Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews

Shaun Taylor-Corbett seamlessly narrates the majority of this haunted novel with a masterful assist by Charley Flyte. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss a magical addition to Cynthia Leitich Smith’s young adult novels. Hughie Wolfe, an avid actor, is asked to volunteer at a Halloween haunted house near the crossroads of his small Kansas town. Hughie and a group of friends have begun to learn of odd happenings and intimidating ghostly presences at the crossroads, and they start investigating to find the truth. On Halloween the haunted house and the spirits of the past collide. Hughie’s thoughtful nature shines through in Taylor-Corbett’s narration, and Flyte’s ethereal voice shines at the story’s dramatic climax. Be sure to listen to Jo Reed’s conversation with Cynthia Leitich Smith and Shaun Taylor-Corbett on our bonus edition of Behind the Mic. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Listening Library. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maya Saroya gives an expressive performance in Hafsah Faizal’s thrilling YA historical fantasy filled with vampires, action, romance, and tea. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this compelling story set in a richly built world packed with secrets—performed beautifully. Saroya portrays Arthie Casimir in a smooth, deadly tone that highlights her fierce determination to protect those she loves. Arthie’s an outsider in Etenia, but she’s created a safe haven in her tearoom, Spindrift, where her crew serves tea by day and blood to vampires under the cover of night. Saroya moves easily into the points of view of Jin, Arthie’s charming yet deadly brother, and Flick, a forger whose voice reveals her upper-crust background. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Macmillan Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hanif Abdurraqib’s latest book is a transcendent feat of poetry, memoir, and—well, magic. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Abdurraqib’s mesmerizing narration and rich writing. His narration is as breathless and beautiful as his prose, and you can hear the love in his voice as he performs it. It’s an ode to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio; a love letter to basketball; a meditation on home and belonging; and an exploration of faith, Blackness, music, and place. He delivers every word as if it is a matter of life and death. A masterpiece from one of America’s most creative, generous, and rigorous living writers. Don’t miss it. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julia Whelan performs Emily Henry’s funny story, much like a Shakespearean comedy is a funny story, of a woman who falls in love with her ex-fiancé’s new girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the joy of getting to hear another excellent Emily Henry and Julia Whelan audiobook pairing. When Daphne’s fiance, Peter, realizes he’s in love with his formerly platonic best friend, Petra, just days before their wedding, Daphne’s world falls apart. Desperate for a place to live, she moves in with Petra’s also devastated ex, Miles. The two start a tentative friendship and Daphne finds that there is much to love in this small town—including Miles. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrators Natalie Beran and Jackson Bliss portray queer Russian-Maori siblings Greta and Valdin in this wise, hilarious novel about a loving and chaotic New Zealand family. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Rebecca K. Reilly’s novel, now released in the U.S. Beran depicts Greta, a 20-something PhD student in a perky, wry tone that is dripping with millennial angst. Bliss narrates Valdin’s sections with a mix of earnestness and detachment. A year after being dumped by his boyfriend, he’s just (maybe) starting to get his life back on track. The narrators’ varied New Zealand accents and ease with snappy dialogue make every moment of this joyful audiobook a pleasure. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss a celebrated YA novel that is featured in AudioFile’s new Audiobook Club. Narrator Jesse Nobess establishes a determined voice for high school sophomore Tre Brun. After losing his older brother who was a star on their high school basketball team, he finds his own passion for the game. Nobess captures Tre’s emotions as he pushes himself to reach his maximum potential on the court, where he feels pressure to succeed not only for himself, but also for his family and his Ojibwe community. Stay tuned for more information about AudioFile’s new audiobook club this summer. Listeners, especially sports enthusiasts, will cheer Tre on through the tumultuous and unforgettable basketball season. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrator Dion Graham, with his ability to tap into a wide variety of voices, is the right pick for Ace Atkins’s blues-heavy novel first published in 1998. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Dion’s skill at voicing this blues-infused noir mystery. Nick Travers is a former pro football player turned blues historian at Tulane University in Louisiana. He’s sent to find a missing music professor, and the mission gets messy. Graham’s stellar narration helps listeners keep the many characters straight, going beyond different voices and pacing to vary entire dialects. A first-rate performance by a first-rate narrator. