A.A. Abbott

GREAT CRIME STORY WRITER

crime

Multi-Tasking & More: Why We Adore Audiobooks (and Why We Don’t)

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AA Abbott's Chilling Psychological Thriller BRIGHT LIES is now available on audiobook so you can listen through headphones

Before the audiobook version of my thriller, BRIGHT LIES, was released, I ran an online survey about audiobooks. Why did readers love them – or, in some cases, hate them?

Scores on the Doors – those audiobook survey results

Before going into detail, I should comment on the people I surveyed. I write psychological thrillers and mysteries, so naturally, many of those I asked were thriller fans. For instance, I approached my newsletter subscribers, and Facebook groups dedicated to crime fiction and Audible books. It’s hardly surprising that 94% of the 182 respondents loved audiobooks, 73% listened to audiobook thrillers and 60% to mysteries. Non-fiction, adventure stories and historical fiction were also popular with at least 25% of the readers who replied. Nearly half preferred an audiobook to a paperback or ebook.

83% were over 45, perhaps a reflection of Facebook’s popularity in older age groups. However, although I expected a majority of readers to identify as female, I  didn’t think as many as 90% would do so. The age and gender of survey participants explains why so few listened to young adult fiction (6%) or horror (10%). Romance listeners (13%) lagged behind sci-fi (14%) and fantasy (23%).

Despite the skewed audience, the survey results were interesting. Readers generously explained the pros and cons of audiobooks, recommended their favourites, and gave price-saving tips. If you’re on a budget, fear not – it is possible to get hold of audiobooks for free, or certainly cheaply.

Why audiobooks?

Of the 47% who preferred audiobooks to any other format, the reason most often cited was that listeners could multi-task. You can drive, go for a walk, do the chores and even (in one instance) do a boring low-paid job while enjoying audiobooks. Others said they were relaxing, helped reduce eyestrain, eased the loneliness of isolation in the pandemic and really brought a story to life. The last point depended heavily on the quality of narrator. Listeners felt the narrator could make or break a book. Angus King, Jim Dale, Stephen Fry and Stephen Mendel were repeatedly praised.

34% listened when travelling, 28% when exercising or doing chores and 38% when chilling out at home.

Why not?

Audiobooks were left on the shelf by those who preferred to imagine the characters’ voices for themselves, who thought reading was quicker or had hearing problems. A couple of readers had never yet found a narrator they liked: either the voice was irritating or it failed to hold their interest and they zoned out. One respondent was annoyed that audiobooks sent them to sleep (although audio fans mentioned it as a point in favour). Others recognised that audiobooks were expensive to produce, and their high price was justified, but it sadly made them unaffordable on a limited budget. The money-saving tips below should help!

Free and cheap audiobooks

For those on a budget, helpful readers suggested borrowing audiobooks for free from the local library. Free Audible codes are sometimes offered in Facebook groups in exchange for a review. Promotional sites like Chirp also have cheap daily deals, such as 99p/99c audiobooks. (I take the Chirp newsletter myself and have been impressed by the range and quality of deals on offer.) Even full price titles can be purchased at a discount by buying an ebook from Amazon and upgrading to audio. The combined cost is usually much less than the Audible price.

Listening to sample clips on Amazon removes the guesswork, too: if you like a sample, you know you won’t be wasting your time and money.

Recommended writers and narrators for audiobooks

As well as the narrators mentioned above, certain writers were very, very popular. JK Rowling and LJ Ross led the pack, followed by Val McDermid, Peter James, JD Kirk, Elly Griffiths, Denzil Meyrick, James Patterson, Stuart McBride and Terry Pratchett. Others who received several mentions included Stephen King and Agatha Christie. Naturally, given the groups surveyed, there was a preference for crime writers.

Finding audiobooks

Amazon/Audible was the biggest source of recommendations for new audiobooks, followed by social media, libraries, friends, bloggers and Goodreads. Only 6% took any notice of ads. Facebook was by far the most popular social media source (but this is no surprise, given that I mainly surveyed Facebook groups).

More advice from those in the know – publishers, take note!

Seasoned audiobook listeners had several pieces of advice for authors and publishers. They would like to see a wider range of titles in audio, but stressed that good narration and production were essential. Audiobooks should be proofed just like the printed page: there is no excuse for errors. Listeners were looking for narration with a pleasant voice, accuracy and sympathy for the story. They disliked an unduly slow narrator, a heavy regional accent or someone who mispronounced words. Where a series was recorded in audio, they pleaded for the same narrator to be used throughout.

Rumours of death are much exaggerated

Audiobook sales have been rising for years, and rumours of their demise as a result of the pandemic are much exaggerated. Although commuting is down on pre-pandemic levels, housework, gardening, exercising and chilling in an armchair still lend themselves to audiobook listening. It is a flexible format which is here to stay.

