Best Mysteries to Listen to

Big Sky

“ I listened to Big Sky with ever-increasing delight. Until now I was a stranger to Kate Atkinson and her fictional private eye, Jackson Brodie, and had no idea what was in store for me. The various threads of the story were laid out in the early chapters, leisurely, each character so clear and compelling, the narrative sparkling and even funny. Then, with the deftest of touches, Atkinson weaves the threads into an un-put-down-able suspense novel of the highest literary caliber and with the most satisfying of resolutions imaginable. The reading by Jason Isaacs was fabulously done. I thoroughly and joyfully loved it and am now a devoted Atkinson fan.”

Carol, BookPeople of Moscow

Conviction

“I loved how Denise Mina structured this book. Anna, the main character starts off at the beginning of the book by telling us that she is writing the story of what happened to her beginning with the day her world imploded (for the second time in her life). She starts off by telling about the day her husband informed her he was leaving her because he was in love with her best friend and how she threw food and plates and anything else in reach at him and then shut herself in the bathroom to listen to a true crime podcast (one of her passions and a calming influence). As we listen to the podcast we find out that Anna once knew one of the people mysteriously killed on a Yacht and she doesn’t believe what the narrator thinks happened. After hours shut up in the bathroom she hears a banging on her front door and finds Fin Cohen, her best friend’s husband, there to commiserate about their loss. He was once a famous rock star and as they are standing on her porch a nosy neighbor, who heard her fight with her husband, takes a picture of them and posts it on social media. And, then the story really begins! What a fun adventure we are taken on. Anna is smart, fierce, determined and very funny as she finally tells the truth about who she really is and who is trying to kill her (because he didn’t succeed the first time years ago). Fin is a perfect sidekick. He is a naïve, gullible, anorexic has been, but is determined to let nothing happen to Anna, even if he really doesn’t believe she is in danger.”

Nancy, Fiction Addiction

What Rose Forgot

“A unique story with an unreliable narrator that moved along at a brisk pace. I loved the main character, her attempt to figure out where she is, why she's there, and so much more. Thrilling and wonderful!”

Tricia, Mostly Books

In this "captivating" crime novel (People), Texas Ranger Darren Mathews is on the hunt for a missing child -- but it's the boy's family of white supremacists who are his real target.
9-year-old Levi King knew he should have left for home sooner; now he's alone in the darkness of vast Caddo Lake, in a boat whose motor just died. A sudden noise... Read more »

Bluebird, Bluebird

“Loved this audiobook. Darren Matthews is such a compelling protagonist, and the cast of characters, pacing, etc of this novel is terrific. Also thought the reader did an excellent job. Now on to Heaven My Home!”

Kathy, Belmont Books

Lady in the Lake

“I continue to be in awe of Laura Lippman’s ability to write novels that are so much more than mysteries. Lady in the Lake is, of course, a wonderful mystery with twists and turns and surprises —nothing is predictable. But it is also a beautiful character study and a sensitive look at the desire to have a meaningful life and how ambition can be motivating but also blinding. I loved the multiple voices in the novel— Laura’s characters are never perfect and therefore come across as real people with real needs. I have no doubt that Lady in the Lake will be a huge success.”

Ann Berlin, The Ivy Bookshop

The Word is Murder

“When a healthy 60-year-old woman is found strangled in her London home the very day she had organized and paid for her own funeral, former police detective—now consultant—Daniel Hawthorne convinces author Anthony Horowitz to shadow his investigation to eventually publish this very story. Imagine sitting in a darkened English pub listening to Horowitz bemoaning his involvement as he tells the story of the unlikeable but captivating Hawthorne. Readers will quickly join in playing detective as characters, plot twists, clues, and red herrings escalate while enjoying the old-fashioned feel of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes in a modern setting. Delicious!”

Jennifer Gwydir, Blue Willow Bookshop

The Family Fang meets The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry in this literary mystery about a struggling bookseller whose recently deceased grandfather, a famed mathematician, left behind a dangerous equation for her to track down—and protect—before others can get their hands on it.Just days after mathematician and family patriarch Isaac Severy dies of... Read more »

"Robert Bathurst's intelligent narration captures every nuance, every emotion, and each of Louise Penny's subtle revelations about the unique, completely engaging residents of Three Pines." — AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner

Catastrophic spring flooding, blistering attacks in the media, and a mysterious disappearance greet Chief... Read more »

The Lost Man

“Jane Harper has created yet another masterpiece, this one a standalone set in the outback region of Queensland Australia. It is a beautifully written character driven novel where the extreme hardship of living and surviving in the outback is one of the major characters. It is the story of the Bright brothers told from the perspective of Nathan – the oldest of the three – as he tries to make sense of how his middle brother, Cameron, ended up alone in the middle of the desert dead of dehydration when he had a well-stocked and working car not far away. Was it something sinister or was it suicide as the authorities seem to believe. If suicide, what might have driven this charismatic well liked young man with a wife and two young daughters to take his life. The Lost Man is a story of family dynamics, of abuse and of lots of what ifs. The descriptions of the scenery and life in the outback would be enough alone to keep up your interest, but added to that is a cast of characters who you feel like you know intimately by the end of the book. A cast of characters who all have secrets and who make you wonder did Cameron kill himself or did one of them do the unspeakable.”

Nancy, Fiction Addiction

Your House Will Pay

“Riveting story of two families struggles as racial violence has forever bound them together.”

Mollie, HearthFire Books and Treats