AudioFile: Audiobook Fan Goes Gaga for Golden Voices

Audiobook Fan Goes Gaga for Golden Voices:
Narrator January LaVoy’s Audiobook Mysteries

January LaVoy

By Ellen Quint, AudioFile

One of the privileges of being part of the AudioFile Team is the opportunity to rub elbows on special occasions with stars of the audiobook universe. Imagine being in a New York recording studio surrounded by the people who have thrilled you with their performances again and again. That was me last month at the reception in honor of AudioFile’s five new Golden Voice recipients who have joined this very special class of narrators. A full cadre of Golden Voices was there to welcome their fellow narrators.

Let me focus on new Golden Voice honoree January LaVoy. You can read more about January in the latest issue of AudioFile Magazine and in her narrator profile. Ms. LaVoy has recorded more than 200 audiobooks: biographies as diverse as Eliza Hamilton and Queen Bey (about Beyoncé and Jay Z); science fiction, including Version Control; and, of course, mysteries. She has one of those voices you would follow anywhere. As with her Golden Voices colleagues, she can make any genre come alive for the listener. That takes true talent.

I recently reviewed Judgment by Joseph Finder, in which she succeeded in one of the biggest challenges for all narrators—portraying both men and women convincingly. In fact, she did such a good job, I truly thought there must be a male narrator who stepped in to perform the male characters.

Mystery fans can also enjoy her performance in Lyndsay Faye’s Paragon Hotel; John Grisham’s Camino Island—an AudioFile Best of Mystery/Suspense 2017); and Save Me from Dangerous Men by S. A. Lelchuk.

January LaVoy and Ellen Quint

January LaVoy is so successful at mystery narration because she’s able to convey tension, fear, and conflict through her pace and tone. She’s a narrator I will actively search for when looking for my next audiobook. I could have her voice in my ears all day long. Be sure to listen to AudioFile’s Behind the Mic podcast for a new interview with her.

Besides having the thrill of speaking with her in person at the reception, I also had the chance to meet a number of the narrators who have made me the audiobook fan that I am.

I got to shake hands with Dion Graham, whose voice thrilled me in Walter Mosely’s Down the River unto the Sea. He actually recalled my review of the book, which garnered him an Earphones Award.

What an evening!

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Five Mystery Audio Books to Add to Your List

Knowing that you’ll be hungry for more after listening to January LaVoy’s Golden Voice performances, AudioFile Magazine has selected five great mystery audiobooks that combine blow-you-away narrations with standout writing. Grab your earbuds and start listening.

BLUFF
by Jane Stanton Hitchcock | Read by Lisa Flanagan
Blackstone Audio

Narrator Lisa Flanagan creates a remarkable portrayal of its protagonist in this unique, fast-paced thriller full of intrigue and unexpected humor.

REVIEW

COUNTERFEIT
by Guillermo Valcárcel, Kit Maude [Trans.] | Read by Thom Rivera
Brilliance Audio

Narrator Thom Rivera plays up the danger running through this thriller about the high stakes antique market.

REVIEW

MY DETECTIVE
Earphones Award Winner
by Jeffrey Fleishman | Read by Emily Woo Zeller, Richard Ferrone
Blackstone Audio

Narrators Emily Woo Zeller and Richard Ferrone alternate chapters, engrossing the listener in this intelligent thriller about a series of murders in Los Angeles.

REVIEW

THE SENTENCE IS DEATH, DETECTIVE DANIEL HAWTHORNE, BOOK 2
by Anthony Horowitz | Read by Rory Kinnear
Harper Audio

Rory Kinnear returns to narrate the second in this amusing meta-detective series, which features the author as one of the characters.

REVIEW

AudioFile Magazine feature

THE TALE TELLER Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito, Book 5
Anne Hillerman | Read by Christina Delaine
Harper Audio

Narrator Christina Delaine expertly weaves the web of Anne Hillerman’s latest mystery, which involves the theft of a priceless Navaho artifact.

REVIEW

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AudioFile is the place to discover more about audiobooks.  Every day, its reviews and recommendations tell you which audiobooks are worth your listening time. AudioFile reviews about 50 audiobooks a week, features narrator profiles, and awards exceptional performances with AudioFile’s Earphones Awards. AudioFile publishes in print, newsletters, and a blog. And podcasts daily recommendations on Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine.

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