Listeners who may have wondered what ever happened to the angel Clarence Oddbody after IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE will soon fall under the sway of Bailey Ruth Raeburn, a newish member of Heaven's Department of Good Intentions. In this second book of her adventures she is sent to earth to protect a 4-year-old, solve a murder, and save Christmas. Narrator Ann Marie Lee has a jolly good time interpreting this fey spirit, portraying her joyous golden heart as well as her delight in the great clothes she gets to wear and her confidence in her own abilities (despite the many rules she manages to break). Sweet without being cloying, Lee deftly conveys Hart's delightful premise with such good cheer that listeners will be sorry when the story ends.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2009
Duration: 11 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Chillingly good.
Coeditor Hawk (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma) orients listeners to the stories about to unfold, presented by Indigenous creators both well-established and new, all united in their mission to share unapologetically Native horror. Listeners will encounter monsters from various traditions as well as purely fictional ones, and many tales are informed by the ravages of four-plus centuries of settler colonialism. The array of voices underscores the cultural diversity of the collection. Not one narrator fails to engage, but a standout is Monique Mojica (Guna and Rappahannock nations), who voices "The Corpse Room," by Debra Magpie Earling (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), set at a mission-run boarding school. A survivor speaking from decades’ distance, she recollects the unholy goings-on with ferocious immediacy.
Chillingly good.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 54 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217406746
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
A gothic audiobook that deftly tugs listeners through myriad dark and romantic emotions.
A talented ensemble delivers this polyamorous horror audiobook set in 1850s London. After Agnes is hanged for witchcraft, Irene, voiced by Charlie Albers, uses forbidden necromancy to bring her lover back to life. But when Agnes, voiced by Ella Lynch, wakes, so does a new hunger for raw flesh. James Meunier portrays St. John, Irene’s undead husband and protector of generations of necromantic grimoires. In a story full of introspection, flashbacks, and the horrors of necromancy, each narrator sinks into their character’s raw emotions and conveys them with an intensity that will wrench listeners’ hearts.
A gothic audiobook that deftly tugs listeners through myriad dark and romantic emotions.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs, 48 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063447028
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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