Every month, AudioFile Magazine reviewers and editors give “Earphones Awards” to the best new audiobooks — the listens that combine blow-you-away narrations with standout writing. BookTrib, thanks to our partnership with AudioFile, offers this month’s picks of the newest do-not-miss titles. Don’t forget your earbuds.
Trouble is What I Do by Walter Mosley | Read by Dion Graham | Hachette Audio
Dion Graham offers an amazing performance of Edgar Award-winning Walter Mosley’s sixth P.I. Leonid McGill outing in the badass world of crime and criminals. Graham delivers Mosley’s noir mystery with his usual excellence, giving each character an individual personality. With his mastery of dialects and tone, Graham delivers suspense best listened to.
Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling | Read by Patricia Rodriguez | Hachette Audio
Narrator Patricia Rodriguez delivers a sensational performance of this dystopian satire in which the most successful company in the world uses algorithms to predict and deliver what you want before you even know you want it. This delightful audiobook will have listeners laughing out loud.
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende | Read by Edoardo Ballerini | Random House Audio
Edoardo Ballerini’s sensitive narration of Isabel Allende’s lyrical prose touches the heart. This intense saga spans nearly 60 years, following the Dalmaus family as they are caught in the upheaval of the Spanish Civil War, when Franco’s Fascists overthrow the government. Ballerini expertly delivers Allende’s reminder of how delicate the boundary is between precious freedom and insidious tyranny. Powerful listening. (Read BookTrib’s review here.)
Mercy House by Alena Dillon | Read by Dawn Harvey, Catherine Ho, Scarlette Hayes, Eboni Flowers, Caitlin Kelly, Bahni Turpin 
| Harper Audio
Alena Dillon’s debut novel reveals the inequities and injustices wrought by the misuse of power. Stellar performances by an amazing cast peel away layers of pain, abuse, rage, and distrust. Three Catholic nuns in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood run a shelter for women brutalized by the men in their lives, and each woman’s story is delivered with heartbreaking honesty. Absolutely riveting.
Deathless Divide by Justine Ireland | Read by Bahni Turpin, Jordan Cobb | Harper Audio
Two narrators portray the dynamic relationship of the heroines in this compelling sequel to DREAD NATION. In an alternate history, zombies risen from Civil War battlefields are turning folks into undead across the country. Themes of human experimentation and prejudice take a back seat to the tense action in this gripping audio.
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano | Read by Cassandra Campbell | Random House Audio
Narrator Cassandra Campbell’s exemplary skills keep this novel’s many characters and time-shifts in focus. During the Adler family’s flight to L.A. listeners will become acquainted with the family and other travelers. Chapters alternate between the lead-up to the plane’s tragic crash and one character’s miraculous survival afterward. Outstanding writing and a stellar narration make this a dream listen. (Read Jennifer Blankfein’s review here.)
Genius & Anxiety by Norman Lebrecht | Read by Jonathan Davis | Simon & Schuster Audio
Jonathan Davis’s sensational narration engages listeners with this volume on noteworthy contributions by Jewish artists, scientists, and politicians from 1847 to 1947. Davis’s clear enunciation and assured pacing help listeners absorb the abundant research, as well as the narrative focus on social contributions by Jewish individuals as a means to counteract rising anti-Semitism in the U.S. and abroad.
The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg | Read by Angela Dawe | Brilliance Publishing
In a story full of myth and magic flawlessly narrated by Angela Dawe, a young woman puts her soul at risk by bargaining with a monster. As the creature, Maekallus, becomes more human, Enna struggles to release the curse connecting them and let go of her changing feelings toward him. Dawe’s performance is nothing short of stunning. She makes this listening experience as magical as the story itself.
Crooked River by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child | Read by Jefferson Mays | Hachette Audio
Jefferson Mays gives a sensationally entertaining performance of this latest entry in Preston and Child’s Pendergast mystery series. The real tour de force in Mays’s narration is his utter attention and commitment to the plot. He is your perfect partner in suspending disbelief, the open sesame to the pleasures of this kind of high-voltage blam-pow adventure. (Read The Big Thrill‘s review here.)
