Nothing could tear Detective Michael Bennett away from his new bride—except the murder of his best friend. NYPD master homicide investigator Michael Bennett and FBI abduction specialist Emily Parker have a history. When she fails to show at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC, Bennett ventures outside his jurisdiction. The investigation he undertakes is the most brilliant detective work of his career…and the most intensely personal. A portrait begins to emerge of a woman as adept at keeping secrets as forging powerful connections. A woman whose enemies had the means and the motives to silence her —and her protectors. But while listeners of audiobooks are skyrocketing, many readers are still hesitant to try the new format, or simply struggle to follow along. When I first tried audiobooks, I found myself drifting off, losing track of the plot as my mind wandered to other subjects. It wasn’t until I had a good podcast experience that audiobooks finally clicked for me, and the biggest key I found was starting by listening to true crime, mysteries, and thrillers. Turns out, journalists had been digging into cold cases and crimes for longer than podcasts had been around, and that’s how I found myself listening to true crime audiobooks via CDs from the library, starting with classics like The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. By sticking with a familiar genre and method of storytelling, I was able to follow along better than I thought I would, finding myself gripped in the same way that podcasts had hooked me initially. As I listened to more and more, I began to wonder about the fictional side of storytelling. I loved reading mysteries. Why not try listening to them? And so my love of audiobooks was born. First and foremost, even if you are not an avid consumer of true crime, there are millions of people who have listened to these types of podcasts in one way or another, and I’m betting you’re one of them. Having a background in listening to these types of podcasts is a great transitional step into audiobooks. You’ll be familiar with the general structure, type of storytelling, and pacing, but instead of one-hour episodes, you’ll have one full book. Next is the structure of the mystery. It’s human nature to be curious and to want to learn more information about a story. Mysteries (and the sub-genres therein) are perfectly poised to stoke our curiosity, making us want to listen and learn more information about whatever it is we’re listening to. The best stories our friends tell us are the ones that have a bit of intrigue, and the best writers and narrators know how to use that when creating their stories. Plus, having a central mystery helps keep you engaged as you move toward an eventual solution, so you’ll always know what the end goal is, even if you feel yourself losing track of a few smaller details. The pacing of mysteries and thrillers are also, by nature, typically faster than other types of genres. Not always, but for the most part, many mysteries and thrillers provide a story that will feel like it’s rocketing toward the end, and you can’t help but stay hooked to learn what exactly will happen next. We’re big fans of mystery audiobooks at Book Riot, and have all kinds of recommendations if you’re looking for more!