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Recorded Books. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The privileged world of the spirited Isabella Stewart Gardner is aptly captured by the patrician voice of narrator Maggi-Meg Reed. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this fascinating biography by Natalie Dykstra. Reed’s careful pacing and expression elicit genuine admiration for the eccentric and sometimes scandalous Isabella. Gardner leaves as her legacy the Fenway Court building, now the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, famous for its interior Venetian palazzo, eclectic collections, and of course, the still unsolved art heist. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roger Clark gives a thrilling performance of Tana French’s newest novel set in a ferociously insular Irish village. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this sequel to THE SEARCHER, continuing the story of Cal Hooper, a retired Chicago police detective in a town that makes its own law. Clark’s Irish dialogue is so rich and musical it’s addictive, but his American voice for Hooper is flawless as well, and his pacing, attention, and sympathy do splendid justice to this riveting story. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An inspiring original story gets a five-star narration from Lynnette R. Freeman. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s Civil War-era novel shines with Freeman’s narration. Sanite and her daughter, Ady, run from the brutality of John du Marche’s slave labor camp—also known as a plantation. Separated when Sanite is recaptured, Ady endures hardship alone in the woods until she’s eventually befriended by a free woman who runs a secret organization called “The Daughters.” Freeman delivers the tension, relief, dangers, and hope felt by these remarkable women. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Edoardo Ballerini’s narration of Amor Towles’s newest short story collection. By turns nuanced and dramatic, Golden Voice Ballerini uses his full range of techniques always in service of the author’s fine prose. His smart pace and rich tone work particularly well for the noir novella set in late 1930s Hollywood. Ballerini shines in the opening work, “New York: The Line,” about an average Russian, named Pushkin, who has a gift for helping others with Russia’s long food lines. These stories have Towles’s touch: finely detailed characters, distinct settings, and deserved comeuppances. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dorje Swallow’s performance of Helen Oyeyemi’s metafiction centers this whirligig of a novel in which story begets story. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how Swallow’s assured narration—in particular, his ability to do voices and accents and adapt his tone to whatever the scene—makes this audiobook marvelous to listen to. Hero Tojosoa ostensibly comes to Prague to join her friend, Sophie, for a weekend. When Dorothea arrives as well, the plot thickens, spatters, and all manner of mayhem ensues. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron Goodson performs Vinson Cunningham’s coming-of-age novel in a conversational manner. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Goodson’s pleasing narrative style. His pensive tone works for the narrator and protagonist, David Hammons, the well-read but adrift young man who finds himself working as a fundraising assistant in the 2008 presidential election for the unnamed African American senator from Illinois. It’s a finely crafted story that includes smart and nuanced riffs on religion, money in politics, and life on the campaign trail. His observations create a timely listen. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carlotta Brentan narrates this near-future dystopian novel set in a time of ecological disaster in the mostly underwater community of Island City. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Téa Obreht’s newest novel. Brentan portrays the cast of characters smartly by subtly shifting tone, cadence, and timbre. The once stately Morningside building is now home to “repopulated” folks who are part of a government program. Mysteries shroud this imaginative work. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s bonus edition of Behind the Mic, host Jo Reed welcomes author Cynthia Leitich Smith and narrator Shaun Taylor-Corbett for a lively conversation about making memorable audiobooks for children and young adults. Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee citizen) is a highly acclaimed author for young readers and curator for Heartdrum, a Native American-focused imprint from HarperCollins. Shaun Taylor-Corbett (Blackfeet) is a frequent narrator of audiobooks from Heartdrum, including Cynthia’s most recent, HARVEST HOUSE. Listen in to hear Cynthia and Shaun talk about the audiobooks they’ve collaborated on and the importance of showing true representation of Native kids and teens in books and audiobooks. Read reviews of Cynthia Leitich Smith’s audiobooks at our website, where you can discover more audiobooks narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett as well. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This audiobook reveals that Tommy Orange is among the most insightful novelists writing today and a poet of pain. