Courtney Summers’s powerful story of love, neglect, abuse, and revenge is narrated with irresistible urgency by Rebecca Soler and Dan Bittner, along with an ensemble of supporting narrators. The daughter of a drug-addicted mother, Sadie was left to care for herself and her younger sister, Mattie. When Mattie is murdered, Sadie sets out to identify the killer. Summers’s writing is compelling, and Soler and Bittner keep listeners glued to this grim account. Part anguished road trip and part expository podcast, the set-up works well and relieves a bit of tension. Soler excels as the tortured, stuttering Sadie, and Bittner wrings every drop of compassion from radio producer West McCray. Some voices are better suited to their characters than others, but this is a production that will not be forgotten.
(Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250300911
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
After hearing Carpenter’s expert performance, listeners will want in on the next con.
A teenage con artist. An undead crow. The lord of the afterlife. Narrator Joanna Carpenter brings all these characters—and many more—to life in this YA heist fantasy. Left reeling after her brother’s death, Elle Fields is determined to bring him back to life, but she’ll need to reassemble her old crew in order to do it. Elle cons a rich stranger to fund the job, pulls her ragtag team together, and enters the afterlife to steal a resurrection spell. Bringing back the dead proves to be the easiest part, as betrayals abound and old wounds come back to bite Elle. Carpenter’s wit and charm is on full display. She nails the various accents Elle uses, and she brings out the story’s humor and heart.
After hearing Carpenter’s expert performance, listeners will want in on the next con. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 49 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217342068
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2026
This thriller’s tension never lets up thanks to Amoss’ attentive performance.
Listeners unearth a small town’s sordid past. After spending 10 years trying to escape the shadow of her father, infamous serial killer Gabriel Thorn, 17-year-old Ryan Shipley is forced back to Starling, Tennessee. Narrator Sophie Amoss captures Ryan’s guarded, cynical point of view with an uneasy detachment, while also populating Starling with a full range of Southern small-town folk and true-crime obsessives, all of whom are harboring secrets of their own. Amoss shifts convincingly among them and delivers a tense performance that keeps listeners on edge throughout.
This thriller’s tension never lets up thanks to Amoss’ attentive performance. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: June 30, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs, 24 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217295289
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2026
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