Download the Best Full Audiobooks in Fiction, Contemporary Popular Authors

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Title: Privilege

Author: Kate Brian

Narrator: Justine Eyre

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-20-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

From the author of the best-selling Private novels comes a new series about the dark world of wealth, secrets, and Privilege.

Members Reviews:

Cliche?d

I downloaded this book because the sample sounded interesting enough, and I liked the narrator's voice, but it turned out to have every cliche imaginable. I thought the story would be more introspective but instead there were tales of generic "designer boutiques", conventional lust, and conventional wealth and the comforts of a material life.

I will say that was attracted by the devices used by the protagonist to extricate herself from all her predicaments, but that is the only thing that kept me listening.

But the most annoying aspects of this listen were the names - many of them rhyming, and all belonging to cardboard characters. Character names are important to the ambience of a novel and it seemed that this writer spent no more than 3 minutes fantasizing about what kinds of pretentious names the preppies would have. Just over the top.

Make another selection, if you can.

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Title: The Family Man

Author: Elinor Lipman

Narrator: Jonathan Davis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-04-09

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 67 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

When Thalia and her complicated social life move into the basement of Henry's Upper West Side townhouse, she finds a champion in her long-lost father, and he finds new life - and maybe even new love - in the commotion.

Members Reviews:

Very enjoyable!

This is a fun book - listening to it is a pleasure. Lipman is at her witty, wry and warm best. I've read all of her books and recommend "The Inn at Lake Divine" to intelligent friends who are looking for a good book to take their minds off of their troubles. I will certainly add "The Family Man" to my list of recommendations and in particular this audio version to my friends who need a "light listen" instead of a "light read." I mean no insult by the word "light." Lipman does tackle serious themes, but she does so with a fresh and gentle approach that doesn't feel preachy or taxing.

I totally recommend this book.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, very sweet and entertaining.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Henry because he was so open to change in his life.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Daviss other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I never listened to one of his performances.

Any additional comments?

This isn't the type of book I normally listen to but I am so glad I did. It was awesome.

Funny, well written tale of modern lives

What an enjoyable book by someone who really knows how to write. Why hadn't I heard of Elinor Lipman before my sister told me about her? And Jonathan Davis was spot on as the reader. He captured the subtleties of various New York accents without sounding in the least bit hokey.Definitely recommended.

Fun and Entertaining

This was a fun listen. I liked all the quirky characters. Hope there is a sequel!

Great afternoon listen

Any additional comments?

I don't like books that are angsty and full of manipulative people and all the drama therein. That's why this book was a welcome listen. It was just a normal glimpse into the normal lives of some very flawed people with questionable decision-making abilities.

The mother, the daughter, and the second husband/step father were real. Their fears were real. Their challenges were real. The relationships to each other was real.

The narration complimented the material. Jonathan Davis gave the characters depth and shallowness in equal measures. There were even a couple of instances of pure laughter.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you want a departure from melodrama.

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Title: The Informers

Author: Bret Easton Ellis

Narrator: Therese Plummer, Christian Rummel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-13-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 64 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In this seductive and chillingly nihilistic new book, Bret Easton Ellis, the author of American Psycho, returns to Los Angeles, the city whose moral badlands he portrayed unforgettably in Less Than Zero. The time is the early 80s. The characters go to the same schools and eat at the same restaurants. Their voices enfold us as seamlessly as those of DJs heard over a car radio. They have sex with the same boys and girls and buy from the same dealers. In short, they are connected in the only way people can be in that city.

Dirk sees his best friend killed in a desert car wreck, then rifles through his pockets for a last joint before the ambulance comes. Cheryl, a wannabe newscaster, chides her future stepdaughter, "You're tan but you don't look happy." Jamie is a clubland carnivore with a taste for human blood. As rendered by Ellis, their interactions compose a chilling, fascinating, and outrageous descent into the abyss beneath L.A.'s gorgeous surfaces.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Bret Easton Ellis' book, you'll also get an exclusive Jim Atlas interview that begins when the audiobook ends.

