23 of the best crime and thriller audiobooks

Bad Blood tells the story of the epic rise and shocking collapse of Theranos, a start-up "unicorn", founded by Elizabeth Holmes, that promised to revolutionize the medical industry with technology to make blood testing faster and easier. Theranos was valued at more than $9 billion, and Holmes herself an estimated $4.7 billion, earning her the title of the female Steve Jobs. But there was a problem – the technology didn't work. Narrated by Will Damron, listen to how the biggest corporate fraud since Enron unravelled, causing rifts in the cutthroat world of Silicon Valley. 

Kindle County’s most revered courtroom advocate, Sandy Stern, has been persuaded to defend his old friend Kiril Pafko, despite being eighty-five years old and in precarious health. The former Nobel prize-winner has been charged in a federal racketeering indictment with fraud, insider trading and murder. As Stern begins to question everything he thought he knew about his friend, he finds his duty to defend his client and his belief in the judicial system facing a terrible final test. This masterful legal thriller unfolds with page-turning suspense.

Carol Ann Lee's account of the White House Farm murders was the inspiration for ITV's series White House Farm. Nevill and June Bamber, their daughter Sheila and her two young sons were discovered shot to death in their home. All the windows and doors of the farmhouse were secure. The Bambers' son, 24-year-old Jeremy, alerted the police after apparently receiving a phone call from his father who told him Sheila had 'gone berserk' with the gun. At first it appeared to be a straightforward case of murder-suicide, but a dramatic turn of events was to disprove the police's theory and Jeremy was convicted of killing his entire family.

On 10 October 1986, the bodies of two young girls were found in a Brighton park. The girls were nine-year-olds Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway who had gone out to play the day before and not returned home. Evidence mounted against a local man Russell Bishop, but a shock trial result saw him walk free.

Three years later, Graham Bartlett was working for Brighton CID when a seven-year-old was abducted and left to die. She survived, and connections were made to Russell Bishop. Will the police put him away this time? With unique access to the officers involved in the investigation, former senior detective Graham Bartlett and bestselling author Peter James tell the fascinating inside story of a thirty-two year fight for justice in this true crime book.

Star of ITV's series, Vera Stanhope returns in the tenth novel of Ann Cleeves' acclaimed series. Every five years, a group of friends returns to Holy Island where, fifty years ago, one of them was lost to the rising waters of the causeway. But when one of them is found hanged, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope is called in. Learning that the recent victim had been fired after misconduct allegations, Vera becomes increasingly suspicious. Brought to life by Janine Birkett's narration, Vera must discover whether the events of many years before could have led to murder then, and now . . . 

Set in the fast-paced world of high finance, David Baldacci brings us another heart-racing thriller, expertly narrated by Christine Lakin. After fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda for New York's financial district, Travis Devine is soon embroiled in the greed, power and jealousy that pervades the cut-throat world of investment banking. Every day, Devine puts on a his suit and boards the 6.20 a.m. commuter train to Manhattan. But his routine is quickly shattered by an anonymous email declaring that Sarah Ewes, his colleague and friend, has been found dead – and she is just the first victim. Soon, Devine must question who he can trust and who he must fight . . .  

When the sudden death of Charlie Cavendish, a pupil at a small private boarding school in Norfolk, creates suspicion from the local police force, high-flying Detective Inspector Jazmine ‘Jazz’ Hunter is called to investigate. Soon, she is confronted by another troubling revelation – Charlie is exposed as an arrogant bully, giving those around him a motive to switch the drugs he took daily to control his epilepsy. But that's just the beginning – further deaths and disappearances plague the school, revealing secrets darker than Jazz could ever have imagined. From the author of the multimillion-selling The Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley doesn't disappoint with this suspenseful and utterly compelling crime novel. 

A bold reimagining of the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926, Nina Gramont's The Christie Affair is an essential crime fiction listen. While Agatha Christie's world is full of glamorous parties and growing literary fame, Nan O'Dea lives a very different reality. Having lived through both a tough London upbringing during the Great War, and a period of tragedy in Ireland, Nan is drawn to Agatha Christie. Despite an affair with Agatha's husband, the two women become the most unlikely of allies. And during the mysterious eleven days that Agatha goes missing, they will unravel a dark secret that only Nan holds the key to . . .   

What starts as a weekend getaway in Portugal between six friends soon becomes far darker when only five of them end the trip alive. Jack, Rachel, Noah, Paige, and Will have known each other for years while Ali, as Will's fiancée is a newcomer to the group. A weekend away is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the engagement and get to know Ali better. But by the end of the weekend, friendships are questioned as there's one dead body and five people with guilty consciences, one of whom must be the killer. From the author of The Other Woman, Sandie Jones promises compelling twists in this crime fiction page-turner, perfect for audio.    

In the latest installment of the bestselling Roy Grace series, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace finds himself plunged into an unfamiliar and rarefied world of fine art; but beneath the veneer lurks greed, deception and violence. 

Harry and Freya are an ordinary couple, dreaming of finding a hidden treasure at a car boot sale. And then one day, they do. After buying a nondescript portrait for a couple of pounds, they discover a stunning landscape tucked between the painting and the frame. One collector is sure it's genuine and therefore worth millions. But what was Harry and Freya's dream, soon becomes their worst nightmare . . . 

This compelling read spins out from the double murder of Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela. Twenty-one years later, their daughter – dubbed the Angel of Death – has spent eight years in a children’s secure unit and is living peacefully with an assumed identity. But a documentary team has tracked down her sister, and a childhood friend turned journalist is tasked with revisiting the terrible events of the murder, with explosive results.

Police detective Alec Nichols faces a horrific crime at a farm in the backwater English seaside town of Ilmarsh: sixteen horses heads buried with an eye turned to the winter sun. This is the first of chain of crimes waiting to be uncovered, from arson to mutilations. Nichols and forensic vet Cooper Allen try to cut through the conspiracy stories and reach the truth, as the town slips into panic.

This mystery is set in the backstreets and pleasure gardens of London in the late 18th century. Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham comes across a stylishly dressed woman, dying of her wounds in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The Bow Street constabulary are keen to help, until they find out that the woman was a highly paid prostitute. So Caro determines to solve the crime herself, with the help of thieftaker Peregrine Child, and becomes entangled in a mesh of deception and duality, where respectable 'gentlemen' care little for the fate of the dead woman.

If your family was targeted in the middle of the night, what would you do? After a horrible tragedy, a family retreat to rural Scotland for a much-needed escape. But, in the dead of night, a group of strangers break into the house. As the family fight for their lives, long-kept secrets are revealed and everything could be lost. This nerve-shredding thriller book will keep you up at night.

Black 13 is the exhilarating first spy thriller book in Adam Hamdy’s Scott Pearce series. Radical extremists are rising and governments, the military and intelligence agencies are outmanoeuvred, borders are breaking down and the people in power are puppets. In this new world, one man will make a difference. That man is Ex-MI6 agent in exile, Scott Pearce.

The Dales Detective Agency is about to face its biggest challenge after a fatal accident at Bruncliffe's livestock auction. Detective duo Samson O’Brien and Delilah Metcalfe are called in for a simple health and safety investigation, but things take a dark turn when they discover evidence that points to murder. If you love cosy crime books set in spectacular landscapes, you'll love this intriguing murder mystery.

Told from three different perspectives – father, mother and daughter – this psychological thriller audiobook asks: ‘what would you do if your child was suspected of murder?’ The three sections of the audiobook are read by different narrators – Richard Armitage, who has starred in Hannibal, The Hobbit and Spooks, award-winning actress Emily Watson and Georgia Maguire – bringing to life each character’s story.

Hugh Bonneville, star of Downton Abbey and the Paddington films, reads this explosive thriller audiobook from Peter James. Investigative reporter Ross Hunter receives a call which will change his life – a man is claiming that he’s been given absolute proof of God’s existence, and he wants Ross’s help to get the story taken seriously. The stakes are high for religious organisations around the world, can Ross survive long enough to present the evidence? The audiobook includes additional content where Peter James discusses the inspiration behind the book.

Listen to Peter James and Hugh Bonneville discuss Absolute Proof, religion and how they became friends

June, 1781. A body hangs upon a hook at a London dock - the victim of torture and branded with a slaver's mark. Captain Harry Corsham quickly finds himself embroiled in this mystery, plunged into an investigation full of secrets and the looming threat of mortal danger.

Frankie James thought his troubles were behind him. He’s busy running his Soho Club and his brother’s finally out of prison. When the goddaughter of London's fiercest gangster, Tommy Riley, goes missing in Ibiza, Tommy knows that Frankie is the only man for the job. If Frankie agrees to help find Tanya, he’ll be thrown into a world of danger again. But if he doesn’t, Tommy could destroy him. Double Kiss is the fast-paced, gripping sequel to Framed, by snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan. The audiobook is read by Nick Moran, best known for his role as Eddie the card sharp in Guy Ritchie’s British crime comedy Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Last Bus to Woodstock is the novel that began Colin Dexter's phenomenally successful Inspector Morse series, famously brought to life by John Thaw in the popular TV series.

The death of Sylvia Kaye figured dramatically in Thursday afternoon's edition of the Oxford Mail. By Friday evening Inspector Morse had informed the nation that the police were looking for a dangerous man. But as the obvious leads fade into twilight and darkness, Morse becomes more and more convinced that passion holds the key.

Redemption is the fifth audiobook in David Baldacci’s Amos Decker series, and sees the memory man returning to his hometown to commemorate the birthday of his daughter Molly, who was brutally murdered along with his wife and brother-in-law. While in town, he is tracked down by Meryl Hawkins, the first man he ever arrested for homicide more than twelve years ago. Meryl has always maintained his innocence, so could Decker have made a fatal mistake? The novel sees Amos reunited with his former partner Mary Lancaster, a partnership that is thrillingly brought to life in the audiobook by narrators Kyf Brewer and Orlagh Cassidy.