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this immersive novel set in Oakland that makes for a powerful listening experience. Among the segmented novel’s stellar performances, Charley Flyte’s reading of Victoria Bear Shield’s dramatic monologue to her unborn daughter is a tour de force—a haunting performance with an expressive tone and intimate voice. Alma Cuervo portrays Jacquie Red Feather and Victoria—the unborn infant, now a grandmother—with candor, compassion, and a thoughtful pace. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shayna Small delivers a variety of accents as a group of New Yorkers gather on their rooftop during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, telling stories to pass the time. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Small’s skills as she narrates a wide range of characters, emotions, and stories. Her narration shines in this reinterpretation of another plague novel, Boccaccio’s DECAMERON, written in the fourteenth century as bubonic plague raced across Europe. The Author’s Guild brought together 36 authors to write this well woven group of tales, including Margaret Atwood, Dave Eggers, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange and more. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrator A.J. Cook utilizes her considerable acting skills in portraying divorce lawyer, single mother, and suicide hotline volunteer Felicia, whose life was forever changed by her sister’s suicide. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this short but impactful audio thriller. Actress Tess Albertson matches Cook in talent as she portrays Chloe, a teenager who calls Felicia’s helpline. Cook masterfully portrays Felicia’s desperation to save Chloe from suicide and avoid potential retaliatory violence while managing her own memories and secrets. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grace Hawthorne presents the chapters of her intelligent guide with appealing assertiveness while a Stanford colleague delivers brief segments with equal authority and charm. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this audiobook on turning your ideas into reality. After convincing listeners that they can train their brains to think expansively, Hawthorne dives into the explicit steps one can take to get projects started and to keep the momentum going when inevitable frustrations and distractions pull one off task. The insights about promoting innovative projects and the hacks that are offered for materializing ideas are priceless. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lucy Sante narrates her intimate and poignant memoir of her transition, delivering vignettes from her life with authenticity. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Lucy’s story. Lucy realized early in her life that she was female, but it was not until her sixties in 2021 that she transitioned and shared her news with her friends. Her lifelong success as a writer comes through in her near-poetic storytelling without being saccharine. Listeners will hear her comfort in her identity, and the joy in her new life is lovely. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pop culture drag star RuPaul’s candid warmth is an invitation to accompany him as he discovers fame, love, and his unvarnished self. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this origin story from the mother of all drag queens. His soft narration opens with sensory details that evoke the power of memory, and his gentle voice allows listeners to enter early scenes of his life. Listeners learn of his family, discovering his “secret girl” at the age of 12, and his struggles for acceptance within the drag community. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. This episode of Behind the Mic is brought to you by Brilliance Publishing. Revisit beloved characters and discover new original short stories. Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout with Rayvn Salvador is a must-add addition to the series that any fan will enjoy. Audible.com/VisionsofFleshandBlood This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joniece Abbott-Pratt performs this multigenerational novel set over several decades in the American South. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this debut novel from poet Phillip B. Williams. In the 1830s, a mysterious woman named Saint frees enslaved people from plantations and brings them to a town they call Ours, where they find a safe haven from the rest of the world. But when Saint tightens her control of the townspeople, they begin to wonder what it means to be a free Black person in America. Abbott-Pratt’s cadence enthralls listeners, giving weight to this sweeping epic. Her performance is a stunning example of a masterful narrator at her best. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lyz Lenz narrates her memoir about the end of her marriage and the start of her new life as an “ex-wife.” Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this audiobook that alternates between Lenz’s own story of divorce and freedom, and her research on women experiencing divorce. While Lenz had been told that the end of her marriage would be the end of her family, she soon discovered that leaving her unhappy marriage gave her more fulfillment and love than she ever had before. Lenz’s informal and personable delivery works well. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

