Each month, AudioFile Magazine reviewers and editors handpick the best new audiobooks for BookTrib readers. Get a jump on your summer reading with this month’s sizzling selection!
THE HYMN TO DIONYSUS by Natasha Pulley
Read by Sid Sagar | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Bloomsbury Publishing | 16 hrs.]
Sid Sagar immediately draws listeners into this riveting novel, set in ancient Thebes. Phaidros is a soldier who was raised to fight. Now he’s in his 30s, lonely and grieving the loss of his sworn companion. He’s immensely likable, and the first-person perspective and colloquial language mean that Sagar is able to bring listeners intimately close to Phaidros and everything he experiences. When chaotic things begin to happen in Thebes, Phaidros finds himself caught up in political machinations and caught in the orbit of a compelling witch healer named Dionysus.
A PROPOSAL TO DIE FOR by Molly Harper
Read by Amanda Ronconi | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Penguin Audio | 11.75 hrs.]
Narrator Amanda Ronconi enlivens the story of Jess Bricker, a wedding proposal orchestrator, as she accompanies Diana, a snobby former classmate, on a pre-bridal retreat. Jess is dragged off to the exclusive Golden Ash resort by Diana, whose “surprise” proposal Jess has been hired to plan. While there, Jess finds two dead bodies. Ronconi’s dry delivery works perfectly with the story’s snarky dialogue.
THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES by Elise Hooper
Read by Emily Rankin, Caroline Hewitt | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 9.75 hrs.]
With deft interpretations and stunning vocal control, Emily Rankin and Caroline Hewitt bring this fascinating historical mystery to life. Rankin brings the listener along as Tildy Barrows, head curator of an archival library in San Francisco, strives to discover the provenance of two newly discovered dollhouses. Hewett provides equally captivating voices for Cora, a creator of miniatures, and her chapters. Each narrator exhibits vocal range and talent that enhance the story.
THE OWL WAS A BAKER'S DAUGHTER: The Continuing Adventures of Judith Shakespeare by Grace Tiffany
Read by Mary Jane Wells | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harper Audio | 7.75 hrs.]
Sixty-one-year-old Judith, apothecary, midwife and the last of the Bard’s progeny, must leave town after being accused of witchcraft. Narrator Mary Jane Wells’ fluted tones and English accent add to the authenticity of the characters as Judith and her traveling companion struggle to deal with the upheaval wrought by England’s Civil War. It’s not necessary to be familiar with the literature or history of this era to enjoy this engrossing story.
BAT EATER AND OTHER NAMES FOR CORA ZENG by Kylie Lee Baker
Read by Natalie Naudus | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Harlequin Audio | 8.75 hrs.]
Natalie Naudus embodies anxiety and fear of the supernatural with razor-sharp precision. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cora Zeng’s sister, Delilah, is murdered in a hate crime: The killer shouts “bat eater” before pushing her in front of a train. Now Cora is a crime-scene cleaner, and she’s noticed an increase in the unexplained murders of Asian women whose bodies are staged with bat corpses. Naudus’s meticulous pacing and authentic depiction of Cora’s fears will keep listeners deliciously on edge.
THE WINTER GODDESS by Megan Barnard
Read by Aoife McMahon, Aidan Kelly | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Penguin Audio | 9 hrs.]
Aoife McMahon and Aidan Kelly manifest a pantheon of Irish gods in this enchanting story of family and loss. After killing dozens with a never-ending frost, Cailleach is forced to live multiple lives to learn the responsibility of godhood. She opens her heart to humanity and uncovers a secret that threatens the sanctity of her godly family. McMahon’s stunning narration reveals the fierce regality of the mother goddess Danu and the ever-growing maturity of Cailleach.
A DROP OF CORRUPTION: Shadow of the Leviathan, Book 2 by Robert Jackson Bennett
Read by Andrew Fallaize | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Random House Audio | 16 hrs.]
The talented Andrew Fallaize aptly narrates this imaginative and suspenseful story in which older, experienced Ana and young Din investigate the unsettling murder of a treasury officer. Through Din’s perfect memory and Ana’s brilliance, they discover a plot that runs deep, threatening the empire’s future. But Ana may have finally met her match. A wonderful, satisfying listening experience for lovers of mysteries and fantasy.
THE SUMMER GUESTS: The Martini Club, Book 2 by Tess Gerritsen
Read by Hillary Huber | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Brilliance Audio | 9 hrs.]
Is this audiobook delivered by a full cast? No, just the immensely talented Hillary Huber. In this second installment of The Martini Club series, Huber immerses listeners in the search for a missing teenage girl in the club’s hometown of Purity, Maine. The retired CIA agents of the Martini Club use their skills to stay ahead of the police chief, uncovering long-held deadly secrets that will forever change their town. Huber masterfully portrays the main characters, the teenagers, and a very proper family matriarch.
VERA WONG'S GUIDE TO SNOOPING (ON A DEAD MAN): Vera Wong, Book 2 by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Read by Eunice Wong | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Penguin Audio | 10.5 hrs.]
Narrator Eunice Wong turns in another stellar performance, ensuring that this second audiobook featuring the 60-year-old Chinese mother and self-styled super sleuth is just as entertaining and thought-provoking as the first. This time, Vera gets herself involved with the seamy underside of social media influencers while trying to solve what police think is a suicide. Of course, Vera knows better, and, of course, trouble ensues.
THE UNDOING OF VIOLET CLAYBOURNE by Emily Critchley
Read by Nathalie Buscombe | AudioFile Earphones Award
[Recorded Books | 12 hrs.]
This is the ideal audiobook for those who enjoy literate, dark family dramas with a gothic vibe. The crisp, posh English voice of Nathalie Buscombe introduces a quartet of young women whose lives are ruined by a freak shooting accident and the destructive aftermath that follows. The steadying voice of Buscombe leads listeners through the psychological turmoil.
