In Black Creek, North Carolina, 16-year-old Cat has been secluding herself for a long time. She withdrew from her family and friends in shame and anger years ago. Only when her friend Patrick is the victim of a heinous beating, an apparent hate crime against the gay teen, does she begin to emerge back into her small town’s daily life—determined to uncover the perpetrator. Elizabeth Evans’s narration is lovely—strong and sharp when called for and achingly real when recounting the sexual assault that Cat suffered many years earlier. From the tough country boys to the church ladies and backwoods meth-heads, Evans gives each character life and vulnerability. Both the story and Evans’s voice will haunt listeners far beyond the novel's close.
Young AdultPub Date: Feb. 20, 2012
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Chin’s narration balances a dramatic, fast-moving plot with lush descriptions and poignant historical details.
Katharine Chin masterfully conveys the many tensions of Lucy’s story. Found in a canoe floating to Orcas Island off the coast of Washington state and raised by a kindly benefactor, Lucy has always wondered about her parents and her heritage. She’s planning on heading off to college to make a fresh start—until she comes upon her benefactor’s severed head and is named heir of his estate. Chin’s propulsive narration plunges listeners into Lucy’s search to solve the murder and uncover the secrets of her origin; explain her connection with animals, including orcas; determine whom she truly loves; and find her place in the world.
Chin’s narration balances a dramatic, fast-moving plot with lush descriptions and poignant historical details. (Historical mystery. 12-18)Pub Date: March 17, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 22 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668160121
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
But the dual narration works in the story, with its class-system clashes and race to find the truth.
Young’s YA thriller pits blue-collar locals (“Chasers”) against wealthy visitors (“the Collective”) in a coastal Florida community. Teens of both groups clash, though Jamie and Noa find themselves embroiled in what turns out to be a murder mystery involving their relatives. Ali Andre Ali and Kimberly Woods perform Jamie and Noa’s narratives. Ali in particular captures the assortment of characters well, with a good mix of voices on both sides of the Chaser/Collective divide. Woods has a very young-sounding voice, and she doesn’t distinguish between older and younger characters as deftly.
But the dual narration works in the story, with its class-system clashes and race to find the truth. (Thriller. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 25 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668160039
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2026
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