January LaVoy and Michael Crouch perform Katherine Arden’s historical novel with a supernatural twist. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss one of the must-listen audiobooks of the season. LaVoy delivers the perspective of Laura, a nurse who has recently returned from a WWI battlefield to her home in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Crouch narrates as Laura’s brother, Freddie, a young soldier who has gone missing in Belgium. LaVoy conveys all of Laura's anguish when she receives word that her brother is missing. Crouch captures Freddie’s long hours trekking through the mud, shell-shocked and beyond all hope of getting out of the war alive. A moving and captivating audiobook. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tania De Rozario performs her essay collection, which revolves around her experience growing up as a fat mixed-race queer girl in Singapore. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss how De Rozario’s audiobook is a gem of queer literature. De Rozario narrates each of her essays with emotional depth and understanding, giving grace to her past self while simultaneously acknowledging the growth she has experienced over time. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

January LaVoy performs this epic story of three teenagers who are brought back from the dead just long enough to compete in a mysterious game to see who gets to continue to live. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester discuss this debut novel by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kelly Link, who is better known for her short story collections. Here, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves back in Lovesend, Massachusetts, one year after they died. LaVoy captures whimsy and darkness in equal measure, spinning this fairytale-like story into an engrossing audiobook. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile’s celebrating 1500 episodes of our Behind the Mic podcast. Today host Jo Reed talks with Alan Minskoff, a longtime AudioFile reviewer who has excellent insights into audiobooks. Alan tells Jo about how he fits audiobooks into his busy weeks as he commutes to his work at the College of Idaho. He loves to feature audiobooks on food, the environment, and history and the occasional literary fiction on Behind the Mic. AudioFile’s podcast honors the work and dedication to the craft of making excellent audiobooks, and features the best in audiobooks each week. Read more about AudioFile Magazine and discover thousands of audiobook reviews at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re honoring the 1500th episodes of Behind the Mic podcast with spotlights on each of our contributors. Today host Jo Reed talks with Kendra Winchester, who reviews for AudioFile and shares many insights into fascinating audiobooks here on the podcast and as a contributing editor for Book Riot. Kendra tells Jo about her audiobook listening, her favorite genres to enjoy, and how she picks her features for the podcast. She often highlights new literary fiction, essays, and memoirs, and has a keen ear for excellent audiobooks. AudioFile’s podcast honors the work and dedication to the craft of making excellent audiobooks, and features the best in audiobooks each week. Read more about AudioFile Magazine and discover thousands of audiobook reviews at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re celebrating AudioFile’s Behind the Mic podcast all week with highlights of our contributors. Listen in to hear host Jo Reed in discussion with AudioFile’s Assistant Editor, Emily Connelly. She tells Jo about when she started listening to audiobooks, her work since she started at AudioFile, and how her love of audiobooks helps her on the podcast and in her role at the library. She’s always happy to talk about what she’s listening to, whether it’s a new favorite family listen or a fascinating science fiction world to get lost in. AudioFile’s podcast honors the work and dedication to the craft of making excellent audiobooks, and features the best in audiobooks each week. Read more about AudioFile Magazine and discover thousands of audiobook reviews at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile is celebrating our 1500th episode of Behind the Mic with highlights of each of our contributors. Today host Jo Reed is talking with AudioFile’s Publisher, Michele Cobb. Listen in to hear all about Michele’s work in the world of audiobooks and podcasts, what she loves about the Behind the Mic podcast, and what she looks for in her next featured audiobook. When Michele’s on the podcast, you can bet there will be a juicy celebrity memoir or buzzy new audiobook to discuss! AudioFile’s podcast honors the work and dedication to the craft of making excellent audiobooks, and features the best in audiobooks each week. Read more about AudioFile Magazine and discover thousands of audiobook reviews at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy 1500 episodes to AudioFile’s Behind the Mic Podcast! We’re celebrating this milestone all week long by highlighting each of our podcast contributors. Today host Jo is talking with AudioFile’s Editor and founder, Robin Whitten. They talk about all the fun and work that goes into recording 1500 episodes of Behind the Mic, their favorite episodes, and their shared love for mystery audiobooks. AudioFile’s podcast honors the work and dedication to the craft of making excellent audiobooks and features the best in audiobooks each week. Read more about AudioFile Magazine and discover thousands of audiobook reviews at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Soneela Nanknai’s talents are in full force in this monstrous and magical fantasy series. