Claire Foy gives listeners a remarkable performance of Kate Morton’s sweeping new novel about family, love, and secrets. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss a mysterious story about one family’s secrets. On Christmas Day, 1959, a bizarre tragedy strikes the Turner family of South Australia. In 2018, Jess Turner, a London-based journalist, is summoned back to Sydney, and she stumbles across the decades-old mystery that leaves her wrestling with the stunning truth of what has been done in the name of love and family. Foy varies her intonation, pace, and pitch to create indelible audio portraits of diverse characters who range from a grocer to a grand dame.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Bolinda Audio.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from A Soul of Ash and Blood. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. Learn more at Audible.com/ASoulOfAshAndBlood

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Annabelle Tudor completely inhabits the English characters at the center of this engrossing tale of gender, class, and World War I. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss a story of Peggy and Maude, bookbinders at Oxford University Press. Peggy’s intellectual curiosity is discernible in her voice; she chafes at the reminder that her job is to bind the books, not read them. Maude, who is neurodivergent, has a knack for parroting the core words of every conversation. Tudor rounds her vowels for upper-class female students, and adopts a light accent for the Belgian WWI refugees. A fabulous performance highlighting a wonderful story.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from A Soul of Ash and Blood. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. Learn more at Audible.com/ASoulOfAshAndBlood

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This heartfelt audiobook about four friends who are seeking revenge is a must-listen. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Leesa Cross-Smith’s novel set in a small town. Mela Lee narrates as Kasey, who has returned home and is haunted by the truth of her mother’s death. She reunites with three friends, Ada, Rosemarie, and Caroline. Caroline has recently married the town’s richest bachelor, Trey, but when his abusive behavior sends Caroline to the hospital, the other girls plan his murder, frustrated with a justice system that protects its privileged citizens while leaving women to suffer.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Hachette Audio.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from A Soul of Ash and Blood. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. Learn more at Audible.com/ASoulOfAshAndBlood

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Kristen Atherton’s excellent use of accents, inflection, and tempo brings Alison Goodman’s characters to life in a lively feminist Regency adventure. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss a story of single 42-year-old twin sisters, Augusta and Julia, who are way ahead of their time. They may be considered “on the shelf” by some, but others know them as determined deliverers of women and girls in calamitous situations. Atherton’s animated performance captures all the aristocratic and dastardly characters in three interlocking stories that will delight fans of Regency fare.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from A Soul of Ash and Blood. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. Learn more at Audible.com/ASoulOfAshAndBlood

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Jill Winternitz perfectly captures the strain of maintaining facades in her narration of four women forced to confront unearthed truths. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Ashley Audrain’s suspenseful thriller about the bitter secrets, despair, and rage hidden away in a quiet neighborhood. From the first crack in the veneer at a neighborhood barbecue to a tragic incident befalling one of their children, each woman’s world starts to unravel and affect the other women in the group.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from A Soul of Ash and Blood. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. Learn more at Audible.com/ASoulOfAshAndBlood

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This full-cast audio adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s classic comic strip about the messy lives of a group of queer women in the 1980s is absolutely flawless. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this hilarious, heartfelt, and utterly compelling adaptation of a lesbian classic. Jane Lynch grounds the production as the narrator, and Carrie Brownstein gives a knockout performance as Mo, a self-righteous but well-intentioned lesbian who is prone to panic attacks. Sound effects, music, and a delightful full cast make for a vibrant and engaging listen.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Audible, Inc.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from A Soul of Ash and Blood. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. Learn more at Audible.com/ASoulOfAshAndBlood

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Brittany Pressley captures a young woman’s fear as her world closes in on her. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Megan Abbott’s mystery about a family vacation gone wrong. Newly married Jacy and Jed are traveling to the wilds of Michigan to meet Jed’s parents. But soon things start to feel off, especially when Jed’s father, Dr. Ash, takes an uneasy interest in Jacy’s pregnancy. Pressley provides the perfect mix of mounting terror and rage and creates a progressively suffocating environment that makes for a diabolical character and a very satisfying listening experience.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Penguin Audio.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from A Soul of Ash and Blood. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. Learn more at Audible.com/ASoulOfAshAndBlood

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Actor Christine Baranski and New York Times theater Jesse Green join host Jo Reed in a special bonus edition of Behind the Mic. The two joined forces to create the audiobook of SHY: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers, written by Mary Rodgers and Jesse Green. Listen to our interview to hear from Jesse Green about how this lively and memorable book was written, and how Christine Baranski’s talented narration brings this unusual memoir to life.

Mary Rodgers was the daughter of the composer Richard Rodgers, and was a musical theater composer herself, as well as an author, philanthropist, and mother of six children. She was a funny, honest, and self-effacing woman who knew everyone in American musical theater and worked with quite a few. She wrote her memoir in collaboration with Jesse Green, who completed it after her death in 2014. As much a portrait of a smart and talented woman trying to carve out a creative life for herself as it is an insider’s look at musical theater in the mid-twentieth century, the book is a tour-de-force. The audiobook is performed by the award-winning actor Christine Baranski in what amounts to a terrific one-woman show, while Jesse Green himself narrates the footnotes.

Read our review of SHY on AudioFile’s website.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from A Soul of Ash and Blood. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. Learn more at Audible.com/ASoulOfAshAndBlood

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Katie Anvil Rich gives an engaging narration of a heartwarming middle grade audiobook that takes place over the course of a single day. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Christine Day’s newest quiet, thoughtful audiobook exploring identity and belonging. Rich captures Wesley’s nervous excitement for this year’s Indigenous People’s Day. She’s publishing a poem on the holiday in her middle school paper, and she’s going to ask her cute gaming club crush out to a school dance. When nothing goes as planned, she feels heartbroken and uncertain about her place in the world. Rich’s dynamic and youthful voice captures all of the ups and downs as Wesley finds loving support from her friends, her intergenerational family, and her community at an intertribal powwow.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by HarperAudio.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from A Soul of Ash and Blood. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. Learn more at Audible.com/ASoulOfAshAndBlood

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Bahni Turpin’s performance raises the emotional stakes in this claustrophobic space thriller. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the Golden Voice narrator’s skilled narration of an intergalactic space voyage gone horribly wrong. Jacklyn Albright finds herself suddenly the acting leader of the CALYPSO, a ship voyaging back to Earth from a failed attempt at colonizing a distant planet. They’ve lost contact with the other ships in the fleet and are facing a mutiny from the hungry passengers—and they discover bloodthirsty aliens living in the walls. Turpin’s vocal pacing sets this performance apart, giving listeners both the heart-pounding speed and eerie calm that bring the thrills to life.

Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by OrangeSky Audio.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from A Soul of Ash and Blood. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. Learn more at Audible.com/ASoulOfAshAndBlood

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices