Goldberg's collection of crime stories has plenty of dark humor, but narrator Johnny Heller never plays it for laughs. Heller stays true to the characters, who may say funny things but are not funny people. The production excels when Heller enters the minds and mouths of the tough guys and gals. (Many appear in earlier Goldberg novels.) Check out Heller as Peaches Pocotillo, the ex-con set up to take the fall in "Gangway," or as Rabbi David Cohen, the Mafia hit man turned rabbi in "Mazel." Author Tod Goldberg is a master of verbal confrontations, and Heller runs with them. The production is excellent--though more space between stories wouldn't hurt. "Pilgrims" even provides audiobook listeners the opportunity to hear a story about an audiobook listener.
Pub Date: March 16, 2021
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781696604642
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
C.J. Box writes about life in wild Wyoming, short stories of people living a rugged life by choice or by circumstance. David Chandler narrates in a rough-edged whiskey voice that suggests summer heat, bitter winters, and windswept prairies, guiding the listener through 10 adventures of men like Fish and Game Officer Joe Pickett. Chandler brings the listener into this strange world where, more often than not, men have to create their own justice. His performance of the economical stories, some rarely seen, is perfect. The tale of the frozen body of a Native American basketball player turned speed freak, her arm reaching through the ice of a lake in a final jump shot, is one of the most fascinating in the collection.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781470392796
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Michael Beck brings his best Southern drawl to his portrayal of a wealthy, eccentric widow, Eleanor, and her small-town debt-ridden lawyer, Simon, who is eager to handle her fortune. When Eleanor dies under suspicious circumstances, evidence strongly points to Simon, who must find the true killer before he loses everything. Beck infuses his characters with drawls befitting their personalities: elderly Eleanor with her high-pitched drawl; Simon with his good-old-boy drawl; criminal stepsons with their rough, guttural drawls; and old-fashioned Southern judges with their lazy drawls. Listeners will hold their breath as Beck builds the suspense in this slow-burn Southern tale of greed.
Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593607510
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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