Editorial Reviews:

True to the darkly satirical trademark tone of all Bret Easton Ellis' novels, this tale coasts on the voices of Therese Plummer and Christian Rummel, narrating California's disaffected youth with the biting nonchalance that only New York actors like these could provide. The Informers is a series of linked vignettes depicting the alternatingly bland and violent hardships of the stereotypically rich, numb, and dumb in 1980s Los Angeles, each chapter told from the perspective of a different and often anonymous person. That anonymity is the key to Plummer and Rummel's masterful telling. The majority of these characters talk through their surgically altered noses and draw out their surfer vowels in classic West Coast style, largely indistinguishable from one another by voice, just as they are by their actions.

There is a bisexual love-quadrangle where everyone is looking to trade up for a wealthier connection and a bigger apartment. Rummel voices the female portions of dialogue with surprising ease. A father desperately forces his son into a bonding vacation in Hawaii where he fails to make conversation and fails to get laid. Rummel's rendering of both father and son's drunken slurring is tragicomic in the extreme. A college student takes the train cross-country to watch her father marry a much younger health nut and aspiring newscaster who owns 20 ripped Flashdance sweatshirts. Plummer's judgmental inflections are perfectly timed in this very rare treat, as Ellis does not often so deeply develop female characters. A junkie rock star lists an assortment of beatings, rapes, and near-miss overdoses he floats through with groupies at the Tokyo Hilton. Rummel's snappy and snappish accent for the put upon British manager of the band is a major bright spot in this long string of Californians.

But some names do stand out in the endless parade, as Ellis reinvents many characters from his other novels in this one. Tim Price (from the cult classic American Psycho) tells of a gloomy foursome having dinner on the anniversary of their friend's death by brutal car crash.

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Title: Mystical Paths

Author: Susan Howatch

Narrator: Roe Kendall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 22 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-30-09

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Now, staggering under the weight of remorse, horrified by the dangerous edge of his powers, Nicholas moves toward the brink of emotional collapse. When a terrifying vision suggests to him that he might literally be possessed, he must at last begin to face the truth of his past - and, in particular, of his relationship with his father - to find the one path that may lead him out of the seemingly impenetrable darkness.

Critic Reviews:

"Arguably no one writing today can equal Howatch's ability to write compelling novels that combine theology and psychology in a complex, fast-moving plot offering beautifully delineated characters and the suspense of a mystery/thriller....the denouement will leave readers breathless." (

Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Not the Best of Howatch

Story: In my opinion, this is the weakest of the "Church of England" books, because of the large paranormal element, and the somewhat unbelievable plot, but with her usual skill, Howatch carries it off. There's no doubt she is a very talented writer, and I recommend this if you've read any of the others and like the genre. It may be too "churchy" for some, and too static for others [none of the novels are action adventures, really]. The summing up at the end sounds a lot like a sermon, and I'm not fondest of Nicholas Darrow when he's preaching. For Howatch, it is an unusually clumsy ending.

Narrator: Why, oh why, when the story is told in the first person by a MAN, and most of the characters are male, is the book read by a WOMAN? Nicholas, who is 25, sounds like a 12 year old whose voice hasn't yet broken. At times different characters all have the same accent, making dialogue confusing. The narrator is a competent reader, but a man who has a range of accents would have been much better.

Susan Howatch is one of my favorites

and I particularly love the Starbridge Series. They are wonderful works on dealing with personal/spiritual crises. You can read the books on their own but it is more enjoyable to start with the first, Glittering Images, and continue from there. I have reread the books and listened to the ones Audible has available and I wish Audible had Ultimate Prizes, my favorite in the series.

Nicholas has to come to his own faith and purpose

I am continuing to really enjoy the Church of England Series. Mystical Paths is the fifth of the Church of England series and is the start of a spinoff series about Nicholas that starts with High Fliers. There is one more in the Church of England Series, Absolute Truths. But that book goes back to the 1960s again and revisits the original protagonist that started the series, Charles Ashworth.

