As another year draws to a close I have decided, once again, to pull together a list of my favourite audiobooks that I listened to over the last twelve months. There will be a favourite books of 2022 list to follow this post and (spoiler) at least one of the following ten selections will also appear on that list when I share it.
A brief explanatory introduction then the ten audiobooks shall follow (with a purchase link for each where you can pick up a copy in a number of different formats). I do these lists as I want you – yes YOU – to read or listen to the books too.
The last twelve months have been extremely busy for me and I have not read or reviewed as many books as I wanted to. Lets face it though, I am approaching fifty years of age and I have never had a year where I have managed to read all the books I wanted to read. Despite being busy I still managed to get through more audiobooks than ever before so I have expanded my favourite listens from a traditional short list of five titles to a full list of ten.
These books may not have won awards, may not have topped the charts and not all of them are “new” titles which released in 2022. The selections are the ten stories I enjoyed listening to the most – my blog, my favourites. Oh – and I present them in no particular order.
The Seeker – S G MacLean (narr. Nicholas Camm)
It has been my absolute honour to make a few appearances on the Bloody Scotland Book Club over the last couple of years. Panel members are invited to suggest books to read and discuss and for one of my appearances I selected The Seeker. I don’t read very many historical thrilers but I find I always enjoy them more when I listen to the audiobook and this one was an absolute cracker.
London, 1654. Oliver Cromwell is at the height of his power and has declared himself Lord Protector. Yet he has many enemies, at home and abroad.
London is a teeming warren of spies and merchants, priests and soldiers, exiles and assassins. One of the web’s most fearsome spiders is Damian Seeker, agent of the Lord Protector. No one knows where Seeker comes from, who his family is, or even his real name. All that is known of him for certain is that he is utterly loyal to Cromwell, and that nothing can be long hidden from him.
In the city, coffee houses are springing up, fashionable places where men may meet to plot and gossip. Suddenly they are ringing with news of a murder. John Winter, hero of Cromwell’s all-powerful army, is dead, and the lawyer, Elias Ellingworth, found standing over the bleeding body, clutching a knife.
Yet despite the damning evidence, Seeker is not convinced of Ellingworth’s guilt. He will stop at nothing to bring the killer to justice: and Seeker knows better than any man where to search.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00M3ERIA6/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2
Roll With It – Jay Stringer (Narr: Jennifer Pickens)
This was a summer listen and those bright, warm evening dog walks were just perfect for this tale of bounty hunters, stolen money and stolen kisses.
What is your whole life worth, to the nearest dollar?
A bag of cash. No owner. Do you take it?
Emily Scott was the first girl Chloe Medina ever kissed. Back before she was ready to talk about that kind of thing. Now, two decades later, Chloe is a bounty hunter in Arizona, and a local crime boss hires her track down a criminal who has stolen a bag of cash. The fugitive’s name? Emily Scott.
Emily Scott is a stand-up comedian and one-time bank robber who came into possession of forbidden knowledge that could get her killed. She knows the identity of Big Wheel, an illusive and semi-mythic criminal kingpin who runs the state. When presented with a chance to run away with a bag full of cash, she didn’t hesitate. But now out on the road she’s stuck between two worlds. After spending twenty years getting good at one thing, and building her identity around it, can she abandon all that work and become someone new? And what happens when she finds out Chloe Medina is on her tail, the hot girl who broke her nose at high school after one kiss?
Chloe isn’t the only person chasing Scott down. Deputy U.S. Marshal Treat Tyler is on the case. Scott had been in Tyler’s custody when she escaped, and his reputation is on the line. What self-respecting lawman lets a comedian get away? Tyler has another personal stake in the story. He used to work with Medina, back when she was a Marshal. They were rivals. They had identical test scores and identical success rates. Tyler enjoys wearing the badge just as much as Medina did. He’s obsessed with being the cowboy, and despite the years between, can’t stop wondering if Medina may have been just a bit better at it. Whenever their paths cross, he finds a way to bring conversation round to the idea of a contest—to settle the issue once and for all. Medina always declines. She has nothing to prove. But Tyler does, and finding out that Medina is tracking the same fugitive? Game on. Again. And, of course, Tyler is hiding his own secrets about Big Wheel.
