A steady narration intensifies a pressure cooker of Dominican family dynamics and folk-horror dread.
Danyeli Rodriguez del Orbe brings an instinct for rhythm and patience to her narration of this gothic horror. The novel traps an extended Dominican American family inside a Yonkers, New York mansion after a patriarch's will accuses one of them of being “el bacà,”—a demonic deal made flesh—and Rodriguez del Orbe's performance keeps things feeling claustrophobic. Her Spanish-inflected cadences land with cultural authenticity, and she distinguishes the sprawling cast through controlled shifts in pitch and register. Rodriguez del Orbe relies on a steady, monotone narration for the prose that is both unsettling and uncomfortable. The real-time structure, each chapter a ticking hour, sustains dread, and Rodriguez del Orbe delivers paranoia as a steady, creeping presence beneath the family's escalating accusations.
A steady narration intensifies a pressure cooker of Dominican family dynamics and folk-horror dread.Pub Date: March 10, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 8 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063383265
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2026
A wild ride from the opening to the heart-pounding conclusion.
Narrator Alison McGirr is a perfect match for this thriller set in Melbourne, Australia. She masterfully conveys characters, including a terrified 10-year-old boy, through tone, accent, and pace. Listeners are introduced to Detective Sergeant Judith Lee, who is smart, brave, and carrying the burden of a dramatic backstory that influences her every decision. She meets with a university student who reports a psychologist’s inappropriate behavior. When mysterious packages with enigmatic messages are delivered to three seemingly unrelated people, Detective Lee is determined to find the connections between them and the student she met with. For the listener, letters from the past that are interspersed between certain chapters are confusing, but it all makes sense by the end.
A wild ride from the opening to the heart-pounding conclusion.Pub Date: July 21, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 28 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063042322
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
An expert evocation of the gradual collapse of one man’s orderly life.
Narrator Winson Ting gives a haunting portrayal of Tsuneo Asai, a Japanese civil servant whose life unravels as he delves deeper into the death of his wife, Eiko. Vidish Athavale narrates Pico Iyer’s introduction to Matsumoto’s 1971 psychological portrait. Ting’s base line for Asai is restrained and socially appropriate, but the tension steadily increases when Asai meets the woman in whose shop Eiko died and notices discrepancies in her story. Through careful control of pace and tone, Ting ratchets up the tension with a trembling voice, strained whispers, and tight pauses, revealing how Asai’s veneer of diligence and obedience begins to crack as he uncovers clues that dismantle his moral compass.
An expert evocation of the gradual collapse of one man’s orderly life.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 33 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217343171
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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