This YA thriller features a podcast production with music and a full cast complementing evocative narration by Inés del Castillo. Juniors Blair and Cameron make a podcast for their journalism class in which they investigate the decades-old disappearance of cheerleader Clarissa Campbell. The rapid-fire speech and impatient edge to Castillo's portrayal of Cam magnify her aggressive genius. Castillo gives Blair a touch of introspection and angst fitting her role as a perceptive writer who is breaking out of her shell. The teens find themselves out of their depth as they realize many of the adults in their lives are harboring dark secrets. The rest of the cast shine in brief, emotional podcast segments. A sweet queer romance and a teen perspective on #MeToo make for a timely plot.
(Mystery. 13-18)Pub Date: March 7, 2023
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250883148
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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