Features AudioFile Spotlight: Mystery and Suspense Audiobooks for May

This month’s best mystery and suspense audiobooks provide lots of great listening for longtime crime fiction fans and newcomers alike. There are several new installments in beloved ongoing series, the first book in an intriguing new series, and a beguiling standalone about twin sisters.

THE HUNTER: Cal Hooper, Book 2
By Tana French| Read by Roger Clark
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Penguin Audio | 16.5 hrs.

Roger Clark gives a thrilling audio performance as retired Chicago police detective Cal Hooper, an American emigré who has moved to a ferociously insular Irish village. He’s settled in, fallen in love, and become the mentor and protector of a valuable but not always valued teenager named Trey. Clark’s Irish dialogue is so rich and musical it’s addictive, but his American voice for Cooper is flawless as well, and his pacing, attention, and sympathy do splendid justice to this riveting story.

REVIEW

THE LANTERN’S DANCE: Mary Russell, Book 18
By Laurie R. King| Read by Amy Scanlon
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Recorded Books | 10.25 hrs.]

Amy Scanlon takes over from longtime series narrator Jenny Sterlin to provide an exemplary debut performance of King’s 18th Holmes/Russell adventure. Fans will welcome Scanlon’s unique, engaging approach. Holmes and Russell arrive in the French countryside to visit Holmes’s son, Damien Adler. However, the delivery of a steamer trunk and a disturbing home invasion have caused the Adlers to go into hiding. Scanlon is lively and youthful as Russell and coolly impersonal as Holmes. Her spot-on narration makes this must-listening!

REVIEW

WHERE YOU END
By Abbott Kahler| Read by Megan Tusing, Samantha Desz
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Macmillan Audio | 11.25 hrs.]

Megan Tusing and Samantha Desz provide a captivating dual performance, especially when the narration is deliberately unreliable. Kat Bird awakes from a coma, coming face-to-face with her twin sister, Jude. Her memory a blank, Kat must piece together the story of their lives, with Jude’s guidance. Tusing keeps listeners’ attention from the start. Desz, as Jude, sounds dominating, subtle, and quietly terrifying. The shared performance never wavers as the story’s puzzle expands.

REVIEW

GOODBYE GIRL: Jack Swytek, Book 18
By James Grippando| Read by Jonathan Davis
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 12 hrs.]

Music piracy meets murder in this fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable audiobook. The story features criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck and focuses on Imani Nichols, a pop superstar who is at odds with her estranged husband. Jonathan Davis delivers a superb performance, giving every character a distinct personality. Davis is at his best with Imani, whose apparent innocence is belied by a series of events demonstrating that she’s a wily, hard-to-control client involved in far more than meets the eye.

REVIEW

DEATH UNDER A LITTLE SKY: Jake Jackson, Book 1
By Stig Abell| Read by Oliver Hembrough
AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 10 hrs.]

When former police officer Jake Jackson inherits his uncle’s remote farm, he decides to disconnect from his London life and move in. Leaving behind all modern conveniences, he finds contentment he never dreamed possible, but when human bones are found, he’s dragged back into detective work. Oliver Hembrough’s performance captures both the lyrical beauty of the countryside and the intensity of this well-plotted mystery. This audiobook is several cuts above the crowd, thanks to intelligent writing and an outstanding performance by Hembrough.

REVIEW

AudioFile Spotlight: Mystery & Suspense Audiobooks