Books
The very best crime audiobooks of 2022
It’s been a phenomenal year for audiobooks with more of us than ever reaching for our headphones and choosing an enticing book to listen to. So when we picked our best crime audiobooks of 2022 we were really spoilt for choice, with eagerly awaited sequels, overnight bestsellers and curated compilations all keeping crime fans in suspense this year.
Chosen by a team of audiobook connoisseurs, there’s something for everyone here Give one a try and discover your next great listen.
The best crime audiobooks of 2022:
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
The highly anticipated third instalment in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series broke records to become the most pre-ordered audiobook ever and it certainly does not disappoint. The murder club’s ageing investigators are primed and ready to crack a new case and this time they’re up against TV stars, money launderers and ex-KGB colonels.
Narrated by BAFTA winning actor Fiona Shaw and featuring an exclusive interview between Osman and journalist turned TV presenter Steph McGovern, this witty caper is as clever as it is entertaining.
No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child
No Plan B by Andrew Child and Lee Child
Jack Reacher’s in Gerrardsville, Colorado when he witnesses a man push a woman to her death, yet the death is ruled a suicide. When another homicide is ruled an accident, he knows it’s no coincidence: a killer is on the loose and Reacher is determined to find out who it is. But little does he know these crimes are part of something much bigger and his life could be on the line…
Read by Scott Brick, this has everything you’d want in a Jack Reacher classic and the fast-paced action will keep your pulse racing.
With a Mind to Kill by Anthony Horowitz
With a Mind to Kill by Anthony Horowitz
It’s M’s funeral and one man is missing from the graveside: James Bond. Instead of paying his respects to a trusted colleague and friend, he’s in custody, accused of M’s murder.
This is a dark and cleverly plotted Bond thriller, narrated by Rory Kinnear, that tests 007 to his limits and sees him questioning his loyalties at the end of his career. Fans of Ian Fleming’s Bond will appreciate the respect that Anthony Horowitz pays in his portrayal, as well as deft plot twists fitting of the world’s most iconic secret agent.
Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton
Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton
Ex-detective Elise King has moved to the sleepy seaside town of Ebbing for a quieter life, but her peace is shattered when two teenagers end up in hospital having overdosed on drugs and a local man vanishes seemingly without a trace. Elise can’t help herself and starts searching for answers, but this community aren’t ready for their secrets to be discovered.
An atmospheric mystery, voiced by Garbrielle Glaister, where neighbours are as suspicious as friends. It’ll stay with you long after you’ve listened to the final chapter.
The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
A bag of human remains is found washed up on the banks of the Thames with clues leading the detective in charge, DCI Samuel Owusu, to four deaths and an unsolved mystery.
A story that spans from London to Chicago, this has twisted marriages, fractured families and deadly obsessions at its heart and is a multi-narrator exploration of an adulthood scarred by a traumatic childhood. If you liked The Family Upstairs, you’ll love this suspense-filled standalone sequel.
The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz
The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz
The new play by reluctant author Anthony Horowitz opens at London’s Vaudeville Theatre to a particularly brutal review from critic Harriet Throsby. The next morning she’s dead and the murder weapon has Horowitz’s fingerprints all over it. Arrested and charged for murder, despite pleading his innocence, things go from bad to worse when a second critic is found dead. With no one else to turn to Horowitz puts in a call to estranged friend ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne. But will he put grievances aside to clear Horowitz’s name?
If cosy crime’s your thing, you’ll love this thoroughly enjoyable mystery.
Val McDermid: A BBC Radio Drama Collection by Val McDermid
Val McDermid: A BBC Radio Drama Collection by Val McDermid
‘Queen of Crime’ Val McDermid is a juggernaut of crime writing and a connoisseur of tartan noir. This fantastic collection includes full-cast adaptations of several of her acclaimed novels, as well as four thrilling tales written especially for BBC Radio.
From historical crime to an apocalyptic mystery, featuring blackmail, counterfeiting, revenge, affairs and gruesome murders, each story is as engrossing as it is effortlessly thrilling, and the all-star casts make this selection a real delight.
Nicholas Freeling: Van der Valk & Castang by Nicholas Freeling
Nicholas Freeling: Van der Valk & Castang by Nicholas Freeling
Dutch Commissaris Van der Valk and French policeman Henri Castang are Nicholas Freeling’s infamous detectives.
Collecting together six of Freeling’s stories featuring the two sleuths, this compilation of BBC adaptations includes the first novel in the Van der Valk series and the first book featuring Henri Castang. A bonus programme exploring Van der Valk and his creator makes this bumper edition a must listen-to.
The Patricia Highsmith BBC Radio Collection by Patricia Highsmith
The Patricia Highsmith BBC Radio Collection by Patricia Highsmith
Renowned for her bestselling Ripley novels, as well as the iconic thriller Strangers on a Train, no one writes psychological crime drama like Patricia Highsmith.
This BBC radio collection brings together her best-known works, alongside short stories and three programmes exploring both the author and her anti-hero Tom Ripley. An entertaining and compelling compilation featuring star-studded casts including Ian Hart, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy and Zoe Wanamaker, making every story a real treat.
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
Escape to 1920s London and the wild debauchery of Soho’s nightlife scene. Amongst the gangsters and dancing girls you’ll meet ambitious matriarch and nightclub proprietor extraordinaire Ma Coker, who’s determined to push her six children forward and defend her empire from ruin.
Narrator Jason Watkins brings to life the cast of colourful characters, who all feel suitably at home in the dark underbelly of the city. A raucous tale of debt, corruption and seduction, rife with crime and intrigue.
There you have it – the best crime audiobooks of 2022! What would make your list? Let us know in the comments below…
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