Mystical Paths broke the series format again. This book is mostly a mystery/thriller. Christian Aysgarth, the oldest son of Neville (subject of books 3 and 4) died in 1965. But Katie, his wife is still troubled with the thought that it was not an accident, but a suicide (and she is to blame).

Nicholas, with his psychic powers, so a like but so different from his fathers, wants to bring healing to Katie, but instead brings her pain. So as penance Nicholas seeks out the truth of Christians death.

Of course being the Church of England series, Nicholas has to confront his own sin and the way it separates him from God and distracts him from his own path and calling.

It is a very different feel, not only the elements of mystery, but also paranormal thriller.

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Title: The Invisible Man

Author: H.G. Wells

Narrator: Edward Hardwicke

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-24-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 47 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

H.G. Wells' classic tale of the dangers of science describes a man cast out from society by his own discovery. A brilliant scientist, obsessed with achieving invisibility, he is prepared to do anything to protect his discovery.

(P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Gripping story, read well

Great story read very well. The audio version of a 'real page turner'. Quite thought provoking too

A brilliant reading

Edward Hardwicke brings the story alive with a wide selection of voices. Easily the definitive edition of the story.

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Title: Andy Catlett

Subtitle: Early Travels: A Novel

Author: Wendell Berry

Narrator: Paul Michael

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-10-09

Publisher: christianaudio.com

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Nine years old, Andy embarks on the trip by bus, alone for the first time. He decides it will be a rite of passage and his first step into manhood. Sometimes a handful at home, Andy was a good boy when visiting his Grandparents' houses, and he looked forward to the little spoiling certain to come his way.

A beautiful short novel, this book is a perfect introduction into the whole world of Port William and will be as well a new chapter for those already familiar with this rich unfolding story.

Members Reviews:

Enjoyable

Endearing and charming to listen to. Another great story from Wendell Barry. I'm glad I listened to it.

Unexpected Pleaure

This short novel by Wendell Berry reminded me of the classic "So Dear To My Heart"

It about the wonderful memories of a 9 year old boy in 1942 . Its filled with beautiful characters in his family and his experiences during a short trip to visit Both grand parents between Christmas and New Years. The narrator's voice was

so well suited to this story that you felt like you were right there with him in the memory.I am sure it would not have been as good if I just read the book. Loved it!

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Title: Absolute Truths

Author: Susan Howatch

Narrator: Robert Whitfield

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-15-08

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 59 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Charles Ashworth, the bishop of Starbridge, is a man of great accomplishment, confidence, and conviction, with a reputation as a no-nonsense bishop - until his beloved wife dies. Bereavement overwhelming his spiritual equilibrium, his strict morality is quickly revealed to him to be nothing more than a facade. Spiralling downwards, Ashworth knows he must find his way out of the maze of his own psyche. In doing so, he must face the absolute truths - both good and bad - of his past that may be the only keys to his future.

©1994 Leaftree Limited (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"Howatch simultaneously provides her listener with both marvelous entertainment and genuine insight into the human condition. Highly recommended." (Library Journal)"This work again displays Howatch's ability to meld an involving, character-driven story with a larger theme, that of spiritual quest and fulfillment." (

Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Magical Writing

This is my first attempt in my current plan to listen to all of these books that I can find in audio format this year. I have, for no logical reason started with the last book. (!) It's a variation of the old "Read the Last Page of the Book Syndrome."

Audible has Glamorous Powers, Mystical Paths and Scandalous Risks as well as this one available. I plan to buy one each month. Glimmering Images and Ultimate Prizes are available at outrageous prices in cassette tape format. I think I will pass on them but I will reread them in book format.

I re-read these books every once in a while. I am always amazed at how much I am attracted to these books because they are not the kind of books that generally appeal to me. I think it's the writing. Susan Howatch is a magical writer. I don't really like the characters in these books or am in sympathy with the things they do. But the honesty of these people's faith and the fact that they really really try to be good Christians comes shining through. It's almost enough to restore one's faith in Christianity.

The last is the best of the series

In a series that I really, really liked, this is the the best book. It is not often that the last book in a series is the best, but in this case it is. Unfortunately you cannot read the last book as a stand alone novel and get the entire weight of the book. You can read it as a stand alone book. But because these books are all narrataed by a single character, you will not get the understanding of the other characters that are detailed in the prior books.

In this book Charles Ashworth, the original protagonist at the beginning of the series, takes up his life in the 1960s. He is now Bishop of Starbridge. His two boys are now on their own. He and his wife Lyle get along better than in most of their marriage (and they realize that having an empty nest is a good thing.) On the negative side, Neville (enemy would be too strong, but they do not get along) is the Dean of the Cathedral and somewhat independent of Charles' authority. His spiritual director and friend is aging and probably near death. It is at this point that Charles' third major life crisis occurs and he is totally unprepared to deal with it.

I like Charles much more in this book than the first. I understand his lostness here more than in the first book. It is not a break with reality as much as a crisis of faith.

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Title: Nightshade

Author: John Saul

Narrator: Chet Green

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-17-08

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 68 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

After a sudden fire leaves Matt's senile and troubled grandmother homeless, she moves in with the family. Her ceaseless demands cause unrelieved tension - and with her comes a shameful secret about her daughters that traps Matt between a dead aunt who haunts him and his own mother, who seeks redemption for her sister's sins - and her own. Matt transforms from a gregarious teenager to a hostile loner prone to fits of rage - tortured by chilling memories and haunted by nightmares.

Then a shocking tragedy shatters the family beyond repair, propelling Matt's mother and grandmother into a final, explosive confrontation...a showdown in which old wounds will be viciously torn open - and a horrific shadow from the past will spring an implacable life of its own, clawing toward Matt with the ferocious inevitability of death itself.

Members Reviews:

most awesome story!!

I loved it!!!!! So intensive and enthralling!!!! Kept me on the edge of my seat!!!!

I'm not into ghost stories.

What disappointed you about Nightshade?

I should have paid better attention to the "haunt" word used in the description.

Has Nightshade turned you off from other books in this genre?

For sure.

What three words best describe Chet Greens performance?

It would be unfair of me to base his performance on a story that is not my genre.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Nightshade?

Is all of them too harsh?

Any additional comments?

If ghost stories are your thing that this book might be for you.

Very interesting story

Storyline excellent! Narration clipped, too quick and lacking inflection. Still recommended for the story. No waste of a credit with this one.

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Title: Breach of Promise

Author: Perri O'Shaughnessy

Narrator: Laural Merlington

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-11-08

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 56 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Ready to fight, Lindy hires Nina Reilly to represent her in her palimony suit, and lacking the resources to handle a case with stakes so high, Nina turns to an expert litigator in palimony law who insists on hiring a jury consultant. The case is hardly open-and-shut, and complicating things further, a carefully chosen juror winds up dead. With a host of possible suspects and the biggest case of her career hanging in the balance, the pressure's on Nina to find the killer, win the case, and save the day.

Members Reviews:

What happened to the usual smooth reading.

I listened to the book including the fluff of the silly sex scene and endured that but listening to the jury folks dialogue was the pits. I'm still listening to the story but have fast forwarded most of the "click" parts. You'll know when you get there. Could have been a good trial book but.....this needs to 'Get Real'

Money Becomes Fatal

Lindy Markov appears at the law office of Nina Reilly, requesting her representation. She needed legal representation to protect her interest in Markov Enterprises. The Markov Enterprises was worth approximately $200,000,000. Mike Markov had a lawyer, Jeffrey Reasoner, who had told Lindy, that Markov Enterprises, belonged to Mike Markov and she was not entitled to any compensation.

