Audiobooks Like [Dolores Claiborne] [By: King, Stephen] [July, 2011]

Frances Sternhagen narrates in a single sustained voice — this is essentially a nine-hour monologue, a woman's confession unspooling in real time, and the performance is an exercise in controlled disclosure. Sternhagen finds the Maine dryness, the suppressed fury, and the exhaustion of carrying a secret for decades all at once, which is a different kind of narration than character-switching work. The recommendations are varied in narrator, but lean toward mysteries that reward a listener who doesn't mind slow revelation over immediate answers.

10 audiobooks for fans of [Dolores Claiborne] [By: King, Stephen] [July, 2011]

  1. 1
    The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes cover

    The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

    BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY

    by John Joseph Adams, Stephen King, Robert J. Sawyer, Michael Moorcock, Sharyn McCrumb, Stephen Baxter, Anne Perry, Barbara Hambly, Tanith Lee, Neil Gaiman, Rob Rogers, Naomi Novik, Anthony Burgess, Dominic Green, Laurie R. King, Barbara Roden, Tim Lebbon, Peter Tremayne, Bradley H. Sinor, Edward D. Hoch, Vonda N. McIntyre, Darrell Schweitzer, Mary Robinette Kowal, H. Paul Jeffers, Geoffrey A. Landis, Amy Myers, Chris Roden, Tony Pi, Chris Roberson, Mark Valentine

    Narrated by Simon Vance, Anne Flosnik

    3.88 ABR Score (23.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.39 Goodreads (22.7K) ★ 3.96 Audible (736)
    21h 21m listening time • Released 2010
  2. 2
    Resurrection Walk cover

    Resurrection Walk

    The Lincoln Lawyer • Book 7

    by Michael Connelly

    Narrated by Peter Giles, Titus Welliver, Christine Lakin

    4.86 ABR Score (84.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.53 Goodreads (77.5K) ★ 4.81 Audible (6.9K)
    10h 30m listening time • Released 2023
  3. 3
    Desert Star cover

    Desert Star

    Renée Ballard • Book 5

    by Michael Connelly

    Narrated by Titus Welliver, Christine Lakin, Peter Giles

    4.81 ABR Score (96.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.47 Goodreads (86.3K) ★ 4.77 Audible (10.4K)
    9h 43m listening time • Released 2022
  4. 4
    The Wrong Side of Goodbye cover

    The Wrong Side of Goodbye

    Harry Bosch • Book 19

    by Michael Connelly

    Narrated by Titus Welliver

    4.73 ABR Score (101.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.34 Goodreads (80.3K) ★ 4.71 Audible (21.5K)
    10h 21m listening time • Released 2016
  5. 5
    The Dark Hours cover

    The Dark Hours

    Renée Ballard • Book 4

    by Michael Connelly

    Narrated by Titus Welliver, Christine Lakin

    4.65 ABR Score (94.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.39 Goodreads (83.6K) ★ 4.65 Audible (10.7K)
    11h 4m listening time • Released 2021
  6. 6
    Holiday in Death cover

    Holiday in Death

    In Death • Book 7

    by J.D. Robb

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4.64 ABR Score (50.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.34 Goodreads (45.9K) ★ 4.73 Audible (4.3K)
    10h 21m listening time • Released 2008
  7. 7
    The Waiting cover

    The Waiting

    Renée Ballard • Book 6

    by Michael Connelly

    Narrated by Christine Lakin, Titus Welliver, Madison Lintz

    4.62 ABR Score (76.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.36 Goodreads (71.3K) ★ 4.68 Audible (4.7K)
    10h 50m listening time • Released 2024
  8. 8
    The Dark Horse cover

    The Dark Horse

    Walt Longmire • Book 5

    by Craig Johnson

    Narrated by George Guidall

    4.55 ABR Score (28.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Goodreads (21.6K) ★ 4.65 Audible (7.1K)
    9h 32m listening time • Released 2009
  9. 9
    The Longmire Defense cover

    The Longmire Defense

    Walt Longmire • Book 19

    by Craig Johnson

    Narrated by George Guidall

    4.69 ABR Score (12.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.54 Goodreads (11.0K) ★ 4.8 Audible (1.8K)
    9h 43m listening time • Released 2023

    George Guidall's weathered drawl makes Walt's reckoning with his family's violent legacy feel inevitable and devastating—this is the Longmire series at its moral and emotional peak.

  10. 10
    The Night Fire cover

    The Night Fire

    Renée Ballard • Book 3

    by Michael Connelly

    Narrated by Christine Lakin, Titus Welliver

    4.67 ABR Score (90.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.29 Goodreads (76.6K) ★ 4.7 Audible (14.0K)
    10h 4m listening time • Released 2019

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →