Narrator Sophie Amoss gives voice to a headstrong amateur sleuth in this intriguing historical whodunit. On New Year’s Eve, 1929, a debutante is found murdered outside of the Cloak & Dagger, a speakeasy and LGBTQIA haven in New Orleans. The main suspect is Marion, the club’s headlining drag performer. But Millie, the club owner’s niece and Marion’s best friend, is determined to prove his innocence by sussing out the real culprit. Amoss gives her husky, understated narration a wry edge, effectively communicating Millie’s blend of teenage naïveté and worldly confidence. Some characters are portrayed with distinctive voices (though there are curiously few Southern accents), but none are obtrusive. These qualities allow listeners to remain grounded in Millie’s first-person perspective. An engaging and inclusive audio mystery.
(Mystery. 13-18)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593208830
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
"Neither a master nor nigger be," Tall John admonishes "47" early and often in this young adult novel, which is part mystery, part historical fiction, and part science fiction. In one of his final performances, the late, great Ossie Davis has left us with a treasured gift. He becomes "47," a fourteen-year-old slave on the Corinthian Plantation in the year 1832. Davis's wonderful gravelly voice lends a touch of realism to this surreal story. The novel, Mosley's first for young adults, has enough complex layers to keep adults involved. Listen as a family--the story may inspire some interesting discussions on freedom and the dynamics of the master/slave relationship.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2005
Duration: 6 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a graceful blending of fact and fiction, Cooper creates a cast of quirky royals who've fallen on hard times. It's 1936. The Nazis are becoming a world force, and 16-year-old Princess Sophie is stuck in the family's "fortified house," on an island kingdom in the middle of the Bay of Biscay, halfway between France and Spain. Emma Bering offers a sweet narration of Sophie's journal entries about highly “un-aristocratic” drudgery, romantic daydreams, dark suspicions, and the surprise presence of some very real Nazis. Bering's childlike voice adds charm to Sophie's spirited observations of her tomboy sister, Henry; brother, Toby; handsome Simon; and brilliant cousin, Veronica. Once young listeners overcome the story’s lengthy exposition in the early parts, they'll find themselves caught up in a thrilling adventure.
Young AdultPub Date: Jan. 12, 2010
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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