The fact that Lindy Markov was not married to Mike Markov came as a jolting revelation of which Nina was not aware. Nina turned toward Lindy and as calmly as possible wanted to know why she had not given Nina this most vital information. Nina explained that California law stated that when couples married and for some reason needed to get divorced, the proceeds of their estates were divided down the middle. However, since Lindy and Mike had never been married, she was not entitled to any monetary compensation.

Lindy was referred to as Mrs. Markov, signed her name, Mrs. Lindy Markov and was, in all intents and purposes, Mrs. Markov. She and Mike had lived together for 20 years. Mike had always signed all needed signatures himself. Lindy was assured that he and Lindy would get married. Mike had been married once and had been cheated out of the share of his money. Therefore, this time he was insuring that he would definitely be in control and not lose anything. Supposedly, Lindy believed Mike when he promised marriage and besides that, she said that she loved him.

Lindy, in order to inspire Nina to represent her, was offered 10% of the money rewarded to Lindy. Money, being the great motivator, pushed Nina forward and she accepted the challenge. There would be a lot of money required to even start an investigation. The main thread that would go into the defense for Lindy would be the many contributions she had instituted in order to boost Mike's success. Lindy knew how to increase the intake of money towards the business by having thought up and followed through with new ideas. Lindy was the brains behind, Markov Enterprises. She knew all about Markov Enterprises, from start to finish.

There were quite a few positions that needed to be filled which would help Lindy to win. These people would also benefit from the amount of money won.

I did not figure out the mystery until the end of the book. The book was an easy listen and moved along without dragging. The narrator did a good job which always helps to move a story along. I don't think I'd want to read this book a second time.

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Title: Wedding Belles

Author: Haywood Smith

Narrator: Cynthia Darlow

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-02-08

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 100 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

Georgia, Linda, Diane, Teeny, and Pru have been best friends since high school, and never have they needed one another more. Georgia's precious 28-year-old daughter, Callie, has gone and gotten engaged. Usually this would be cause for celebration. After all, this is the South, where dreams of white dresses and wedding bells are as important as finding the perfect hat. But Callie's intended groom just happens to be a man they went to high-school and college with: Wild Man Wade!

These women know more about the groom than the bride does. His drunken shenanigans. His wild oats. And all of his conquests as well as his mistakes. They can imagine him in the most inappropriate of circumstances, but not as a son-in-law!

With absolutely hilarious Southern observances and dead-on wit about mothers, daughters, marriage, and families, Wedding Belles will have you laughing and crying whether you live above or below the Mason-Dixon line.

Members Reviews:

Charming, witty and fun!

I laughed and I cried and thoroughly enjoyed this engaging, picturesque story of a mother's concern for her daughter and her upcoming wedding. The sequence of events chronicles the sisterhood, love, and support of life-long friends along with Southern Americana and prenuptial traditions and customs. The author skillfully intertwines past experiences with present situations and perspective. The narrator was the perfect choice to dramatize the story. I loved it!

Very funny book

I listen to audiobooks as I walk. Makes exercise a little more tolerable. I caught myself looking around to see if anyone was looking when I was laughing out loud. These women know that they can get into some stuff. Since the narrator is one of my favorites, it made the book that much more enjoyable.

Comfort food

I'd reccomend this book to anyone who needs to sit back and relax and be entertained.

Enjoyable Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, It was an enjoyable continuation of the Red Hat Club books.

Which character as performed by Cynthia Darlow was your favorite?

Georgia was my favorite character in this one. She reminded me of how my mother use to cling to positive sayings and proverbs to get us through rough times.

Any additional comments?

Cynthia Darlow does a wonderful job of narrating these Red Hat books. It's hard to believe it is only one person reading each of these characters. She was also wonderful in Ladies of the Lake, which I actually liked a little better than Wedding Bells.

Lots of fun and laugh out loud moments

I really enjoyed this book. Being in my 50's with an adult daughter I could really relate.