Can Medina get to Emily before Tyler? And before Big Wheel? And if she does…do they need to talk about that kiss?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09THR1HH9/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3
And Your Enemies Closer – Rob Parker (Narr: Warren Brown)
If my last selection was one from the warm summertime, this choice was a listen for the dark winter nights. It is the second in the Thirty Miles trilogy and I bought this the day it released as I had loved the first book. It may only have been January 6th but it was one of the best book purchases I made all year.
In the North West criminal underworld, a deal goes tragically wrong, resulting in war between the two main organised crime factions in the region. Shockwaves rock the 30-mile gap between Liverpool and Manchester – with retired detective Brendan Foley right in the middle of it all.
For Brendan, six months after his resignation, life is all different. His marriage is a mess, he’s working as a nightclub bouncer, his brother is still missing and he just can’t stop searching for the crime family that destroyed his life. And at last, he’s found them – and he’s got them bang to rights.
Iona Madison, his one-time partner and now successor as a DI in Warrington Police, is tasked with a body pulled from the River Mersey – a teen-age boy that went missing the previous year, which might bring her own conduct into question. Not only that, Brendan is feeding her information whether she likes it or not – and his unsanctioned activities are causing her headaches.
And now, there’s a price on his head. A million pounds, dead or alive.
And Your Enemies Closer is a serpentine race against time as Brendan and Iona must stay one step ahead of criminals at every corner, while trying to bring justice – in whatever form it takes, and whatever loyalties it might burn.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Enemies-Closer-Thirty-Trilogy/dp/B09NC7TCSX/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Rob+Parker&qid=1671054727&s=audible&sr=1-1
The Dying Squad – Adam Simcox (Narr: Sophie Aldred)
I love when someone shakes things up a bit and brings different elements to a crime story. How about the two principle investigators being dead? A policeman solving his own murder? Sign me up for that one – it was brilliant!
Who better to solve a murder than a dead detective?
When Detective Inspector Joe Lazarus storms a Lincolnshire farmhouse, he expects to bring down a notorious drug gang; instead, he discovers his own body and a spirit guide called Daisy-May.
She’s there to enlist him to the Dying Squad, a spectral police force who solve crimes their flesh and blood counterparts cannot.
Lazarus reluctantly accepts and returns to the Lincolnshire Badlands, where he faces dangers from both the living and the dead in his quest to discover the identity of his killer – before they kill again.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dying-Squad/dp/B08T1WBWF5/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Adam+Simcox&qid=1671055145&s=audible&sr=1-2
The Book of Cold Cases – Simone St. James (Narr: Pressley, Potter, Petkoff)
This was atmospheric, wonderfully narrated, delightfully twisty and in Beth Greer a powerful character that I just could not figure out – terrific writing by Simone St James, I was utterly hooked on this one.
A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times best-selling author of The Sun Down Motel.
In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect – a rich, eccentric 23-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.
Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases – a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea’s surprise, Beth says yes.
They meet regularly at Beth’s mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she’s not looking, and she could swear she’s seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn’t right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Book-of-Cold-Cases/dp/B098YNXGV1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3Q73X04EH227X&keywords=book+of+cold+cases&qid=1671055383&s=audible&sprefix=the+book+of+cold+ca%2Caudible%2C123&sr=1-1
The Dynasty – Jeff Benedict (Narr: Todd Menesses)
I love American Football, have done for years and the weeks from September through to February when I can watch the NFL matches always give me some of the best sport viewing of the year. I don’t follow the New England Patriots – would someone from Scotland cheer for a New England team? Well yes we would, we aren’t all mad racists like certain newspapers may have you believe. Nah, I am a Packers fan and have been for over 20 years but I knew a little about the Patriots, about Tom Brady and Bill Belichick so I thought I would give this a spin. Wow. Wow. Wow. My mind was blown as I discovered how little I knew about the NFL, the team dynamics and these larger than life figures.