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Roseanne A Brown’s thrilling sequel to SERWA BOATENG’S GUIDE TO VAMPIRE HUNTING. Serwa has discovered a shocking secret—she’s an obayifo, a vampire witch, just like those she’s spent her life training to fight. Nankani’s dynamic voice and boundless energy match the action and Serwa’s roiling emotions as she goes into hiding to train with her obayifo aunt. She conveys all the drama as Serwa fights the newfound urge to drink blood, plans a dangerous heist, realizes she has a huge crush, and travels to the underworld. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Disney Hyperion. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

André Santana and Meg Sylvan narrate this friends-to-lovers romance with compassion and full-hearted emotion. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this story of two lonely people finding friendship and love where they least expect it. Santana’s thoughtful narration gives us insights into former firefighter Jesse’s anxiety and warm heart. Lulu’s a history professor living in her parents’ house, and Sylvan’s voice expresses both Lulu’s infectious enthusiasm and self doubt. When Lulu and Jesse enroll in a psychology study on making friends, their attraction happens fast—despite the study’s strict ban on dating. Santana and Sylvan’s narrations highlight the rich emotionality of the story as Lulu and Jesse find their way forward in this steamy romance. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harlequin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bahni Turpin narrates Saara El-Arifi’s high fantasy tale that’s laced with romance and danger. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly dive into the story of Black elves, fae, and magic. After banishment by their chieftain, elven sisters Yeeran and Lettle wind up prisoners in fae lands and must adapt if they hope to survive. Turpin portrays Yeeran as a battle-hardened warrior, proud and energetic, while Lettle is a diviner, passionate and inquisitive. The sisters uncover surprising truths that upend their understanding of the world, and both discover threads of romance. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrator Avi Roque conveys all the creeping horror of T. Kingfisher’s sequel to WHAT MOVES THE DEAD. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Roque’s skilled narration of this fantastical horror story. Alex Easton, a retired soldier, travels to their family’s hunting lodge in their damp and unwelcoming home country, Gallacia. Alex discovers the lodge cold and empty and learns that the caretaker has died under mysterious circumstances. Roque lightly voices Alex’s humor and dry wit, ramping up the terror with a quickened pace and dramatic flair as Alex’s dreams become haunted by spectral creatures. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Macmillan Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Natalie Naudus narrates a spirited romance loosely inspired by the classic screwball comedy “Bringing Up Baby.” Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly talk about this fun romance by Opal Wei that’s centered around two chaotic characters. Zoey Fong’s always lived her life guided by The Plan . . . until she meets Davy Hsieh and he upends almost every aspect of it. Naudus’s portrayal of Zoey highlights her focus and goal-oriented mindset, while her portrayal of Davy accents his laid-back and easygoing nature. One mistake has Zoey rethinking her life while stuck on an island with Davy—and Baby, his semi-tame cougar. Naudus’s delightful performance highlights the inherent joy and lightness in Zoey and Davy’s budding relationship and makes for a truly enjoyable experience. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harlequin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve been celebrating the 2024 Audie Awards all week long on Behind the Mic. Today we’re wrapping up our coverage by highlighting our episode about this year’s Best Mystery Audiobook winner, VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS, written by Jesse Q. Sutanto and read by Eunice Wong. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb have a discussion about how Wong’s brisk performance makes this funny mystery one you won’t want to miss on audio. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover more about the Audie Awards at AudioFile’s website and see the full list of the 2024 Audie Awards finalists and winners. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Joanna Gaines, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile is celebrating the 2024 Audie Awards all this week, and today we’re featuring this year’s winner in the Narration by the Author category: NPR anchor Mary Louise Kelly for her memoir IT. GOES. SO. FAST: A Year of No Do-Overs. Listen in as host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Kelly’s captivating narration of her book about the challenging life of a working parent. