Features AudioFile Spotlight: Mystery and Suspense Audiobooks for March

Enjoy five new mysteries this month, including an excellent sequel to an Edgar Award winner, compelling thrillers, and a transporting mystery that will take listeners to New Delhi. Read on to discover your next great mystery audiobook brought to life by talented narrators.

EVERY MAN A KING: King Oliver, Book 2

By Walter Mosley | Read by Dion Graham

AudioFile Earphones Award

Hachette Audio | 8 hrs.

Narrator Dion Graham excels in this sequel to the Edgar Award winner DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA. Family ties draw investigator Joe “King” Oliver into finding out whether someone has framed a white nationalist for a crime he didn’t commit. In a timely and thought-provoking story, Graham ratchets up the tension and pace as King peels layer upon layer of an onion that is rotten to the core. Graham shines as wealthy and violent forces push King to the limit.

REVIEW

AGE OF VICE

By Deepti Kapoor | Read by Vidish Athavale

Penguin Audio | 19.5 hrs.

Vidish Athavale draws listeners into this sweeping crime novel set in New Delhi. When a speeding Mercedes veers off the road and kills five people, Ajay takes the fall for his corrupt boss, Sonny. Athavale’s narration captures Ajay’s tumultuous childhood of poverty, and illuminates the repetitive spectacle of Sonny’s backroom dealings as he tries to carve out a place for himself beyond his father’s reach. Athavale’s performance reflects the complex political machinations of Sonny’s family, creating a suspenseful story.

REVIEW

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: Kendra Michaels, Book 10

By Iris Johansen, Roy Johansen | Read by Elisabeth Rodgers

AudioFile Earphones Award

Hachette Audio | 8.75 hrs.

Elisabeth Rodgers narrates the latest installment in the Kendra Michaels series. This intense thriller opens with a group of FBI agents being led to a victim’s burial site by a serial killer. But when they get there, a bomb explodes, killing almost everyone. Michaels, an FBI consultant, is called to the scene, and she and her allies race to identify the dangerous killer. Rodgers’s nimble performance as she switches from menacing to vulnerable to bold raises this twisty thriller to the highest level.

REVIEW

WRITTEN IN BLOOD: Midsomer Murders, Book 4

By Caroline Graham | Read by John Hopkins

AudioFile Earphones Award

Bolinda Audio | 13.5 hrs.

John Hopkins performs the fourth in the Midsomer Murders series with gusto, transporting listeners to 1990s rural England. He brings to life Chief Inspector Barnaby and his sidekick, Troy, as they seek to find the murderer of a retired civil servant whose violent death came after a seemingly harmless meeting of the local writers group. Hopkins’s talent for characterization is clear as he successfully gives distinct personalities to the key characters. Hopkins’s skilled timing allows the humor in the writing to shine while building tension as the plot unfolds.

REVIEW

FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN: Finlay Donovan, Book 3

By Elle Cosimano | Read by Angela Dawe

Macmillan Audio | 8.5 hrs.

Angela Dawe returns to perform the continuing saga of Finlay Donovan, a single mom who is a romantic suspense writer turned contract killer. Dawe is adept at providing distinct voices for Finlay; her somewhat shady sidekick, Vero; and the cast of quirky characters, good and evil, who come and go. The plot continues from the second audiobook, with Finlay being coerced by a Russian mob boss into tracking down a contract killer who may be a cop. It’s a hilarious nonstop roller-coaster ride.

REVIEW