From the number-one New York Times best-selling coauthor of Tiger Woods comes the definitive inside story of the New England Patriots – the greatest sports dynasty of the 21st century.
It’s easy to forget that the New England Patriots were once the laughingstock of the NFL, a nearly bankrupt team that had never won a championship and was on the brink of moving to St. Louis. Everything changed in 1994, when Robert Kraft acquired the franchise and soon brought on board Head Coach Bill Belichick and Quarterback Tom Brady. Since then, the Patriots have become a juggernaut, making 10 trips to the Super Bowl, winning six of them, and emerging as one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world.
How was the Patriots dynasty built? And how did it last for two decades? In The Dynasty, acclaimed journalist Jeff Benedict provides richly reported answers in a sweeping account based on exclusive interviews with more than 200 insiders – including team executives, coaches, players, players’ wives, team doctors, lawyers, and more – as well as never-before-seen recordings, documents, and electronic communications.
Through his exhaustive research, Benedict uncovers surprising new details about the inner workings of a team notorious for its secrecy. He puts listeners in the room as Robert Kraft outmaneuvers a legion of lawyers and investors to buy the team. We listen in on the phone call when the greatest trade ever made – Bill Belichick for a first-round draft choice – is negotiated. And we look over the shoulder of 40-year-old Tom Brady as a surgeon operates on his throwing hand on the eve of the AFC Championship Game in 2018.
But the portrait that emerges in The Dynasty is more rewarding than new details alone. By tracing the team’s epic run through the perspectives of Kraft, Belichick, and Brady – each of whom was interviewed for the book – the author provides a wealth of new insight into the complex human beings most responsible for the Patriots’ success. We watch the NFL’s savviest owner treat Brady like a son, empower Belichick to cut and trade beloved players, and spend sleepless nights figuring out diplomatic ways to keep Brady and Belichick together for two decades. We come to understand how a genius head coach keeps his players at an emotional distance and blocks out anything that gets in the way of winning. And we experience the relentless drive, ferocious competitive nature, and emotional sensitivity that allows Brady to continue playing football into his 40s.
The result is an intimate portrait that captures the human drama of the dynasty’s three key characters while also revealing the secrets behind their success. This is perhaps the most compelling and illuminating book that will ever be written about the greatest professional sports team of our time.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dynasty/dp/B088MKXN8N/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21WK22IHFA309&keywords=the+dynasty+jeff+benedict&qid=1671056224&s=audible&sprefix=the+dynasty%2C+jeff%2Caudible%2C147&sr=1-1
Sleep – C. L. Taylor (Narr: Clare Corbett)
I was always going to listen to Sleep at some point in 2022. I had heard Cally Taylor talking about the book during the Bloody Scotland festival. The thought of a small group thrown together in a small hotel on a remote Scottish island was too much of a hook for me to pass on. Sleep was one of the stories which saw me taking longer routes on the evening dog walks so I could listen for longer.
Seven guests. Seven secrets. One killer. Do you dare to sleep?
All Anna wants is to be able to sleep. But crushing insomnia, terrifying night terrors and memories of that terrible night are making it impossible. If only she didn’t feel so guilty….
To escape her past, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, but when seven guests join her, what started as a retreat from the world turns into a deadly nightmare.
Each of the guests has a secret, but one of them is lying—about who they are and why they’re on the island. There’s a murderer staying in the Bay View hotel. And they’ve set their sights on Anna.
Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One deadly lie.
Someone’s going to sleep and never wake up….
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep/dp/B07GFTWK8S/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=C.L.+Taylor&qid=1671056682&s=audible&sr=1-6
Vine Street – Dominic Nolan (Narr: Owen Findlay)
The book I was listening to as 2021 faded into the past and we welcomed 2022 (not that I was listening as the Hogmanay bells were ringing out – you know what I mean). The first audiobook I finished in 2022 and it’s still the book I am recommending everyone to read as we reach mid-December. I haven’t put this list in an order of preference but if I had Vine Street would have been my Number One recommendation.
Soho, 1935.
Sergeant Leon Geats’ Patch.
