Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews

AudioFile’s Michele Cobb is joined by author Cadwell Turnbull and Golden Voice narrator Dion Graham to talk about TRANSMENTATION | TRANSIENCE, the first installment in a sprawling and ambitious multiverse filled with adventure and political intrigue. Graham’s intense yet soft-spoken presentation of the narrative sets the background for the dialogue, which he delivers with a masterful use of tone,...

AudioFile’s Robin Whitten and host Jo Reed discuss this gripping audiobook. Colter Shaw—tracker and survivalist—is hired to locate a missing family trapped after a levee collapses during a catastrophic storm. As he searches, Shaw uncovers a sinister plot that suggests the disaster may not have been entirely natural. Narrator Kaleo Griffith delivers a masterful performance, giving each character a...

Golden Voice Rupert Degas returns to transport listeners to New Zealand and Indonesia in the fourth Yoga Mat mystery. Fans will recognize returning characters, while listeners new to the series will find enough backstory to follow along. Australian secret agent Ric Peters wrestles with the dangers of his job and his need to protect his fiancée, a lawyer and yoga instructor. A visit to Ric’s parent...

Narrator Adam Lazarre-White once again immerses listeners in a dark, complex world crafted by S.A. Cosby. Join AudioFile’s Robin Whitten and host Jo Reed as they discuss this gripping story which explores identity, justice, and long-buried family trauma. When Roman Carruthers returns to his hometown to care for his dying father and support his sister, he’s drawn into rescuing his troubled brother....

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Peter Swanson’s intriguing mystery, superbly delivered by Steven Weber. The audiobook’s structure goes backwards from 2023 to 1982—telling a story that’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for 25 years. When Wendy discovers Thom is about to reveal a terrible secret, she decides she must kill him. With timing, keen...

AudioFile’s Michele Cobb is joined by Golden Voice narrator Bahni Turpin to talk about THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SASHA RENEE, the first entry in THE GOSPEL OF GRACE WOMEN trilogy. Turpin’s masterful performance breathes relatability into the character of Sasha Renee Billingsly as she navigates her views on herself, love, and spirituality. Listen as Turpin discusses how she engaged aspects of her cra...

AudioFile’s Leslie Fine and host Jo Reed discuss Annie B. Jones’s essay collection, which she also narrates, about all the ways an ordinary life can feel extraordinary. An independent bookstore owner and host of the popular podcast “From the Front Porch,” Jones narrates with confidence, a lively intonation, and expert pacing. The Florida native has a sweet voice with an audible smile that welcomes...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Leslie Fine dive into the latest novel by the talented Swedish novelist Fredrik Backman. Golden Voice narrator Marin Ireland grandly performs this story of art, friendship, and what it means to be a teen. Ireland replicates the snarky tone of Louisa, who has just released herself from foster care to go see the work of art that is the fulcrum of the plot. Backman has cr...

AudioFile’s Leslie Fine and host Jo Reed explore Brian Nishii’s exceptional performance of this touching, well-documented personal growth audiobook. The author, a psychology professor and native of Japan, explains through vivid personal stories and accessible research that a psychologically rich life can be ours by nurturing our curiosity, exploring the novel and unfamiliar, and becoming open to e...

Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Leslie Fine as they discuss John Kenney’s latest novel, which successfully walks a tightrope between dark humor and genuine warmth. Sean Patrick Hopkins’s narration provides the necessary balance. Bud Stanley is a newspaper writer who one night drunkenly writes and publishes his own obituary, setting in motion a grimly amusing series of events. Together, author an...

In celebration of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Margaret Pinard take a deep dive into one of Austen’s later novels, PERSUASION, marvelously narrated by Golden Voice Juliet Stevenson. Stevenson’s vocal interpretations make the characters pop with life, and her narration enhances the text so beautifully that one thinks the author must have coached her. It’s the perfect t...

Join AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff and Host Jo Reed as they share an audiobook for the soul. This exquisite work of nature writing celebrating Scotland’s Cairngorms mountains remains a classic of ecological observation. Tilda Swinton’s rendition of Nan Shepherd’s poetic prose mesmerizes. Her tone is exceptionally clear, her pace adds drama, and her style of narrating is immersive. Written in the 1940s...

Ari Fliakos's exceptional performance of haunted Kostya Duhovny is among the many pleasures of this immersive debut, says AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff. In discussion with Host Jo Reed, they delve into Kostya’s supernatural ability to bring back the dead through food. Fliakos is ably aided by Tessa Albertson, André Santana, and Kristen Sieh, who all do fine work. But it’s Fliakos’s tour-de-force narra...

This audiobook tells the story of the 1970 legal action that first attempted to desegregate Detroit’s schools. Join AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff and Host Jo Reed as they discuss this audiobook subtitled “Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North.” Janina Edwards narrates in a compelling tone, a vivid style, and a clear sense of the importance of this action. Generatio...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff kick off the week with this compelling and comprehensive audiobook delivered by Jason Culp. He convincingly portrays the great humorist in all his guises—raconteur, lecturer, parent, public figure, wit, and philosopher—homespun and not. Culp expertly narrates the exposition (and in a 44-hour biography there’s plenty) and modulates his voice and pitch for...

AudioFile awards Earphones to exceptional audio experiences—it’s our version of a starred review, specifically for the audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Laura Rossi discuss three recent Earphones Award-winning audiobooks and why they are well worth your listening time. Elmore Leonard’s classic, GET SHORTY, gets a fresh narration from actor Joe Mantegna, just in time for Leonard’s centennial...

Siobhan McSweeney captures each nuance of this creepy yet moving mystery set in 1952 in a decaying English seaside town. Join AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester and host Jo Reed as they meet Nora, who leaves a convent after 30 years to search for a young novice named Freda. McSweeney sounds determined as Nora subtly observes and questions the odd and secretive residents, who have varied accents and pos...

Join host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester as they dive into narratives of two unique teens—Viv, who is fighting against fracking in her town, and Dex, who struggles with poverty and hopes his mother’s new job with the pipeline will provide security. André Santana’s calm delivery of Dex’s dialogue presents a counterpoint to Viv’s emotionality, narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. Both narrato...

To push back against the stereotype that all autistic people are cisgender white men, editors Clem Bastow and Jo Case have brought together twenty-five women and gender-diverse autistic writers. AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester and host Jo Reed discuss these writers and their lived experiences. Together, the ensemble of narrators creates emotional depth and gives each essay an unique feel and voice....

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Kendra Winchester dive into dazzling performances by Bahni Turpin and Ashley J. Hobbs in this historical fiction audiobook. When Nikki drives into the mountains of North Carolina to visit her grandmother for the first time, she doesn’t know what to expect. Soon, she’s learning all about her ancestor, Luella, who was queen of a small kingdom in Happy Land. Together, Hob...

As readers of AudioFile Magazine know, we have a feature called “Listening With,” where AudioFile talks with top authors, narrators, and many others about how and why they listen to audiobooks. It's such a popular feature that we decided to expand it to the podcast, and our first guest for our Who's Listening bonus episode is Patti Callahan Henry, an award-winning and bestselling author of some 18...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey discuss Emma Rydal’s intense performance of this horror audiobook. Rydal’s portrayal of Margot, a child living with her cannibalistic mother (“Mama”), will remain with listeners long after the devastating climax of this audiobook. Throughout her childhood, lost and wayward travelers of all ages, people deemed “strays,” are lured inside their home, where the...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey chat about this horror audiobook about a Haitian American teen whose zombie abilities are grounded in Haitian folklore. Melinda Sewak primarily narrates with tender, sometimes sinister, delivery of food descriptions which enhances the story’s evocative language. Her narration smoothly transitions between Brielle’s American accent and her mother’s French Cre...

Narrated primarily by Helen Laser, this fast-paced horror story starts with a bang. Jess, a struggling actress, finds a scared 5-year-old boy hiding outside her apartment. When the boy’s angry father attempts to retrieve him, a monstrous creature attacks Jess’s neighbors and roommate, leaving behind death and destruction. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey discuss Laser’s portrayal of the bo...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alex Richey explore this horror audiobook about a possessive orchid and the humans it wants to consume. Narrators Lauren O’Leary and Barry McStay deliver a chilling performance. O’Leary seamlessly delivers Irish and American accents. McStay voices Baby, the orchid, by adopting a callous, judgmental voice as he describes the thoughts and actions of the humans around him...