Best Audiobook: Crime & Thriller
The winner and shortlist for the Best Audiobook: Crime & Thriller category at The British Audio Awards. Supported by Book Off
For audiobooks specific to the crime & thriller genre, including general thrillers, espionage, crime, and procedurals. The audiobook categories celebrate the process from text to listener, including the work of the narrator and audio production team.
Winner
Him
JD Kirk
Audible Originals
Louise Brealey & David Tennant
Him, Audible’s top-performing thriller of the year, was a slick and ambitious audio package. Judges admired the polished production that enhanced JD Kirk’s script, including 3D sound effects that lent a cinematic quality.
“I was completely gripped,” said one judge. “It’s really visceral… it could easily have gone over the top, but it feels completely authentic.”
They also liked the pitch-perfect narration of Louise Brealey and David Tennant – who brings a second Speakies award back to the Tennant household, alongside wife Georgia in the Romance category.
Shortlist
Default Step
Guilty by Definition
Susie Dent
Zaffre
Louise Brealey
Chelsea Graham
The publisher sought to build on the author's fan-base by creating an unmissable audio production, with ambitious casting, and bonus content positioning Susie Dent as an acclaimed voice in crime fiction. "We couldn’t have found a better fit," said the author of narrator Louise Brealey.
Him
JD Kirk
Audible Originals
David Tennant, Louise Brealey
N/a
Audible's best-performing thriller of the year, this took bestselling e-book author, Kirk, into the dark realm of a techno-thriller, featuring the stellar the talents of Louise Brealey and David Tennant. The audiobook has found an international audience, too, resonating with listeners across multiple territories.
Lovers of Franz K
Burhan Sönmez
Oakhill
Various
N/a
The audiobook adaptation presented a series of challenges for publisher Ulverscroft. A large cast of Lucy Scott, Will Close, Simon Brett, Seán Barrett, Mark Meadows, Max Dowler, Willow Nash, were recorded individually, with the team layering the audio recordings to create a sense of theatre and interplay.
Marble Hall Murders
Anthony Horowitz
Penguin Audio
Lesley Manville, Tim McMullan
Michael Pender, Chris Thompson
The stars of the Magpie Murders TV series, Lesley Manville and Tim McMullan return as Susan Ryeland and Atticus Pund, with author adjusting his schedule to accommodate Manville's recording dates. The publisher focused advertising so that it sat along content from the BBC adaptations.
Panic
LJ Ross
WF Howes
Richard Armitage
N/a
Audio was always destined to play an important role in Ross' Dr Alexander Gregory series, with audio publisher W F Howes establishing a relationship between the author and celebrated actor/narrator Richard Armitage, building on the success of previous titles in the series.
The Hotel Avocado
Bob Mortimer
Gallery
Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse, Sally Phillips, Julie Maisey
Heavy Entertainment/David Roper
Read by a star cast of Bob Mortimer, Sally Phillips, Paul Whitehouse, Julie Maisey, this is the comedian's second fiction title, and the publisher set out to build on his audio track record, placing the audio at the centre of its campaign.