A snarling, skull-cracking misanthrope, Geats marshals the grimy rabble according to his own elastic moral code.
The narrow alleys are brimming with jazz bars, bookies, black-shirts, ponces and tarts, so when a body is found above the Windmill Club, detectives are content to dismiss the case as just another young woman who topped herself early.
But Geats – a good man prepared to be a bad one if it keeps the worst of them at bay – knows the dark seams of the city.
Working with his former partner, mercenary Flying Squad Sergeant Mark Cassar, Geats obsessively dedicates himself to finding a warped killer – a decision that will reverberate for a lifetime and transform both men in ways they could never expect.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B093Y38WDQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
Violent Ends – Neil Broadfoot (Narr: Angus King)
The fifth title in the Connor Fraser series and these are books I always prefer to listen to as Angus King does such a wonderful job of bringing Neil Broadfoot’s characters to life for me. I have been describing Violent Ends as “Line of Duty meets Backdraft.” The clash and grudging cooperation of Police and Fire Services made for a hugely entertaining story. It’s also full on action which just made it damned hard to find a “good” spot to stop listening and rejoin the real world.
Having the wrong client can be murder….
The voice was smooth, cultured, almost tender as it oozed from the phone into Connor Fraser’s ear. ‘I’ve heard about you, Mr Fraser, and I’m very impressed by your work. So I’ve decided to employ you. I am going to kill Father John Donnelly sometime in the next seven days. And you are going to stop me—or die trying. If you check your account, you’ll see I’ve deposited £70,000. And, just to be fair, I’ll give you an hour, starting now, to find Father Donnelly before the games begin. Refuse my offer, and someone you love will die. Good hunting, to both of us.’
The thought it’s a sick joke lasts for as long as it takes Connor to find that £70,000 has been deposited into his PayPal account and for him to receive an email with a picture of his grandmother. With no choice but to make a deal with the devil, Connor races to unmask a killer before he strikes and uncovers a mystery that stretches back decades, threatening the people closest to him.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09STHMXH2/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
Silverweed Road – Simon Crook (Narr: Karai, Nicholas Camm, Sam Stafford)
It was something of a shock to add The Dynasty (a non-fiction audiobook) to my list of favourite listens – I don’t really read non-fiction. However, if you had told me in January I would be including a collection of short stories in my list of favourites I would have laughed you out of town. I never enjoy short stories. Except now I can’t say that as Silverweed Road was great fun. A collection of quirky, creepy and horrifying tales which all play out in the same housing estate but are all vastly different in the telling. Some characters or events may overlap (bleed?) into more than one story and this just made the whole expereince more absorbing.
A collection of chilling and weird stories all set on one (seemingly) everyday suburban street in the UK…
Behind each door lies something strange and terrifying. Here, the normal is made nightmarish, from howls of were-foxes to satanic car-boot sales. Creepy, terrifying and witty by turn, Silverweed Road deals in love, loss, isolation, loneliness, obsession, greed and revenge. As the screw turns with each story, Crook creates a world of pure imagination, constantly surprising, in a setting that is instantly recognisable but other-worldly at the same time.
This is fun British suburban horror at its best, with nods to M.R. James, Angela Carter, Roald Dahl and echoes of Inside No. 9, Stranger Things and Black Mirror.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09SKJ1HZL/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
And there we have it – ten great books which I enjoyed having someone else read to me.
Many people don’t feel they can enjoy an audiobook. I didn’t enjoy audiobooks until relatively recently but they make long drives more fun, nightly dog walks more varied and the daily commute more tolerable. I am already excited to get started on listening to more books so I can share my favourites in December 2023. If you have any suggestions for books I should try then please tweet me @grabthisbook
Paris Requiem – Chris Lloyd
The Last Line – Stephen Ronson
The Darkest Sin – D V Bishop
The Sun Down Motel – Simone St James
The Institution – Helen Fields
The Devil You Know – Neil Lancaster
The Hotel – Louise Mumford
Murdle – G T Karber
The Silent Man – David Fennell
The Stranger Times – C.K McDonnell
