Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Pandemic Playlist: 6 Killer Crime Novels To Listen To While You're Quarantined
(Photo by Findaway Voices on Unsplash)
()
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
In this holding pattern we call sheltering in place, people seem to be divided between two radically different forms of media. There are those who need scary stories (the news, movies like "Contagion"), and those who want escapism (video games, series like "Tiger King"). But there's also a great middle ground: audiobooks of mystery and crime novels.
While you can't hit hiking trails anymore, and long car drives have become a thing of the past, there are still plenty of other opportunities to listen to a good book: walks around the neighborhood, time spent cooking meals, or maybe just taking a break from everything else and collapsing into a comfy chair with earbuds.
The best crime novels are, by definition, about crimes, and sometimes the violence can be graphic. But there's something about hearing books read (rather than reading them yourself) that makes the performance of the text somewhat distancing. And the best readers, including all of the actors who narrate the novels that follow, can transport you out of the real world to somewhere as far away as Australia's Outback or a psychiatric hospital outside of London.
Support for LAist comes from
DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS
Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines.
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Of course, you also can read the physical books. But consider ordering from a local bookstore or a great independent shop that delivers, such as Vromans here in Pasadena or Powells in Portland. Amazon doesn't exactly need the business these days, and it already owns Audible (where most audiobooks can be found).
"The Trespasser" by Tana French
Read by Hilda Fay -- The American-Irish author's crime series "Dublin Murder Squad" runs across several novels. But this 2016 book, about a murder that proves far more complicated than a domestic assault, might be her best. Fay's performance is as good as French's prose, which is almost all brilliant dialogue, with a redoubtable female investigator at the center.
Support for LAist comes from
"The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides
Read by Jack Hawkins and Louise Brealey -- A favorite of critics and everyday readers alike (it was voted the top mystery and thriller book of 2019 at Goodreads), Michaelides's debut novel pits a young therapist against a mental patient who won't talk (the characters are performed by different actors). Its conclusion is both shocking and earned.
"The Lost Man" by Jane Harper
Read by Stephen Shanahan -- It's impossible to separate the Australian novelist ("The Dry," "Force of Nature") from her Australian reader: they just go impossibly well together. All of Harper's novels are very good, but 2018's "The Lost Man," thanks to its immersive sense of place and portrait of a family with secrets, is arguably her best.
Support for LAist comes from
"The Woman in the Window" by A. J. Finn
Read by Ann Marie Lee -- This 2018 novel is probably the pulpiest on the list (a movie is due sometime this year), but it's nevertheless a gripping portrait of an alcoholic agoraphobic who thinks she saw--or did she imagine seeing?--an attack in a home she spies on.
"The Leopard" by Jo Nesbø
Read by Robin Sachs -- The opening paragraphs of this 2011 Norwegian serial killer tale prepare you for what's to come: some very gruesome stuff. While comparisons to Stieg Larsson ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo") are inevitable, Nesbø is arguably a better writer and storyteller.
Support for LAist comes from
"The Whisper Man" by Alex North
Read by Christopher Eccleston -- Who says child abduction can't be diverting? Last year's novel from the British crime writer combines every parent's worst nightmare with a healthy dollop of "The Silence of the Lambs" (in the form of a jailed murderer who dispenses cryptic clues). Don't worry, it ends well enough.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs. -
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
Best of LAist