Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how Cynthia Saltzman’s fascinating audiobook is a fusion of exceptional writing and an outstanding narration by Suzanne Toren. Saltzman presents a sweeping account of Napoleon’s conquest of Europe, including the looting of its finest antiquities and Renaissance masterpieces and the creation of the Musée du Louvre. Caught between the colliding worl...

Narrator David Rintoul takes on the complex investigations of odd, unusual, and often inconsequential crimes that populate Alexander McCall Smith’s latest parody of a Scandi police procedural. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss how Rintoul’s innate seriousness contrasts perfectly with the spate of philosophical dialogue and unending stream of comments and asides. Detective Ulf Varg...

Narrator Simon Jones takes on a riot of madcap characters in this early Agatha Christie mystery. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten talk about the fun of listening to a classic mystery narrated by the masterful Simon Jones, especially when it’s packed with hilarious and delightful characters. Anthony Cade agrees to help a friend by delivering the manuscript of a dead nobleman to an English...

Narrator Edoardo Ballerini steps into big shoes to narrate Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten talk about Ballerini’s takeover from the previous series narrator, George Guidall, and how Ballerini has found his own voices for the many characters. In the midst of the pandemic, Allon takes on the evil Russian empire, which is undermining democracy while bla...

Narrator Ali Ahn brings plenty of personality and heart to Emiko Jean’s young adult rom-com about a high school senior who has discovered an incredible secret —her father is royalty. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this fun and sweet story in the spirit of THE PRINCESS DIARIES. Raised in California by her mother, Izumi Tanaka doesn’t know her father’s name until she discovers i...

If you’re looking for an excellent audiobook to listen to with your family this summer, this is it! Narrator Katie Anvil Rich brings vibrant characters to life in Cynthia Leitich Smith’s reimagining of PETER PAN. AudioFile’s Emily Connelly tells host Jo Reed all the many reasons she enjoyed listening with her family. In this story, Lily is Muscogee Creek; her stepsister, Wendy, is English; and the...

Emma Dabiri narrates her work with the same clarity, thoughtfulness, and directness with which she wrote her guide to go beyond beyond the nebulousness of “allyship” to the action of building coalitions for change. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this short but powerful work by the Irish Nigerian author, which delves into the history of racial formation and the corresponding po...

Ashley C. Ford brings listeners into her life in this outstanding coming-of-age story. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the power of hearing Ford narrate her own story, starting off with an emotional letter from her father, who was incarcerated when she was a toddler. The letter tells of his pending release from prison, decades later. Ford has a beautiful way with words, and she...

An all-star cast of narrators and bestselling YA authors come together for the perfect summery treat. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss the fun and joy of these interlocking short stories of Black teens in love, all set during a memorable New York City blackout. Hear a clip with Joniece Abbott-Pratt’s compelling narration of Tiffany D. Jackson’s story “The Long Walk,” with two ex...

Robert Fass narrates Alexander Lobrano’s satisfying audiobook with flair. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Fass’s ability to capture the longing and introspective qualities in Lobrano’s coming-of-age memoir. It’s a work packed with stories and insights into Lobrano’s life as an American food critic in Paris, starting with his discovery of his passion for food. His idiosyncratic g...

Narrator David Colacci approaches Louis Menand’s opinionated, engrossing audiobook with a practiced voice that lets its numerous stories tell themselves without fanfare. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this broad-brush look at the cultural history of the Cold War. The narration moves the intertwining topics forward, not an easy task in a kaleidoscopic work that ranges from the B...

Tristan Morris inhabits the youthful protagonist of Francine Prose’s fine audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this understated performance that shows Morris inhabiting the psyche of the youthful protagonist, set in the anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s. The deliberate cadence and earnest style add to the revelation of the mystery at the center of this complex, textured...

There are many pleasures to discover in this fine anthology of the past 50 years, performed by some of the most gifted narrators working today. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss the diversity and power of the collection, which includes works by Raymond Carver, Stephen King, Grace Paley, Karen Russell, Lauren Groff, and Edwidge Danticat. Some of the finest narrators working today r...