The King of Crows by Libba Bray | Read by January LaVoy | Hachette Audio
Narrator January LaVoy returns for the final installment of Bray’s Diviners series. The dead are rising, and only a band of supernaturally gifted people can stop them. The producers of this audiobook might have been tempted to hire a full cast as there are more than 25 characters in this story, but the choice to leave it to LaVoy was inspired, as she needs no supporting cast. This is an audiobook one wishes would never end.
Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling
Read by Dion Graham
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
Dion Graham offers an amazing performance of Edgar Award-winning Walter Mosley’s sixth P.I. Leonid McGill outing in the badass world of crime and criminals. Graham delivers Mosley’s noir mystery with his usual excellence, giving each character an individual personality. With his mastery of dialects and tone, Graham delivers suspense best listened to.
Deathless Divide by Justine Ireland
Read by Patricia Rodriguez
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Narrator Patricia Rodriguez delivers a sensational performance of this dystopian satire in which the most successful company in the world uses algorithms to predict and deliver what you want before you even know you want it. This delightful audiobook will have listeners laughing out loud.
The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg
Read by Edoardo Ballerini
Crooked River by Douglas Preston
Edoardo Ballerini’s sensitive narration of Isabel Allende’s lyrical prose touches the heart. This intense saga spans nearly 60 years, following the Dalmaus family as they are caught in the upheaval of the Spanish Civil War, when Franco’s Fascists overthrow the government. Ballerini expertly delivers Allende’s reminder of how delicate the boundary is between precious freedom and insidious tyranny. Powerful listening. (Read BookTrib’s review here.)
Read by Dawn Harvey, Catherine Ho, Scarlette Hayes, Eboni Flowers, Caitlin Kelly, Bahni Turpin
Alena Dillon’s debut novel reveals the inequities and injustices wrought by the misuse of power. Stellar performances by an amazing cast peel away layers of pain, abuse, rage, and distrust. Three Catholic nuns in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood run a shelter for women brutalized by the men in their lives, and each woman’s story is delivered with heartbreaking honesty. Absolutely riveting.
Read by Bahni Turpin, Jordan Cobb
Two narrators portray the dynamic relationship of the heroines in this compelling sequel to DREAD NATION. In an alternate history, zombies risen from Civil War battlefields are turning folks into undead across the country. Themes of human experimentation and prejudice take a back seat to the tense action in this gripping audio.
Read by Cassandra Campbell
Narrator Cassandra Campbell’s exemplary skills keep this novel’s many characters and time-shifts in focus. During the Adler family’s flight to L.A. listeners will become acquainted with the family and other travelers. Chapters alternate between the lead-up to the plane’s tragic crash and one character’s miraculous survival afterward. Outstanding writing and a stellar narration make this a dream listen. (Read Jennifer Blankfein’s review here.)
Read by Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis’s sensational narration engages listeners with this volume on noteworthy contributions by Jewish artists, scientists, and politicians from 1847 to 1947. Davis’s clear enunciation and assured pacing help listeners absorb the abundant research, as well as the narrative focus on social contributions by Jewish individuals as a means to counteract rising anti-Semitism in the U.S. and abroad.
Read by Angela Dawe
In a story full of myth and magic flawlessly narrated by Angela Dawe, a young woman puts her soul at risk by bargaining with a monster. As the creature, Maekallus, becomes more human, Enna struggles to release the curse connecting them and let go of her changing feelings toward him. Dawe’s performance is nothing short of stunning. She makes this listening experience as magical as the story itself.
Read by Jefferson Mays
Jefferson Mays gives a sensationally entertaining performance of this latest entry in Preston and Child’s Pendergast mystery series. The real tour de force in Mays’s narration is his utter attention and commitment to the plot. He is your perfect partner in suspending disbelief, the open sesame to the pleasures of this kind of high-voltage blam-pow adventure. (Read The Big Thrill‘s review here.)
Read by January LaVoy
Narrator January LaVoy returns for the final installment of Bray’s Diviners series. The dead are rising, and only a band of supernaturally gifted people can stop them. The producers of this audiobook might have been tempted to hire a full cast as there are more than 25 characters in this story, but the choice to leave it to LaVoy was inspired, as she needs no supporting cast. This is an audiobook one wishes would never end.
