IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES by Katherine Rundell, read by Samuel West

Narrator Kristen Ariza lends her expert skills to Danzy Senna’s intimate character study. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile Magazine’s Michele Cobb discuss a story of a professor and struggling writer, Jane. She moves her family near Hollywood, where she meets a producer who wants to make her book into a television show. Jane is a complex character who is often skeptical, and when she is met with the usual difficulties while navigating Hollywood, she becomes even more suspicious. A great listen for fans of contemporary fiction. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Penguin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Annie Ernaux. For more information, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss how this performance by a five-narrator cast is truly special. The Fall children harness unique powers. When a magical rainbow-haired girl reveals her connection with the family, it kicks off a whirlwind of secrets that will either break them apart or further unite them. What’s more magical is the gorgeous concoction of every narrator’s style. It genuinely feels like each character is a complete story on their own, but when blended together, they create a symphony of mystery, challenges, and compelling world-building. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Listening Library. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Annie Ernaux. For more information, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listeners join Texas Ranger Darren Mathews who, after turning in his badge, reluctantly investigates the disappearance of a young, Black student from an otherwise all-white sorority house. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this story set in 2019 that concludes Attica Locke’s Highway 59 trilogy. JD Jackson’s pitch-perfect narration is the ideal match for this fast-paced story, which is seen through the eyes of a Black man who is living in Trump’s America. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Hachette Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Annie Ernaux. For more information, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss a new thrilling audiobook from Liane Moriarty. Narrators Caroline Lee and Geraldine Hakewill weave the threads of this tense exploration of free will. Everyone on a delayed flight across Australia is tired and frustrated. Suddenly, a nondescript woman stands and begins pointing to fellow passengers and stating how they will die and when. She won’t remember this later—when the predictions start coming true. Lee voices Cherry, the Death Lady, with petulant sincerity, while Hakewill portrays the other passengers as they struggle to forget the predictions or change their destinies. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Random House Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Annie Ernaux. For more information, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Golden Voice Adjoa Andoh’s remarkable skills of characterization and pacing are on full display in this reissue of le Carré’s novel of espionage and manipulation in the Middle East. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this story of a naïve English actress, Charlie, who agrees to work undercover for an Israeli spy to identify a Palestinian terrorist, and is co-opted by morally ambiguous people. Andoh gives Charlie a light, sweet voice and an unsophisticated tone that emphasize her bravado and innocence. From slow-burn psychological seductions to rapid-fire arguments, she makes the complex multilayered story accessible and provocative throughout. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Dreamscape. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Annie Ernaux. For more information, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile’s Robin Whitten tells host Jo Reed about the fun of diving into the start of a new series from a favorite author, Allison Brennan. Hillary Huber has the perfect voice for PI Margo Angelhart, portraying her as confident, righteous, and brave. Margo’s chapters, told in the first person, let listeners experience her thoughts and emotions as she protects abused women and uncovers her own client’s deceptions. But listeners also hear the points of view of several other characters in their own chapters, adding depth to our understanding and all masterfully differentiated by Huber. A fantastic start to this new series. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Harlequin Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Annie Ernaux. For more information, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrator Linda Emond returns to deliver a masterful performance in the 23rd installment of the Temperance Brennan series. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss the newest book from author Kathy Reichs, this time set in Washington, D.C., at the site of a tragic fire. Emond has found the perfect voice for the forensic anthropologist who relentlessly works to put together the puzzles provided by body remains. Listeners will learn about criminals from the Prohibition era and their continued legacy. Reichs’s engaging plot partnered with Emond’s exceptional narration will keep listeners glued to their earbuds. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website. Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Annie Ernaux. For more information, visit dreamscapepublishing.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile Magazine’s Robin Whitten discuss a magical children’s audiobook from author Katherine Rundell, and narrated by English actor Samuel West. If Christopher weren’t holding a baby griffin, he never would have come to believe his grandfather about the hidden archipelago where magical creatures live—or agreed when Mal, a girl who is looking for her griffin, asks him to go there and help her find out why they’re dying. West’s presentation shines as he provides voices appropriate for the magical world’s denizens, and increasing emphasis as the journey becomes more dangerous and its consequences more dire. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Listening Library. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.      Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Annie Ernaux. For more information, visit dreamscapepublishing.com.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edwidge Danticat’s audiobook of essays testifies to a close reader and observer of human affairs. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss how the famed Haitian American novelist, memoirist, and children’s author is clearly a practiced narrator. Her essays range from the horrors of racism, the toll of hurricanes, and the inequity of climate change to the appreciation of writers she admires. A fine collection that creates an indelible portrait of a keen and remarkable mind.  Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Recorded Books.  Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.      Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Annie Ernaux. For more information, visit dreamscapepublishing.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sean Patrick Hopkins narrates a globe-trotting audiobook, bringing enthusiasm and the right tempo to his narration. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Rob Jackson’s examination of the scientific basis for climate change. Stanford-based Jackson, chair of the Global Carbon Project, does hands-on work in ecology: He has marked gas leaks in Washington, D.C.; witnessed the deaths of river dolphins in the Amazon; and reported on rewilding efforts in Finland. A primer for positive action and a warning about what happens if we don’t act. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Simon & Schuster Audio.  Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.      Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Annie Ernaux. For more information, visit dreamscapepublishing.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices