by Cristina Rivera Garza ; read by Victoria Villarreal ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 28, 2023
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Victoria Villarreal becomes the voice of a loving, tormented family member, Cristina Rivera Garza, who is seeking information on what happened in the murder of her sister, Liliana. Villarreal uses a soft yet determined voice to characterize Cristina, a Mexican American, on her journey to find justice for her sister. The emotional listening experience provided by this memoir also gives context to the global rise in violence against women in general, and in Mexico specifically. Villarreal balances the personal aspects of this project and the wider context of the many issues the author provides. Filled with grief management mixed with true-crime elements, this audiobook is not for the faint of heart. But all who listen are also bearing witness to the challenges of those seeking justice.
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593663172
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
by Benjamin Hale ; read by Benjamin Hale ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2026
An interesting Ozark history that doesn’t quite cohere.
Author Hale presents the case of his young cousin Haley's disappearance on Cave Mountain in 2001 and the ensuing search and rescue operation, the largest in Arkansas history. Hale connects this with the murder of 3-year-old Bethany by a small and isolated religious sect decades earlier on the same mountain. Narrating these two stories in a low, slightly gruff tone, Hale weaves together family anecdotes, Ozark lore, local and broader history, and Christian theology. While the two cases are intriguing, the work lacks focus and contains extraneous details.
An interesting Ozark history that doesn’t quite cohere.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063398153
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
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by Ryan Gingeras ; read by Nathan Osgood ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 17, 2026
A fascinating look into the history and operations of the worldwide Mafia, replete with revelations and insights.
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This may be one of the most comprehensive works on organized crime ever written, beginning with crime organizations more than a thousand years before the Mafia existed. Nathan Osgood carefully delivers the work, allowing listeners to take in the sometimes-incredible implications. Perhaps Gingeras could have scaled back the first two hours of the work, which detail the rise of criminal organizations like Japan's yakuza, China's tongs, and many others over the centuries before finally getting to the modern-day Mafia. But once he gets to the late 1800s, the audiobook comes to life as the roots of the Mafia are laid bare and facts fly like bullets on Valentine's Day.
A fascinating look into the history and operations of the worldwide Mafia, replete with revelations and insights.Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 35 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668104569
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
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