Latest Books AudioFile Spotlight: Mystery and Suspense Audiobooks for April

AudioFile’s Editors have selected five new Earphones Award-winning mystery audiobooks to share this month. Read on to learn more about a new standalone historical mystery from Jacqueline Winspear, a hilarious new cozy mystery, and more—all performed by skilled narrators, making for memorable listening experiences.

THE WHITE LADY

By Jacqueline Winspear | Read by Orlagh Cassidy

AudioFile Earphones Award

Harper Audio | 10 hrs.

With her keen talent for British accents, narrator Orlagh Cassidy masterfully delivers a standalone from Jacqueline Winspear, which introduces powerful, brave heroine, Elinor White. The story moves around in time from White’s current life in Britain in 1947 to her recruitment in the Belgian Resistance as an adolescent during WWI and her work as an SOE agent during WWII. Listeners hear the emotional, physical, and long-term impact of two wars and learn of the unrecognized roles of women. Cassidy’s tone, pace, and pitch drive up the tension in the frightening war scenes. An engrossing experience of Winspear’s beautifully written work.

REVIEW

VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS

By Jesse Q. Sutanto | Read by Eunice Wong

AudioFile Earphones Award

Penguin Audio | 10.75 hrs.

Eunice Wong’s brisk performance perfectly suits this humorous yet poignant cozy mystery. The lonely existence of 60-year-old Chinese immigrant Vera Wong takes a wild turn when she discovers a dead body in her rundown San Francisco tea shop. Vera is a woman of strong opinions and decisive actions, and the narrator’s crisp, accented portrayal reveals all of Vera’s amusing, endearing, and exasperating traits. Eunice Wong manages the large cast with plenty of energy and enthusiasm, illuminating the individual stories that advance the action and unveil the mystery. Let’s hope this isn’t the last we hear of Vera and company.

REVIEW

CITY UNDER ONE ROOF

By Iris Yamashita | Read by Aspen Vincent, Shannon Tyo, Anna Caputo

AudioFile Earphones Award

Penguin Audio | 8 hrs.

There’s something special about this audio murder mystery which takes place on a remote Alaskan island. Port Mettier is rocked when local teens discover body parts on the beach. Narrator Shannon Tyo sounds exactly like the teenager who made the grisly discovery. Aspen Vincent is wonderfully believable in her role as the psychologically damaged police detective, Cara. And Anna Caputo lends a vulnerability to Lonnie, the mentally challenged woman cared for by her village. The recording quality of this production is pristine. It is a pleasure to the ears, and the murder mystery is truly compelling.

REVIEW

A HISTORY OF FEAR

By Luke Dumas | Read by Graham Halstead, Toni Frutin, Shiromi Arserio, Jennifer Aquino, Gary Tiedemann, Gary Furlong

AudioFile Earphones Award

Simon & Schuster Audio | 11.75 hrs.

Outcast American Grayson Hale follows in his father’s footsteps to Scotland, where he allegedly kills in the name of Satan. An ensemble of narrators lends credibility to the illusion that this is a true story—but it is fiction. Hale’s first-person perspective is masterfully delivered by Graham Halstead. He fears the devil, who he believes sends horrible creatures to attack him and forces him to kill. The narrators effectively instill an undertone of horror and helplessness, making listeners pity Hale. Are his visions real—or the product of a deranged mind? They keep us guessing.

REVIEW

PICTURE IN THE SAND

By Peter Blauner | Read by Sean Rohani

AudioFile Earphones Award

Dreamscape | 9.5 hrs.

Sean Rohani gives a powerhouse performance with intrigue and heart. Young and politically passionate, Alex Hassan travels to the Middle East to join a holy war. His grandfather Ali, having veered from the same path 60 years earlier, hopes to change his trajectory by sharing his own similar experience. Ali’s story is set against the background of the making of The Ten Commandments film. Rohani brings the past to life with his uncanny voicing of Cecil B. DeMille and Charlton Heston, among others. Rohani shares Alex’s revelations with appropriate outrage, confusion, and, ultimately, insight.

REVIEW