastal community in Canada where everyone is not as they seem. When a woman is found dead on the beach, everyone in the close-knit community of Stony Cove becomes a suspect. The intense investigation burns through the town, and lives begin to unravel as Detective Rue Duval discovers that almost everyone has a secret,... Read More

Two longtime rivals are brought to life by narrator Brittany Pressley. Matilda returns to Bonnet, Texas, to make trouble for her old enemy, Liddy. They have a turbulent past, and they clash over everything from funeral dinners to the relationship developing between Matilda's son, Nick, and Liddy's niece, Amelia. Pressley's performance brings the two women's suppressed rage to... Read More

Listeners who are seeking a diverting, richly evocative mystery will enjoy this period piece set in New York City in the 1880s. The youthful, exuberant voice of narrator Kate Rudd brings to life reporter Elizabeth van den Broek, who becomes personally involved in the fiendish murders of a serial killer who is obsessed with Egyptian mythology. While listeners may tire of the... Read More

Narrator Anita Kalathara's inflections convey contention between urban and rural teens. Things are not coming up roses for 17-year-old Tahira Janmohammad. Her summer internship in New York City is sabotaged by a parrot, and then she finds herself helping her aunt revamp her store in Bakewell, Ontario. Kalathara's youthful voice brings out the teen's personality. Soon, Tahira's... Read More

"I became the mother of a movement out of necessity," says Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin. This audiobook may be short, but not a word is wasted. Fulton reflects on the decade since her son's death. Fulton is clear in her view that her son was stalked and killed out of malice, his killer protected by a system prejudiced toward Black children. "Many times, the only... Read More

Narrator LeVar Burton starts off this audiobook by delivering the marketing pitch for the human modification that will turn Black Americans into sea creatures, if they so choose. Nisi Shawl's near-future story finds takers for a reparation offer that has a catch: The 40 acres on offer to each individual are in the ocean, and the modifications are needed to live there. Burton... Read More

Narrator Adenrele Ojo's vivacious narration will have listeners quickly invested in Neale Delacroix's chaotic attempt to reinvent herself. Ojo's energetic voice perfectly reflects Neale's bright-eyed enthusiasm as she leaves her disastrous career as a performance artist and picks up a desk job. Neale faces several humorous ups and downs as she attempts to become "New Neale,"... Read More

Annie Beyers wakes up in the hospital, the victim of an accident that occurred while she was taking her young daughter, Hannah, to the doctor. So begins McNeil's intriguing tale of memory and parallel universes. Amanda Leigh Cobb embodies the voice of Annie, who is struggling to make sense of the new world she finds herself in, a world in which Hannah never existed, her "yellow... Read More

In this collection, the Harlem Renaissance poet speaks of race, morality, and identity. A good portion of his poetry is structured in a consistent rhyming scheme that narrator Don Hooper delivers with ease at a moderate tempo. The spiritual undertones of Cullen's work mesh well with Hooper's steady pace and lyrical tone. Hooper emphasizes every word and subtly speeds up to... Read More

Narrators Christina Delaine and Mikhaila Aaseng combine forces to tell the story of Cricket and Ruby. When Cricket, owner of an antique store, discovers her husband is cheating on her, she turns to her employee, Ruby, to help her cope. Delaine takes on the chapters from Cricket's point of view, and Aaseng handles the ones from Ruby's. Each narrator is aptly suited to the... Read More

This audiobook is an edge-of-your-seat gripper. It’s the second in a series about Wilde, a loner hero who as a small boy survived living alone in the woods, nobody knew how, or for how long. Decades later he still doesn’t know who he is or why he was abandoned. It makes zero difference if you haven’t already met Wilde or the marvelous attorney Hester Crimstein, or the rest of... Read More

This coming-of-age audiobook kicks off when high school senior Julián "Jules" Luna drunkenly outs himself, bringing both risk and relief. It's risky to be openly gay in a Texas town rife with homophobes--his own father among them. Yet it's a relief to finally be himself, to trust in his unwavering friendships, and to pursue a complicated yet hopeful long-distance romance with... Read More

In a spy thriller, atmosphere is everything. For an audiobook set primarily in Moscow, having a narrator such as Edoardo Ballerini, who can handily discharge Russian phrases and provide a convincing local accent, is essential. In this third volume in the Charles Jenkins series, Ballerini sturdily voices the intrepid spy, who returns to Russia to locate two missing double agents... Read More

Narrator Stacy Gonzalez infuses her narration with the humor and warmth that are among the most notable features of Marcum's writing. This is a story about butterflies, and there are plenty of them flitting about. Gonzalez is an expressive performer and brings substantial energy to this account of butterflies and the country of Belize. She uses substantial changes in pitch and... Read More

W.E.B. Du Bois's classic history of the presence and influences of African descendants in the U.S. comes to listeners in a new audiobook narrated by Arnell Powell. Powell's measured, naturalistic pace and conversational tone engage 21st-century listeners with the sociologist's 1924 narrative, giving easy access to its review of a wide range of topics: Black involvement in... Read More

Narrators Arielle DeLisle and Megan Tusing portray the two halves that make up this hilarious story based on switched identities. DeLisle and Tusing give voice to two very different mothering styles in Celeste and Wendy. After a drunken neighborhood potluck, each woman wakes up in the body of the other. The narrators do an excellent job of maximizing the humor behind Celeste as... Read More

Narrator Hillary Huber uses perfect pacing and emphasis as bestselling thriller writer Gardner creates the second in a series featuring missing person specialist Frankie Elkin. Huber's narration matches this audiobook's intensity as Frankie searches for a young man who has gone missing after a wild bachelor party in a national forest. Huber employs shifts in tone and allows... Read More

