Friends, New Yorkers, countrymen, lend me your ears….

It’s easy to forget that stories were originally read out loud, long before the printed press came along. Listening to an audiobook makes characters and story lines come alive, pulling you into the plot as it thickens.  Here are some great titles to explore on the commute home, in the gym, or your next ride out of town.

Ararat  by Christopher Golden

Narrated by Robert Fass

Duration: 10.25 hours

Step onto the snowy mountain of Ararat and find yourself trapped in this creepy horror by Christopher Golden.  What begins as an exciting hunt for ancient artifacts quickly becomes a swift descent into madness. Is there an evil force lurking outside the mountain, or within? Narrator Robert Fass uses his gravelly voice to unleash evil, as superhuman demonic forces overwhelm a group of archaeologists one by one.  Both action packed and faced paced, when you think the terror is over, it rises again…and again.

For readers who enjoyed: The White Road by Sarah Lotz, The Ruins by Scott Smith, and , Castaways by Brian Keene and the authors Kelley Armstrong, Karen Chance, Charlaine Harris, and Dean Koontz

You’ll Never Know, Dear by Hallie Ephron

Narrated by Amy McFadden

Duration: 8.75 hours

Hallie Ephron cooks up a folksy tale of leisurely suspense. Two year old baby Janie was abducted thirty eight years ago without a trace, now the doll she had with her has returned. A well-developed plot includes a small bucolic town, homespun characters, betrayals, and old unhealed wounds.  Narrator Amy Fadden uses a languid Southern drawl to gradually move you to an intensifying and satisfying conclusion.

For readers who enjoyed The Wilding Sisters by Eve Chase, The Lost Girls by Heather Young, and She’s Not There by Joy Fielding, and the authors Iris Johansen, John Hart, John Katzenbach, and Rosamund Lupton

Sun Storm  by Asa Larsson

Narrated by Hillary Huber

Duration: 10.25 hours

In Larsson’s Sun Storm, a frigid Swedish winter sets the landscape for a gritty thriller that is grisly, stark, and bleak.  The dead and mutilated body of a charismatic religious leader has been found in his church, and intrigue and paranoia is growing fast.  Narrator Hillary Huber’s crisp accent drives the story forward and introduces this first book in the series featuring strong female lead Rebecka Martinsson. Sullen and disillusioned Rebecka, once a follower of the murder victim, reluctantly returns to the life she left behind to investigate his death. A spell binding suspense, Sun Storm won Sweden’s Best First Crime Novel award.

For readers who enjoyed The Boy In The Suitcase Lene Kaaberbol, The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson, and Wild Justice by Phillip Margolin and the authors Henning Mankell, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Lene Kaaberbol, and Liza Marklund

The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne

Narrated by Emily Rankin

Duration: 10 hours

A gutsy and courageous woman has a loving family, a thriving business and… a hidden twisted past. Narrator Emily Rankin deftly weaves in a little girl voice to emotionally connect you to Helena, and soon you are following her to the marshland to relive her psychological abuse, her gradual descent into terror, and her fear of the twisted diabolical Marsh King…her father.  Past and present, awe and violence, the hunter and the hunted are meshed together in this complex cat and mouse tale, where only the strong and the ruthless survive. A well-crafted and descriptive story that evokes a strong sense of place.

For readers who enjoyed Baby Doll by Hollie Overton, The Next Accident Lisa Gardner, and Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane and the authors Danielle Trussoni, Linwood Barclay, Kate Hamer, and Joakim Zander