As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, a chilling audiobook mystery can be the perfect fireside companion. AudioFile Editors have 7 great listens that can keep you company on your frosty morning walks, whether you’re looking for a new Scandinavian Noir—featuring a frozen body—or want to join in on the last le Carré spy novel, this time by the chilly English seaside. Read through our choices below for a wintery snowed-in mystery with a serial killer, a mysterious New Year’s Eve, and more.

 

THE DARK HOURS: Harry Bosch, Book 23

by Michael Connelly| Read by Christine Lakin, Titus Welliver

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Hachette Audio | 11 hrs.]

Listeners once again enjoy the talented partnership of author Michael Connelly and narrators Christine Lakin and Titus Welliver. Renée Ballard is a prickly LAPD detective relentlessly pursuing justice. Guns are shot in the sky on New Year’s Eve, and Ballard is called to investigate a fatal, and possibly intentional, hit. Lakin masterfully voices Ballard in her uncompromising investigation of two cases: the shooting and a serial rapist. When she calls on Harry Bosch, who serves as her mentor and backup, listeners hear Titus Welliver reprising his role for relatively short appearances. A compelling listen with a gritty portrayal of the current social environment.

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SILVERVIEW

by John le Carré| Read by Toby Jones

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Penguin Audio | 6.5 hrs.]

John le Carré’s last novel does not disappoint, nor does Toby Jones’s performance. As always, the story is built around spies and their work, but this time the main concerns are loyalty and belonging: To whom do we belong, and to whom do we owe loyalty? Julian Lawndsley has moved to a small English seaside town to run a bookshop in the chilly off-season, when a nosy stranger—and former M16 agent—arrives. Jones handily takes on a range of accents and emotions, and the characters appear as le Carré drew them, as mostly sympathetic people with difficult lives, trying in different ways to do their best.

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DEATH AT GREENWAY

by Lori Rader-Day| Read by Moira Quirk

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Harper Audio | 12.25 hrs.]

Cozy up and listen to Moira Quirk narrating this WWII story centered on a group of children evacuated from London during the Blitz. The story features the stoic Bridget Kelly, a nurse-nanny (with questionable qualifications) for 10 children sent to Greenway House, the country estate of Agatha Christie. Quirk portrays multidimensional personalities, displaying how the residents and workers of Greenway deal with the fallout of war even at a substantial distance from the devastating London bombings. And in the Christie style, there’s also a second nurse with a false identity and even a murder.

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THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE: Thursday Murder Club,  Book 2

by Richard Osman| Read by Leslie Manville

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Penguin Audio | 11.75 hrs.]

This new audiobook hits a rare trifecta: The writing sparkles, the plot is marvelously taut, and Leslie Manville’s witty performance delights in so many ways that it follows you around in your head for days after the audiobook is finished. The novel rejoins the four pensioners Elizabeth, Ibrahim, Ron, and Joyce from Osman’s THURSDAY MURDER CLUB. Here Elizabeth, unconstrained by the rules of her former spy service, devises an appropriate response to a particularly offensive double murder, while Ron orchestrates payback for the mugging of his friend Ibrahim. The whole thing is an indecent amount of fun.

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THE RETREAT

by Elisabeth de Mariaffi| Read by Erin Moon

[Hachette Audio | 10.25 hrs.]

Maeve is an acclaimed dancer, but an abusive relationship ending in tragedy has prompted her to take her career in a new direction. Erin Moon narrates as Maeve goes to an artists’ mountain retreat in winter to strategize her future. Dysfunctional behavior among all the characters abounds, and strange events take place—and then an avalanche seals them all off from the rest of the world. Moon captures the panic when guests start to vanish. But soon Moon reveals new strength in Maeve as she fights to survive a serial killer while surrounded by grizzlies, elk, and snow.

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THE DARKNESS KNOWS

by Arnaldur Indridason| Read by Sean Barrett

[Macmillan Audio | 8.75 hrs.]

Narrator Sean Barrett portrays the taciturn retired Inspector Konrad, who is called back into service to investigate the frozen body from a thirty-year-old cold case. Barrett’s tone reflects the famous restraint of Icelandic society. He manages Konrad’s signature introversion while also drawing listeners into Indridason’s intricate plot. Fans of Nordic noir will enjoy this performance, and for those new to the genre and looking for an easy start, Barrett offers an expert entry into a world of danger and intrigue.

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THE STOLEN HOURS

by Allen Eskens| Read by MacLeod Andrews, Christine Lakin, Tina Huang

[Hachette Audio | 10 hrs.]

A talented team of narrators perfectly presents this fast-paced, engaging legal thriller that will keep you company on long winter nights. Lila Nash is getting closer to her dream job working for the prosecutor in Hennepin County. When she begins working on the case of an attempted murder, unexpected connections to other crimes and to her own troubled past come to light. Detective Niki Vang suspects Gavin Spenser, a local photographer, and builds a case with Lila’s help. Christine Lakin portrays Lila as determined and passionate, MacLeod Andrews perfectly voices Gavin’s twisted narcissism, and Tina Huang’s Niki is focused and empathetic. Another compelling story in this series, and a must listen!

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AudioFile Magazine—About: AudioFile is the place to discover more about audiobooks.  Every day, its reviews and recommendations tell you which audiobooks are worth your listening time. AudioFile reviews about 50 audiobooks a week, features narrator profiles, and awards exceptional performances with AudioFile’s Earphones Awards. AudioFile publishes in print, newsletters, and a blog, and podcasts daily recommendations on Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine.