Gail Shalan narrates this psychological suspense featuring five aspiring authors who are participating in a writing retreat held at an isolated mansion in the Adirondacks. The five attendees are all women under 30, though they seem younger. The leader of the retreat is Roza Vallo, a renowned feminist horror writer much admired by the young writers. Shalan gives Roza, who is Hungarian by birth, a voice that sometimes sounds warm and sometimes sinister. The story is told by Alex, who hopes the month-long retreat will overcome her writer's block. It does just that but in a way that is terrifying. The plot includes secret passages, underground dungeons, mind-altering drugs, odd sexual undertones, and murder. Shalan makes each writer distinctive and interesting.
Pub Date: Feb. 21, 2023
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797151762
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Pabon sustains a steady emotional register that underscores the enduring impact of unresolved trauma.
Timothy Andrés Pabon gives a reflective performance of this semiautobiographical novel, which is based on a double death in the author’s rural Spanish hometown during his adolescence. Pabon presents the events of Christmas Eve 1995 with measured clarity, outlining the story of a young man who kills his sister and commits suicide, then guiding the listener into a reopened inquiry years later. Pabon adopts a deliberate, contemplative pace that mirrors the narrator’s methodical reconstruction of the past. His delivery carries the weight of grief, guilt, and persistence as the narrator revisits formative experiences shaped by religion, illness, and isolation.
Pabon sustains a steady emotional register that underscores the enduring impact of unresolved trauma.Pub Date: April 14, 2026
Duration: N/A
DD ISBN: 9781962556156
Publisher: Pushkin Industries
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2026
Jones' narration is grounding and clear, and listeners have a front-row seat for the developing tensions.
Ami Okumura Jones deftly dramatizes how what starts as a friendship between Eriko and Shoko tips over into obsession. Jones uses small shifts in pacing, tone, and narration style to convey the growing friction between the two women as a distinguishable, audible experience. She communicates the differences between Eriko’s meticulous intensity and Shoko’s more casual, self-deprecating humor. Eriko is attempting to reintroduce Nile perch into the Japanese fish market. Jones’ delivery reflects Eriko’s rigid, professional exterior, which masks a deep sense of isolation. Jones sounds more approachable as Shoko, a popular lifestyle blogger.
Jones' narration is grounding and clear, and listeners have a front-row seat for the developing tensions.Pub Date: March 17, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs, 35 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063442443
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2026
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