I am thrilled that my psychological thriller BRIGHT LIES is now out in audiobook! It’s been narrated by the amazing Eilidh Beaton. Eilidh has already worked with other respected psychological thriller writers, including the excellent Keri Beevis. Hear a clip of Eilidh narrating BRIGHT LIES, here (just click on the arrow under the book cover). She channels teenage Emily’s naiveté and David’s creepiness really well.

In many countries, Amazon will let you add an audio upgrade to your ebook at a modest cost, so do check your local Amazon site!

Book Review – Double Identity by Alison Morton

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Book Review. Alison Morton's international thriller Double Identity, set in Paris and London.

Dreams turn to nightmares…

Mel has found the man of her dreams. After an aristocratic upbringing in rural France and a spell in the French army, she’s ready to settle down and make babies. Parisian financier Gérard appears to be everything she’s looking for: rich, handsome and besotted with her. Sadly, a romantic holiday in London turns into the stuff of nightmares. Mel wakes up in a hotel room to find Gérard dead in bed beside her. Worse, London cop Jeff McCracken thinks Mel is the killer.

Partners from Hell

Once her innocence is proven, Mel is offered a job with an elite European spy team. She jumps at the chance. They’re investigating dodgy financial deals with which Gérard was apparently  involved. She hopes to prove him innocent and find his murderer. To their mutual dismay,however, Mel is required to work alongside the newly promoted Jeff McCracken. A man from a deprived background, Jeff regards as Mel as snobby. She sees him as coarse and misogynistic. Perhaps they are both right, but as the case progresses, they learn to work together. What they find causes Mel to question her belief both in herself and her relationships.

Absorbing action thriller

This is an action thriller, with plenty of fist fights and shoot-outs. They’re very believable, as you’d expect from Alison Morton, a former British Army captain. Her knowledge of Poitou in France, where she now lives, is also put to good use. While the genre is a departure for Morton, who previously penned a series of alt-history thrillers, the story follows her tradition of creating ballsy, kick-ass heroines.

Well-written and fast-paced, “Double Identity” is an absorbing read and a perfect piece of escapism during the pandemic. It’s currently on a blog tour, so you can find out more about it here.

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If “Double Identity” has whetted your appetite for an international thriller packed with action, dodgy deals and a strong female lead, look no further than “The Vodka Trail”. It’s the second thriller in my Trail series, and also a superb read on its own!

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Book Review – Friend Indeed, by Katharine D’Souza

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Friendship, secrets & failed relationships

I was addicted from the very first moment I picked up one of Katharine D’Souza’s novels. Her intelligent women’s fiction is so easy to read that normal life takes a back seat until the book is finished. Fortunately, Friend Indeed is a short novella of 90-odd pages. You can zip through it in a few hours, although it will stay with you long afterwards. Leaving a sense of unease in its wake, the story studies friendship, secrets and failed relationships.

Jane, the narrator, shares her birthday with schoolfriends Maya and Sandra. As grammar school girls with the world at their feet, they swore they would meet up on their fiftieth birthday. That’s why Jane and Sandra travel from Birmingham to Maya’s flash party in London.

A unlikeable narrator

Maya is the only one of the trio to escape their hometown. She’s a respected journalist, her weekly columns read avidly by the other two. Sandra is pleased for her and thrilled to be included in her birthday plans. By contrast, Jane feels overshadowed and resentful of Maya’s success.

Jane is honest in revealing her thoughts to the reader: possibly too frank. She comes across as a reliable narrator, but not a likeable one. If I met her at a party, I’d avoid her like the plague. Ms D’Souza deals with her gently, however.  There is a hint that Jane is capable – perhaps – of  leaving envy behind.

Domestic noir

This is no crime thriller, but in its exploration of family drama and secrets, it verges on domestic noir. For a short book, Friend Indeed has a powerful, lingering effect. Don’t be surprised if old friends invade your nightmares once you’ve read it.

Friend Indeed by Katharine D'Souza - abook that explores secrets, lies and domestic noir

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Do you enjoy a really dark slice of domestic noir? My new psychological thriller, Bright Lies, delivers exactly that. Emily is only 13 when David becomes her stepfather, and she’s thrilled that the handsome artist wants to mentor her. She doesn’t know she’ll end up running for her life…
“Compelling drama – 5 stars” – Readers’ Favorite, USA.

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Book Review – Death Strikes Back, by Carolyn Stubbs

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Short and slick suspense thriller

Carolyn Stubbs suspense thriller novella begins in an English monastery.

The Victorians loved a touch of Gothic in their stories – a creeping sense of menace to send an enjoyable chill down the reader’s spine. Although Carolyn Stubbs’ debut story is set firmly in the 21st century, it retains a Gothic feeling of unease on each page. The mystery begins when a stranger arrives at an English monastery at midnight. Georgio Stefano has made bad choices in his life. Even now, when he unburdens himself to the holy men who give him succour, he doesn’t realise exactly how much trouble he is in.

