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AudioFileJuly 29, 20242 min read
Every month, AudioFile Magazine reviewers and editors select the best new audiobooks just for BookTrib’s readers. If you’ve caught up on your TBR or are ready to dive into something new, check out these award-winning books.
TAKE ME HOME by Melanie Sweeney
Read by Brittany Pressley, Zachary Webber | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Penguin Audio | 10.5 hrs.]
Narrators Brittany Pressley and Zachary Webber take listeners on a heartfelt ride in this contemporary romance. Hazel Elliot and Ash Campbell, who are from the same hometown, are summoned home for different reasons—Hazel for her dad’s wedding and Ash for family obligations. Pressley and Webber vividly portray their characters, creating unique voices for each. Pressley adds vulnerability to her tone to convey Hazel’s touching moments with her dad. Webber’s warm, versatile voice unveils Ash’s emotional layers as he deals with his family and his feelings for Hazel.
BITTER WATERS by Vivian Shaw
Read by Catrin Walker-Booth | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Hachette Audio | 4.75 hrs.]
Catrin Walker-Booth’s performance brings Dr. Greta Helsing to life in this charming novella—part of a series but it can also stand alone. Walker-Booth’s skill with pitch, tone, and accents brings each of the characters to life. She beautifully depicts Greta Helsing, a physician who ministers to the undead, with compassion and intelligence. Walker-Booth’s voice acting helps listeners enjoy all the twists and turns of this witty fantasy/mystery.
HUSBANDS & LOVERS by Beatriz Williams
Read by Helen Laser, Caroline Hewitt | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Random House Audio | 12.5 hrs.]
This audiobook concerns two women who are separated by decades and continents but joined by blood, tragedy, and a bejeweled cobra bracelet. Helen Laser portrays the contemporary New England heroine, Mallory, a single mom. Caroline Hewitt depicts Hannah, who in 1952 is living in Cairo, which is seething with revolution. Laser creates a voice for Mallory that is warm, witty, and tough. Hewitt enlivens Hannah, whose voice is subdued, cultured, and yearning. This production is filled with memorable characters, family secrets, passionate romance, and historical drama.
A DEATH IN CORNWALL: Gabriel Allon, Book 24 by Daniel Silva
Read by Edoardo Ballerini | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 9.5 hrs.]
Narrator Edoardo Ballerini once again invites listeners into the lives of retired legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon and a host of familiar characters. Allon is asked by an acquaintance to unofficially assist in the investigation of an art history professor’s brutal murder in Cornwall. With the talented Ballerini as a guide, listeners follow the fast-paced plot from Venice to Cornwall, Paris, Monaco, and London. Ballerini masterfully differentiates the many characters from various countries, allowing listeners to fully engage with the story.
HEY, ZOEY by Sarah Crossan
Read by Sarah Crossan | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Hachette Audio | 6.75 hrs.]
Sometimes you stumble across an audiobook with such a bizarre and intriguing performance that you want to devour it. Such is the case with Sarah Crossan’s novel and her outstanding performance of it. Dolores divorces her husband after discovering he’s been having an affair with an AI sex bot named Zoey, which she eventually keeps. At first, Dolores explores her hate for the robot, but gradually they enter a strange friendship, and Zoey becomes Dolores’s confidant.
DON'T LET THE DEVIL RIDE by Ace Atkins
Read by Michael Boatman | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 14.75 hrs.]
In this exhilarating audiobook, brought to life by Michael Boatman’s exceptional narration, Addison McKellar learns that her husband, Dean, has vanished. She seeks the help of legendary PI Porter Hayes. Hayes soon uncovers far more about Addison’s husband than even his wife has ever known, including the revelation that Dean’s identity is fake. Boatman delivers a stand-out performance; he skillfully creates distinctive voices for each character, injecting just the right amount of emotion into every scene and further enlivening the clever dialogue.
THE ARSENIC EATER'S WIFE by Tonya Mitchell
Read by Penelope Rawlins | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Dreamscape | 10.5 hrs.]
Penelope Rawlins’s magnetic performance draws listeners into Tonya Mitchell’s gothic thriller. Constance Sullivan is charged with poisoning her husband, a known arsenic eater. At her trial, evidence piles up, and she’s shocked when those she trusts lie and testify against her. Rawlins has a remarkable range of voices, and when the plot advances 15 years, her characters’ voices subtly age. Suggested by an actual Victorian crime, the audiobook is filled with believable dialogue, satisfying twists, stunning revelations, and a spectacular conclusion.
THE ASSASSIN OF VENICE by Alyssa Palombo
Read by Nicol Zanzarella | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Dreamscape | 9.75 hrs.]
In an impressive performance, Nicol Zanzarella takes listeners into the beauty, sensuality, and deadly dangers of 16th-century Venice. Valentina Riccardi is a courtesan and paid assassin. She has no moral qualms about her work. That’s until her employer presents her with an impossible dilemma: Assassinate the man she loves, or her beloved young daughter will be killed. Zanzarella delivers credible Italian accents and well-rounded personalities. She maintains the high energy needed for this convoluted plot, keeping the story compelling and entertaining.
THE UNDERMINING OF TWYLA AND FRANK: Hart and Mercy, Book 2 by Megan Bannen
Read by Nicol Zanzarella | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Hachette Audio | 12.25 hrs.]
Nicol Zanzarella brings heaps of charm to her narration of this engaging fantasy romance. Twyla and Frank have been neighbors, then best friends, then partners in the Marshals, where they spent eight years patrolling the dangerous Tanrian world together. Now peril, dragons, and a handsome dracologist with eyes for Twyla have them examining their friendship in a new light. Zanzarella portrays Twyla’s wonderful blend of boldness and sweetness, with a dash of a Midwestern “ope!” when she takes a tumble. Frank has a rumbly, deep voice and an appealing tone; his warmth for Twyla always shines through.
LOOKING FOR A SIGN by Susie Dumond
Read by Kimberly M. Wetherell | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Random House Audio | 10.5 hrs.]
What a treat it is to listen to Kimberly Wetherell’s sparkling narration of this fun and heartwarming rom-com. Having ended a ten-year relationship, Gray embarks on a six-week astrology dating project that will involve a date with one woman who was born under each of the 12 zodiac signs. Gray is portrayed with warmth and intelligence, and Wetherell’s evocation of New Orleans keeps listeners engaged throughout.
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