Barbara Bradley Hagerty narrates her audiobook in a clear tone that is refreshingly free of nonsense. Hagerty recounts the story of the wrongful conviction of Ben Spencer for murder and carjacking. After questionable witness testimony and the prosecutor's need to secure a conviction, Spencer spent decades in prison despite mounting evidence that should have exonerated him. While Hagerty identifies some key figures who prevented Spencer from gaining his freedom sooner, she also dissects the deeply flawed legal system that all but prohibits access to equity and justice. This detailed critique targets fundamental flaws in the way trials are conducted: biased testimony, strategic jury selection, and systemic evidence suppression. Hagerty's confident yet subdued tone ensures that Spencer's story and her compelling research remain front and center.
Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593829318
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Kristin Atherton is the absolute right choice to narrate this riveting and complex history of the rise of global terrorism. The research provided here is ambitious, providing a clear-eyed, deeply considered history of the nature of terrorist acts, the motivations for which were hard for news broadcasts of the 1970s to fully capture. Atherton's narration never wavers as Burke covers the well-known events of airplane hijackings, the Munich Olympic attacks, and the Beirut bombings of 1983, "the bloodiest year." The result is an insightful history that gives context to events that may have seemed disparate to casual observers. Atherton maintains a comprehensive, consistent voice throughout this long, gripping audiobook.
Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 25 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217018796
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Erin Bennett narrates this unknown story of World War II intrigue that could be straight out of Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Listeners hear how a half-Jewish woman from a prominent Berlin family, Ruth Kuehn, had an affair with Joseph Goebbels. Rather than having her murdered, he sent her and her entire family to live in Honolulu. There the family established a spy network and passed all sorts of information to the Germans and the Japanese, which the latter used in planning the attack on Pearl Harbor. Bennett's enunciation is clear and precise, and she credibly affects various accents for people of different nationalities, as well as male and female voices. Bennett's alto pitch and calm presentation are splendid for this amazing true story.
Pub Date: Nov. 25, 2025
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250415585
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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