'A Great Reckoning'
By Louise Penny _ Read by Robert Bathurst _ Macmillan _ 13:30
Penny's Inspector Armand Gamache is back for the 12th time, and if you haven't yet made his acquaintance, consider yourself fortunate. That means you have 11 more mysteries to savor, and after listening to this one, you'll definitely want to start at the beginning and possibly move to the charming village of Three Pines, Quebec. I know I did. Bathurst (in his second outing after the previous reader of the series died) is nothing short of perfect, managing the French-Canadian accents deliciously.
'Find Her'
By Lisa Gardner _ Read by Kirsten Potter _ Brilliance Audio _ 12:15
A thriller that might be standard issue without its outstanding reader follows Flora Dane in the aftermath of her abduction and captivity in "a coffin-size box," an experience she often relives, chillingly. Potter also read one of my previous favorites, the great "Station Eleven," and I'd now be inclined to listen to anything with her name on it.
The 'Mr. Mercedes' trilogy
By Stephen King _ Read by Will Patton _ Simon and Schuster Audio _ 40:00 total
"End of Watch" came out this year, wrapping up the trilogy that included "Finders Keepers" (my favorite of the three) in the middle. These are detective stories, with a dose of the supernatural, and have a satisfying hero in Bill Hodges, the retired cop who finds himself entangled with a deranged mass murderer. In the third book, Bill and his oddball team of amateurs try to bring the bad guy to justice once and for all, while Bill fights a bigger enemy.
'The High Mountains of Portugal'
By Yann Martel _ Read by Mark Bramhall _ Random House Audio _ 11:00
You won't listen to a more complicated and, ultimately, more fascinating book than this one by the "Life of Pi" author. Three segments, set in different times, with different characters, are connected in the most unexpected way. Best advice: Just go with it.
'The Guest Room'
By Chris Bohjalian _ Read by Mozhan Marno and Grace Experience _ Random House Audio _ 10:00
In the latest by the author of the breathtaking "Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands," a bachelor party at his home leads an innocent bystander down a road to disaster. The story stretches from suburbia to Armenia, where young women are drawn into sex trafficking.