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Macmillan Audio. See the full list of the 2024 Audie Awards finalists and winners and discover more about the Audie Awards at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Joanna Gaines, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re celebrating the 2024 Audie Awards all this week. Today we’re honoring the winner of the inaugural Best Non-Fiction Narrator award, Golden Voice Dion Graham for KING: A LIFE, by Jonathan Eig. In fact, Dion narrated a whopping three finalists in this category! On today’s episode, we’re sharing a discussion between host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff about this moving biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which Graham narrates superbly. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Macmillan Audio. Discover more about the Audie Awards at AudioFile’s website. See the full list of the 2024 Audie Awards finalists and winners. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Joanna Gaines, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile Magazine is celebrating the 2024 Audie Awards all this week. Today’s episode is all about this year’s Audiobook of the Year award winner — SURRENDER: 40 Songs, One Story, written and read by Bono. Listen in on an earlier episode with host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discussing this memoir that blends Bono’s words with singing, music, and sound effects to make for a fascinating listening experience. If you missed the live event, you can visit the APA YouTube to catch all of the Audies livestream. Discover more about the Audie Awards at AudioFile’s website. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio. See the full list of the 2024 Audie Awards finalists and winners. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Joanna Gaines, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb get together to talk all things Audie Awards! This year the Audies are in L.A. and will be celebrated with an in-person gala event, and with a livestream that audiobook lovers can watch from the comfort of their home. Listen in as Jo and Michele discuss some of the changes to the Audies this year and give their insights into the new Best Non-Fiction Narrator and Best Fiction Narrator awards. Follow along with the Audie Awards ceremony tonight. And see the full list of this year’s finalists at the APA website. Discover more about the Audie Awards at AudioFile’s website. Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Joanna Gaines, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sure touch of Golden Voice narrator Julia Whelan transforms Kristen Hannah’s absorbing novel about Vietnam War combat nurses into an addictive listen. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this intimate portrait and sprawling account of a searing time. The story focuses on 20-year-old Frances McGrath, who, in 1965, impetuously chooses the Army Nurse Corps over cotillions and marriage. As the novel interweaves historical research with the characters’ Vietnam and post-war lives, Whelan’s intensity and warmth help listeners empathize with the personal and understand the big picture. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Macmillan Audio. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Joanna Gaines, Zachary Levi, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Willie Nelson, and so many more! This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrator Rachel Atkins is a gift. Her performance of Lucy Dawson’s suspenseful psychological thriller will seep into listeners’ consciousness. AudioFile’s Robin Whitten tells host Jo Reed about this listen that keeps you on the edge of your seat. 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 is charged with the murder of a new suitor, Rik, who has a disturbing past with her mother. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Bolinda Audio. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Dreamscape Publishing, an independent audiobook publisher, produces and publishes award-winning and bestselling titles, including those from Lisa Jewell, Jeneva Rose, and Annie Ernaux. For more information and to see Dreamscape’s entire catalog, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Karissa Vacker and Hillary Huber deliver excellent performances in this gripping audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss an audiobook that evokes themes of empowerment, personal growth, and discovery. The story, set in the Adirondacks, depicts emotional insights and decades-spanning intrigue. Vacker voices failed screenwriter Rowan, who discovers a mysterious handbook that may have something to do with a woman who went missing in the woods. Huber voices Eddie, the rich-girl hippie who started a women’s retreat center nearby in the 1970s and then disappeared without a trace. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Dreamscape Publishing, an indie audiobook publisher, creates award-winning and bestselling titles by authors like Lisa Jewell, Jeneva Rose, and Annie Ernaux. Explore their catalog at dreamscapepublishing.com. