AudioFile Magazine

This futuristic spy thriller opens in 2018. The Russian president, a disgruntled, old-school Soviet, fails to realize the Cold War is over. Mack Bedford, a Navy SEAL, must stop a Russian nuclear attack on the U.S. Joe Barrett offers a flawless delivery of this globe-spanning glimpse of a possible future. Read the full AudioFile review Support for AudioFile's Sound Reviews comes from Grammy Award-winning publisher Hachette Audio Hachette Audio, home to works by James Patterson, JK Rowling, Joel Osteen, David Sedaris, David Baldacci, Elin Hilderbrand, Michael Connelly, and many more bestselling audiobooks. Hachette Audio

A teenaged Sherlock Holmes deduces his way through a sinister plot to destroy his brother, Mycroft. James Langton brings out both the fun of seeing Holmes make mistakes and the boy’s tension as he sifts through clues. Langton’s credible accents and characterizations make this excellent listening. Read the full AudioFile review

Sneha Mathan’s flawless performance brings listeners a cross-section of Kolkata society with all its social, religious, and class tensions. She also delivers a rich tale of young lovers in a rapidly changing society. Her lovely voice draws listeners into the drama. Read the full AudioFile review

Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, Walter Mosley's bad, black private detective, plies his trade in 1965 Los Angeles. Mouse, Rawlins' buddy asks him to find a missing young man called “Little Green.” Michael Boatman’s command of dialect and accent is as brilliant as it is memorable. Read the full AudioFile review

Don Hagen’s appealing tonal complexity and emotional depth convey the comforting reassurance you’d expect to hear in the words of iconic 77-year-old psychiatrist. His sensitive observations and ideas about therapy interactions bring a humanity to Irvin Yalom’s work. Read the full AudioFile review

At the center of Thurgood Marshall’s biography is a tragic case in Florida illustrating events that put the civil rights lawyer at great personal risk. Peter Francis James’s visceral reading offers an informative, insightful look at one of our nation’s most influential Civil Rights leaders. Read the full AudioFile review

We are passengers in Devon Jones's mind as he tries to chart the course of his life. With just the right touch of innocence, Michael Kelly narrates Stephen King’s creepy story about a young man who gets involved with a dying boy, his beautiful mother, a series of grisly murders. Read the full AudioFile review

The morning after the Greek invasion of Troy via the Trojan horse, 15-year-old Alexi is enslaved by Odysseus and brought aboard his ship. With a slave’s vision of the legendary heroes, this is a delightfully original YA introduction to Homer’s Odyssey, performed by a master narrator. Read the full AudioFile review

Set in a tiny Chechen village during the wars, this stunningly accomplished first novel is beautifully performed by Colette Whitaker. Whitaker’s command of her craft leaves no doubt as to the humanity of seemingly irredeemable characters under the worst kinds of pressure. Read the full AudioFile review

Kate and Violet are identical twins with inborn sensitivity to psychic phenomena. Narrator Rebecca Lowman keeps the personalities of the twins distinct, staying tuned to the story’s tempo, carefully building tension through rock-solid interpretations of secondary characters. Read the full AudioFile review

While targeted for a young audience, Edward Herrmann’s narration of the events that resulted in JFK’s assassination is suited for all ages. With compelling cadence building to a crescendo, Herrmann leads his audience expertly through this fact-filled account to its unforgettable end. Read the full AudioFile review

This engaging mystery romance boasts Nicholas Boulton’s deep, resonant voice which conveys an alluring blend of chivalry, roguish sensitivity, and campiness. Suspense, humor, a convincing range of accents, and distinct character voices add to the charm of this delightful performance. Read the full AudioFile review

Ellis’s history of the summer of 1776 outlines a range of perspectives – British, American, patriot and loyalist. Stefan Rudnicki narrates this complex and often suspenseful account, increasing our understanding of how things might have turned out differently. Read the full AudioFile review

Elderly beekeeper and social misfit Albert Honig, reveals his pedantic nature through long passages on the intricate behaviors and lore of bees. Norman Dietz's style is an ideal match for this quietly powerful story of lives and loves choked off by the crushing weight of dark secrets. Read the full AudioFile review

Lin-Manuel Miranda adopts the defensive posture of 15-year-old Ari, who feels distanced from his own life. Miranda’s tones highlight Ari’s frustrating attempts to comprehend his conflicting emotions and to make sense of who he is, trying to grow up in a “universe of almost-men. ”Read the full AudioFile review