Shake the dust off your boots with this paleontology romance, featuring a dual narration by Keylor Leigh and Amir Abdullah. Leigh portrays Alisha Blake, a cookie baker in rural Illinois. Alisha's voice is midrange with bell-like undertones, and Leigh captures the guilt that keeps her working at her family's local barbecue restaurant. Leigh also creates unique voices for... Read More

A robust cast delivers a dynamic performance of this slice-of-life story. Trudy is not quite content. She had a lovely family before her separation, but now she misses having a spark in her life. Then she bonds with four eccentric women from Kitchen Avenue. The shared friendship grows stronger as the women maneuver through their own struggles, such as marital problems and the... Read More

Narrators Inger Tudor and Pierre Brooks's heartfelt narration offers listeners a warm welcome to the small town of Honey Hill as a battle of wills unfolds between Mayor Lunden Pierce and visitor Quade Cannon. Tudor adopts a sweet Southern drawl for Lunden's dialogue that evokes the town's Southern location. The confidence in her voice perfectly reflects the headstrong mayor as... Read More

Narrator Ryan Jordan McCarthy keeps listeners guessing in this fresh take on a police drama. Disgraced DC homicide cop Thomas Levine has been reassigned to small-town Cooper, Nebraska. There, he encounters rampant corruption and dirty cops while investigating a gruesome murder. McCarthy portrays Levine in a brooding, deep voice, enhancing the bleak, dark tone of the story. His... Read More

Dion Graham's deep, melodious voice and natural sense of story give this classic book of Hughes's early poems a revelatory power. His sense of timing, clear timbre, and syncopated cadence elevate this remarkably diverse collection. Voicing the poet's jazz style, Graham smartly hooks onto Hughes's musicality: notably in the jazzy "Harlem Nightclub," rhythmic "Song for a Banjo... Read More

Narrator Kimberly Woods deftly delivers the puzzle of the Robber Girl, keeping listeners guessing. The Robber Girl knows she should listen to her dagger and help Gentleman Jack find the gold that is rightfully his. But when a robbery goes wrong, the Robber Girl finds her world turned upside down. Woods's narration starts out tough as she portrays the skeptical Robber Girl and... Read More

Narrator Nicholas Boulton narrates a delightful romp through romance tropes and genres. Trying to do the right thing, or whatever Valentine Layton, Duke of Malvern, understands that to be, has only landed him in upsetting situations. Boulton perfectly captures Valentine’s tendency to become stiff and overly formal when he is distressed. Being stuck with the deeply annoying (but... Read More

Natalie Naudus's quietly intense narration ratchets up the tension in this gruesome psychological thriller. Listeners will be riveted by the audio's opening scene, in which a woman wakes to find that she has been buried alive--with another body in the same coffin. Detective Pierce Reed is assigned to the case, only to discover that he has a personal connection to the victim and... Read More

FROM THE PUBLISHER: We always wonder why we believed the lie. But have you ever wondered why you believe the truth? People tell you the truth all the time, and you believe them; and if, at some later point, you're confronted with evidence that the story you believed was indeed true, you never wonder why you believed it in the first place. In this incisive and insightful... Read More

Journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett recounts the violence perpetrated by a white mob in New Orleans after two Black men were approached by white policemen in July 1900. Narrator Kristyl Dawn Tift projects Wells-Barnett's professional manner through a direct, informative tone. With few pauses, Tift enumerates the occurrences leading up to countless deaths. There is a calm urgency in... Read More

Narrators Mia Madison and Oliver Clarke join forces to bring to life the romance between Alice Darlington, ghost whisperer, and Hunter Evans, who has just been turned into a vampire. Hunter encounters Alice while she is rescuing a raccoon, and he is immediately drawn to her. Evil forces are after both Alice and Hunter, and Madison and Clarke bring tones of menace to their... Read More

Peter Kenny narrates an alternate-reality fantasy set in post-WWII London. Paul Gallagher, a sewer of magic clothes, is eager, ambitious, and willing to do almost anything to reach his goals, but when he's offered a chance at his biggest dream, Paul must examine his priorities. Kenny imbues his portrayal of Paul with both cheerful optimism and a staggering naïveté. Paul always... Read More

Narrator Soneela Nankani takes listeners on the roller-coaster ride of emotions felt by Preeti when she returns to India for the first time since she was 7. Nankani portrays a brokenhearted young woman who has put a high-paying job before following the man she loves. This mistake becomes clear to her as the wife of her beloved brother hovers between life and death. Nankani... Read More

Narrator Soneela Nankani creates a believable portrayal of a biracial Jewish-Indian girl who is grappling with dyslexia. Though she's intelligent and creative, 11-year-old Maple Mehta-Cohen has successfully hidden her inability to read from everyone. But her teacher finally notices and recommends that Maple repeat fifth grade. Nankani sympathetically portrays Maple's shame as... Read More

Narrator Tamika Katon-Donegal delivers Angoe's debut thriller with the intensity it deserves. The plot has two interwoven timelines: The "before" chapters provide the backstory of Nena Knight as a teen in Ghana; the "after" chapters bring us into her current life as an assassin living in Miami. Katon-Donegal shines in the "before" chapters, delivered in the first person with a... Read More

Caroline McLaughlin makes the most of this romp through a wedding day, told through the eyes of Auntie Xue, an ambitious, exasperated mother who is also the matriarch of her neighborhood. Fans of Chinese fiction will find much to admire as McLaughlin sets an energetic pace for a story filled with colorful characters and their slightly manic antics. She moves us from Auntie Xue... Read More