Listening Treasures

The Audio Publishers Association has released its list of finalists for 2026 Audie Awards, given to audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment. The two categories of perhaps greatest interest to Rap Sheet readers are probably these:

Mystery:
• Gone Before Goodbye, by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben; narrated by Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Kiff VandenHeuvel, Suehyla El-Attar Young, Peter Ganim, Saskia Maarleveld, and James Fouhey (Hachette Audio)
• Gray Dawn, by Walter Mosley; narrated by Michael Boatman and Walter Mosley (Hachette Audio)
• The Queens of Crime, by Marie Benedict; narrated by Bessie
Carter (Macmillan Audio)
• Secret Sister, by Sarah A. Denzil; narrated by Jessica Gunning, Sacha Dhawan, Joanne Froggatt, Nathaniel Curtis, and Hopi Grace
(Audible Originals)
• Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man), by Jesse Q. Sutanto; narrated by Eunice Wong (Penguin Random House Audio)

Thriller/Suspense:
• Beautiful Ugly, by Alice Feeney; narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton (Macmillan Audio)
• Don't Let Him In, by Lisa Jewell; narrated by Richard Armitage, Joanne Froggatt, Tamaryn Payne, Gemma Whelan, Louise Brealey, and Patience Tomlinson (Simon & Schuster Audio)
• Everyone Is Lying to You, by Jo Piazza; narrated by Rachel F. Hirsch, Sarah Reny, Vas Eli, and Saskia Maarleveld (Penguin Random
House Audio)
• Havoc, by Christopher Bollen; narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed (HarperAudio)
• To Die For, by David Baldacci; narrated by Zach Villa, Mela Lee, Cassandra Morris, Rena Marie Villano, Christine Lakin, Will Collyer, Kiff Vandenheuvel, and Erin Bennett (Hachette Audio)

In addition, S.A. Cosby’s King of Ashes (narrated by Adam Lazarre-White; Macmillan Audio) is a contender in the Audiobook of the Year division, and Kristen L. Berry’s We Don’t Talk About Carol (narrated by Nicole Cash; Penguin Random House Audio) can be found among the New Voice Award nominees. A full rundown of this year’s Audie candidates can be found here.

All of the winners are to be announced during the 2026 Audies Gala taking place at Pier 60 in New York City on Monday, March 2.

(Hat tip to In Reference to Murder.)