Joniece Abbott-Pratt’s performance captures the fear and exhilaration of 15-year-old Miriam Horton as she travels the revival circuit with her family. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Abbott-Pratt’s skill at narrating debut novelist Monica West’s scenes of terror and wonder, using a fast-paced style that suits the high emotions of the revival meetings at the center of the plot. S...

Narrator Ben Sullivan’s strong, clear voice and intentional pacing complement these tales of scientific misdeeds. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Sam Kean’s examination of scientists who disregarded ethics to achieve scientific glory--though hindsight shows that unethical means almost always result in faulty methodology. Listeners will be aghast at the actions of these scientists...

Narrator William DeMeritt is the perfect match for Ben H. Winters’s compelling audiobook--a mix of legal thriller and family drama with a touch of sci-fi. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb talk about this story of a surgery gone wrong, and the ensuing courtroom drama from two trials told over alternating timelines. One details the family’s attempts to sue the hospital over the failed surge...

Author Alex Michaelides and narrators Louise Brealey and Kobna Holdbrick-Smith cast a spell that will have listeners glued to this suspenseful novel every chance they get. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this bestselling serial killer mystery set at Cambridge University. Group therapist Mariana has returned to the school to comfort her niece after the girl’s friend is violently m...

Narrator Ben Onwukwe brings out the humor and pathos in Mike Gayle’s story of Jamaican widower Hubert Bird, who discovers friendship in unlikely places. AudioFile’s Michele Cobb tells host Jo Reed about this rich listening experience, thanks to both Gayle’s layered story and Onwukwe’s performance. Hubert’s daughter, Rose, thinks his life is full of friends and fun, but he actually lives an entirel...

Rebecca Lowman’s performance will hook listeners until the very end of Laura Dave’s contemporary mystery. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss the bestselling thriller that has been taking off this summer, and Lowman’s skill at finding the emotional beats in the story. Hannah wakes up one day to find her new husband, Owen, has vanished, leaving her a note: “Protect her.” Hannah assume...

Scottish author and playwright Josephine Tey (1896-1952) holds an especially honored place among British mystery writers, and this collection of five BBC Radio programs is a wonderful introduction to her work. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss the fun of listening to BBC Radio work their magic with finely produced audio theater, great actors, and an impressive soundscape of both m...

John Grisham jumps back into the sports world with Golden Voice narrator Dion Graham performing a novel about Samuel “Sooley” Suleman, a basketball prodigy from South Sudan. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Graham’s excellent narration that helps shape the story, alternating between the player’s life in the U.S. and his time in South Sudan. Graham deftly narrates multiple African...

Louis Ozawa narrates this history audiobook about Japanese Americans at home and abroad during WWII from Daniel James Brown, the author of THE BOYS IN THE BOAT. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Ozawa’s deft narration of these heartbreaking stories that shine a much-needed light on the way those of Japanese heritage were treated during the war. The book follows a group of young Ni...

Narrator Richard Ferrone’s gritty voice is a great match for U.S. Marshal Lucas Davenport in this 31st book in the Prey series. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss the excellent listening experience provided by a long-running series with a capable narrator at its helm. In this story, Davenport is sent to Florida to help with an FBI investigation of murderous heroine traffickers, and...

Lippman’s ingenious, allusive, and daring new thriller makes for a massively entertaining audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Jason Culp’s vivid character creations. Culp delivers emotion, color, humor, and momentum with skill and verve, walking a fine line with the listener. In the story, famous novelist Gerry Anderson is confined to his bed from an injury and starts get...

In this bonus edition of Behind the Mic, host Jo Reed interviews Cassandra Campbell, one of AudioFile’s 2021 Golden Voice narrators. Cassandra shares how her background in theater -- both in her studies and in her family -- has influenced her audiobook narrations. She gives listeners insights into some of the bestselling audiobooks that she’s brought to life on audio, including Delia Owens’s WHERE...