Historical mystery audiobooks make for thrilling listening, especially when they allow listeners to travel the world. In this month’s selections, AudioFile editors are featuring Maisie Dobbs’s next adventure, a classic work from Agatha Christie, and a new chapter in Indian lawyer Perveen Mistry’s story. Read on to discover your next excellent historical mystery audiobook—or even a new captivating series to explore.

 

A SUNLIT WEAPON: Maisie Dobbs, Book 17

by Jacqueline Winspear| Read by Orlagh Cassidy

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Harper Audio | 11 hrs.]

Michael Boatman masterfully voices numerous characters from various races and backgrounds, male and female, young and old. Easy Rawlins reluctantly takes on the case of a disturbed white Vietnam veteran who is convinced he stabbed a Black man. Rawlins’s persistence to uncover the truth leads him to dangerous places. Boatman’s performance of beautifully written moments of observation is captivating.

READ THE FULL REVIEW

THE MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT: The Colonel Race, Book 1

by Agatha Christie| Read by Gabrielle de Cuir, John Lee

AudioFile Earphones Award

[Blackstone Audio/ Skyboat Media | 9 hrs.]

While this mystery was first published in 1924, narrators Gabrielle de Cuir and John Lee enliven the characters through their fresh, well-paced, pitch-perfect performances. Anne Beddingfield pursues her dream of becoming an adventurer and travels by ship to South Africa to unravel a mystery. De Cuir’s portrayal of Beddingfield projects a feisty character whom listeners will cheer for. John Lee masterfully delivers extracts from the diary of the imperious Sir Eustace Pedlar, MP. De Cuir and Lee expertly shepherd listeners through Christie’s magic with perfectly timed twists and turns.

READ THE FULL REVIEW

THE BOMBAY PRINCE: Perveen Mistry, Book 3

by Sujata Massey| Read by Sneha Mathan

[Recorded Books | 12.5 hrs.]

Sneha Mathan performs the third in the Perveen Mistry series with her easy-to-listen-to voice. Mathan masterfully conveys personality and subtly changes accents and intonation for the Indian and British characters. Mistry, the only female lawyer in India, seeks justice for a female Parsi student found dead on the day of Prince Edward VIII’s arrival in Bombay in November 1921. Massey paints detailed pictures of a city divided by religions and dominated by British rule. Her poetic phrases and use of Indian terms illuminate the rich historical period in which the courageous Mistry fights to assert herself. A well-written and well-performed invitation into Mistry’s complex world. 

READ THE FULL REVIEW

CITY ON THE EDGE

by David Swinson| Read by Jonathan Davis

[Hachette Audio | 6.5 hrs.]

Narrator Jonathan Davis’s strong narration helps create a believable setting for this combination coming-of-age story and adventure tale. In 1972, 13-year-old Graham moves with his family to Beirut, Lebanon, where he navigates the challenges of a tense home environment and a world outside packed with formidable characters and hidden danger. Davis does a sterling job bringing the lead characters to life, particularly as Graham finds that typical youthful scrapes have much bigger consequences in this new and sometimes dangerous land.

READ THE FULL REVIEW

THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A LONDON SPY: The Secret Life of Mary Bennet, Book 2

by Katherine Cowley| Read by Alison Larkin

[Dreamscape | 10.25 hrs.]

Narrator Alison Larkin’s bright voice makes listening lots of fun. In Book 1, Mary, the middle and least accomplished daughter of the Bennets’ five girls in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, comes into her own. Now, Mary is hired as an undercover agent for the British government to investigate a murder. Larkin inhabits Mary’s newfound sense of self as she works with other spies to solve the mystery and avoid discovery. Larkin’s portrayals of Mary’s cohort, Fanny, and sisters, Kitty and Elizabeth, are spot-on. Larkin delivers the diction and attitudes of the early nineteenth century to perfection. Fans can look forward to Book 3, due this fall. 

READ THE FULL REVIEW

SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE SEAMSTRESS OF PECKHAM RYE

by Jonathan Barnes| Read by Nicholas Briggs, Richard Earl, and a Full Cast

[Big Finish | 3.5 hrs.]

Fans of the inimitable Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson, are in for a treat with this listen. A top-notch cast makes this Audie Award-winning presentation truly theater of the mind. Author Barnes keeps Conan Doyle’s characters in fine investigative spirits. Perfectly delivered accents range from upper-crust to downtrodden. All one needs to do to get maximum enjoyment from this rollicking listen is to sit back for a tale told exceedingly well. 

READ THE FULL REVIEW

---

 

 

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.