This is a novella, so every word has to count. There is a lot going on in the book’s 46 pages, including a scary diversion into the paranormal. Thriller fans will enjoy the twists emerging once Georgio decides he must atone for his sins.

Murder, mystery and horror

Although a suspense thriller, the tale segues into murder, mystery and horror. It should therefore appeal to readers of those genres too. Most of all, it reminds me of 19th century favourites like MR James’ “Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come To You My Lad”, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla” – all of which I read on a beach as a teenager during one hot summer. (I admit this is strange behaviour.) Tightly written and imaginative, “Death Strikes Back” is a real page turner. Although I loved the ending, I was sad to finish the book.

The paperback is well-priced

My only gripe – a minor one – is that the publishers are clearly angling for print sales. The paperback version is well-priced; the ebook less so. Having said that, the prices are competitive with MR James books of a similar length.

Read it!

Carolyn Stubbs is an exciting new talent and this slice of 21st century Gothic is well worth reading.

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If you like a bite-sized read, try my free short stories here.

Book Review – Blood Red Rabbit, by Tom Bryson

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Tense psychological thriller about the Troublesblood red rabbit tense psychological thriller northern ireland troubles

British writer Tom Bryson is uniquely qualified to write a psychological thriller about the Troubles in Northern Ireland – he’s a Derry boy who lived through them. “Blood Red Rabbit” begins in the aftermath of a terrible crime: a bomb blast in a busy town centre. Neither side of the sectarian divide claims responsibility, possibly because both are affected by it. Protestants and Catholics alike have lost loved ones, and the survivors are hurting. Guilt gnaws at Tony, who saw a fellow football supporter lose a hand. Teenage student Neil should have a bright future, but is overwhelmed by grief for his dead sister. John wishes he’d died instead of the colleague who swapped shifts as a favour.

Deadly ripples

Deadly ripples spread. Alcoholism, mental illness and revenge stalk the town. There will be further deaths before green shoots of reconciliation emerge. Slowly, they do. From the mourning family who laugh as they speculate whose bomb it was, to the hate crime victim who just wants to move on, to an accidental romance that bridges the divide – hope springs in unexpected places. Ultimately, the greatest gulf is between those who stay damaged by the past, and those who put it behind them.

Should be a bestseller

The characters in this tense thriller are well-drawn: distinct, interesting, not always lovable, but wholly believable. Through them, the historic differences and present-day experiences of Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland are explained and contrasted. The plot is sad, mad and finally, inspiring. Tom Bryson writes with a sure hand equal to any book in the bestseller charts.

“Blood Red Rabbit” is 99p  as an ebook (paperback also available) – an absolute bargain for writing of this quality.

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If you like a tense thriller with its roots in the past, try “The Vodka Trail”. Birmingham businessman Marty Bridges made a fortune when the Soviet Union imploded, but Kat White, daughter of his dead business partner, is convinced he has blood on his hands…

Book Review – Absolution, by Paul E Hardisty

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Framed for murder…a book review absolution by paule hardisty is a gripping thriller

Paul E Hardisty’s Absolution takes us back to 1997, when hero Clay Straker has just testified about the horrors of South African apartheid to Mandela’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In doing so, he’s made enemies who want him dead.

He’s not the only one, it seems. Clay’s former girlfriend, Rania, is devastated by the deaths of her husband and small son. Even worse, someone has framed her for their murders.

Travelling to Egypt to try to discover the truth, she asks Clay for help. He really wants to oblige, but assassins lurk at every port and airstrip as he crosses Africa to join her. Clay needs all his cash, firepower and cunning to survive.

This crime mystery shifts swiftly into an action thriller

Although beginning as a crime mystery with the disappearance and killing of Rania’s family, Absolution is an action thriller above all. Each conflict and slaughter is described in gory, bone-crushing detail. Every weapon is itemised. Clay is a man’s man: a connoisseur of guns, hard-nosed and heavy-drinking, not afraid of a scrap. Despite the scars of war, he is amazingly attractive to women. Here, Hardisty misses a trick: we never find out what it is about this tough mercenary that appeals so much to the opposite sex. Perhaps it’s simply Clay’s steadfastness. He stands by his friends, male or female, when all around are swayed by money. In a tale of government and corporate corruption, Clay is one of the few who cannot be bought.

Suspense

The story moves at a fair clip, with plenty of suspense as the action switches between Rania’s investigations in murky Cairo and Clay’s desperate journey to reach her. Although no travelogue, the places through which Clay passes are well described: the heat, dust and dangers of African warzones and the cramped, polluted metropolis of Cairo. The desert dénouement presents a picturesque, as well as a tragic, scene. Hardisty writes very well and holds attention throughout. Satisfyingly, the book ends on an ambivalent note. Will Clay’s adventures continue?

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If you love a fast-paced story with a sense of place, try The Vodka Trail. When glamorous Kat White travels to the former Soviet Union in an attempt to recover her family vodka business, she doesn’t realise her oldest enemy will hold her life in his hands…