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dion Graham narrates this biography of playwright and poet August Wilson. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how Graham excels at performing both as storyteller and actor, for this biography contains not only narrative but also passages from some of his plays. His rich voice carries the biography along nicely, but it is when he recites lines from plays such as FENCES and quotations from figures in Wilson’s past that Graham really shines. The audiobook is an enlightening look at Wilson’s life and the forces and people that shaped his plays. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Dreamscape Publishing, an independent audiobook publisher, produces and publishes award-winning and bestselling titles, including those from Lisa Jewell, Jeneva Rose, and Annie Ernaux. For more information and to see Dreamscape’s entire catalog, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Andy Ingalls’s narration of a literary detective novel. Ingalls delivers all the nuances of a full cast in Spufford’s story set in an alternate universe. In an authoritative tone, Ingalls brings to life Cahokia, located on the banks of the Mississippi. In the novel, this ancient Indigenous society lives on in the 1920s, seeming to flourish in its diversity. But when Barrow discovers a mutilated body, the community’s facade of racial coexistence is exposed. Ingalls is the perfect guide for this complex world. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Dreamscape Publishing, an independent audiobook publisher, produces and publishes award-winning and bestselling titles, including those from Lisa Jewell, Jeneva Rose, and Annie Ernaux. For more information and to see Dreamscape’s entire catalog, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Janice Hallett’s marvelous tale unfolds through a series of emails complete with verbal emojis— a narrator’s challenge. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this mystery about an investigation of a cult—the Alperton Angels. Kristin Atherton gives a smackdown performance as journalist and true-crime author Amanda Bailey. The narrators all help build up the tension at the heart of this mystery. A superbly choreographed performance and unforgettable ending. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Dreamscape Publishing, an independent audiobook publisher, produces and publishes award-winning and bestselling titles, including those from Lisa Jewell, Jeneva Rose, and Annie Ernaux. For more information and to see Dreamscape’s entire catalog, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Fass captures the natural interplay between a father and son during an emotional struggle for survival. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Michael O’Donnell’s story of a mountain excursion in New Hampshire. Eight-year-old Tim and his father, Doug, are reeling from the recent death of Tim's mother. News of an unidentified national catastrophe forces the two hikers to seek refuge rather than risk traveling home. Fass demonstrates skill in his voicing of quiet moments of tenderness and the suspense of mounting threats. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Blackstone Audio. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Dreamscape Publishing, an indie audiobook publisher, creates award-winning and bestselling titles by authors like Lisa Jewell, Jeneva Rose, and Annie Ernaux. Explore their catalog at dreamscapepublishing.com. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An ensemble of wildly talented narrators elevates Daniel Sweren-Becker’s fictional true-crime case, told through first-person interviews. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss a full-cast narration that takes the listener on a rollercoaster ride. 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 a missing teenager. A compelling audio with a winning combination of narrators. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Harper Audio. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Dreamscape Publishing, an independent audiobook publisher, produces and publishes award-winning and bestselling titles, including those from Lisa Jewell, Jeneva Rose, and Annie Ernaux. For more information and to see Dreamscape’s entire catalog, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listeners will be convinced there’s a full cast delivering this fast-paced thriller from Ashley Elston. Yet it’s just one narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, who masterfully voices all of the characters. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss another thrilling mystery. Evie Porter has many names and personas she has adopted for her work for the mysterious Mr. Smith. The narrative goes back and forth in time, revealing the successful and disastrous assignments that have landed her in a small town in Louisiana, where she’s building a loving relationship with her next target. The twists and turns will keep listeners glued to their earbuds all the way to the satisfying conclusion. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Dreamscape Publishing, an indie audiobook publisher, creates award-winning and bestselling titles by authors like Lisa Jewell, Jeneva Rose, and Annie Ernaux. Explore their catalog at dreamscapepublishing.com. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices