10 audiobooks for fans of The Big Sleep
- 1
Brimstone
Pendergast • Book 5
by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
Narrated by Scott Brick
★ 4.38 ABR Score (48.7K ratings)★ 4.15 Goodreads (43.6K) ★ 4.55 Audible (5.1K)19h 42m listening time • Released 2011Scott Brick turns Preston and Child's diabolical locked-room mystery into pure atmospheric dread—his voice oscillates between clinical precision and creeping unease, making the supernatural feel genuinely inevitable.
- 2
In Cold Blood
by Truman Capote
Narrated by Scott Brick
Scott Brick's measured, introspective narration deepens the psychological intensity that mystery fans crave, and In Cold Blood delivers a grittier, more atmospheric exploration of crime than Chandler's detective noir—trading the quick wit of The Big Sleep for Capote's methodical examination of real criminal psychology. The extended runtime allows Brick to build a more immersive, haunting listening experience that rewards the same appetite for morally complex storytelling.
★ 4.37 ABR Score (751.4K ratings)★ 4.09 Goodreads (735.8K) ★ 4.44 Audible (15.6K)14h 27m listening time • Released 2006Capote invented the true crime genre with this account of a Kansas family's murder — reported with a novelist's precision and a profound moral weight.
- 3
Mystic River
by Dennis Lehane
Narrated by Scott Brick
Scott Brick's noir-inflected narration brings the same atmospheric tension to Lehane's modern crime drama, deepening the psychological complexity that made The Big Sleep compelling. Both audiobooks explore the moral ambiguity of flawed protagonists navigating dark mysteries, though Mystic River expands the scope to examine how past trauma shapes present violence across an entire community.
★ 4.32 ABR Score (170.1K ratings)★ 4.18 Goodreads (166.9K) ★ 4.46 Audible (3.2K)15h 24m listening time • Released 2012Lehane's best novel — three childhood friends, a murder, and a community's wounds laid bare in a story that plays out with the inevitability of Greek tragedy.
- 4
Squeeze Me
Skink • Book 8
by Carl Hiaasen
Narrated by Scott Brick
Scott Brick's distinctive noir delivery brings the same sharp, cynical wit to Hiaasen's Florida mystery that made Chandler's detective work so compelling, though with a darker comedic edge that transforms crime investigation into absurdist social commentary. Both audiobooks feature hard-boiled investigation and morally complex protagonists navigating corrupt systems, but Hiaasen expands that world with satirical bite and an ensemble cast that Brick's nuanced narration brings vividly to life.
★ 4.15 ABR Score (44.1K ratings)★ 4.03 Goodreads (39.6K) ★ 4.38 Audible (4.5K)11h 40m listening time • Released 2020Scott Brick's deadpan delivery transforms Hiaasen's Florida satire into comedy gold—every absurd character and political jab lands harder when spoken aloud.
- 5
The Boy from the Woods
Wilde • Book 1
by Harlan Coben
Narrated by Scott Brick
★ 4.10 ABR Score (123.2K ratings)★ 3.95 Goodreads (113.9K) ★ 4.31 Audible (9.3K)12h 31m listening time • Released 2008Scott Brick's gravelly delivery makes Wilde feel like a man shaped by damage and isolation—he transforms a revenge thriller into something far more human and unsettling.
- 6
Murder on the Orient Express
A Hercule Poirot Mystery • Book 10
Narrated by Dan Stevens
Both audiobooks deliver classic mystery narratives with sharp, distinctive narration that brings morally complex characters to life, though Christie's locked-room puzzle offers a more intricate plot mechanics compared to Chandler's hard-boiled detective work. The equal runtime makes this a natural pairing for listeners who appreciate golden-age crime fiction with witty dialogue and atmospheric tension.
★ 4.67 ABR Score (755.1K ratings)★ 4.2 Goodreads (741.3K) ★ 4.68 Audible (13.8K)6h 37m listening time • Released 2013Christie's most celebrated Poirot case — a murder on a snowbound train, a cast of suspects with no apparent motive, and a solution so audacious it shouldn't work but does.
- 7
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
A Hercule Poirot Mystery • Book 1
Narrated by Hugh Fraser
The Mysterious Affair at Styles shares the intricate puzzle-solving and sharp dialogue that makes The Big Sleep so compelling, while Hugh Fraser's narration brings the same engaging character-driven storytelling to a more traditional whodunit format. Both audiobooks deliver classic mystery craftsmanship with narrators who bring wit and personality to their investigations.
★ 4.29 ABR Score (515.5K ratings)★ 4 Goodreads (514.2K) ★ 4.55 Audible (1.3K)5h 57m listening time • Released 2012Christie's first Poirot novel — written during WWI, still one of her best-plotted — introducing the fastidious Belgian detective who would define the golden age of mystery.
- 8
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
Narrated by Jeff Woodman
Both mysteries feature deeply flawed protagonists navigating complex cases through keen observation and unconventional logic, though Haddon's narrator captures a more intimate, neurodivergent perspective that offers a refreshing counterpoint to Chandler's hard-boiled cynicism. The audiobook narration in both is exceptionally crafted to enhance the detective work, with Jeff Woodman's performance conveying the protagonist's singular way of processing the world much as Scott Brick's captures noir atmosphere.
★ 4.21 ABR Score (1.6M ratings)★ 3.89 Goodreads (1.6M) ★ 4.35 Audible (16.4K)6h 2m listening time • Released 2004Haddon's mystery narrated by an autistic boy is one of literature's most original voices — funny, heartbreaking, and a perfect meditation on truth and perspective.
- 9
White Jazz
L.A. Quartet • Book 4
by James Ellroy
Narrated by Scott Brick
★ 3.77 ABR Score (10.4K ratings)★ 3.92 Goodreads (10.1K) ★ 4.09 Audible (264)15h 33m listening time • Released 2007Scott Brick's rapid-fire delivery cuts like a razor through Ellroy's fragmented prose, making this brutal LA noir feel less like reading and more like being trapped inside a corrupt cop's unraveling mind.
- 10
A Is for Alibi
Kinsey Millhone Mysteries • Book 1
by Sue Grafton
Narrated by Mary Peiffer
★ 3.63 ABR Score (195.4K ratings)★ 3.86 Goodreads (192.6K) ★ 3.91 Audible (2.8K)7h 39m listening time • Released 2005Grafton's debut Kinsey Millhone novel launched an alphabet mystery series beloved for its wit, its feminist sensibility, and its perfectly rendered California atmosphere.
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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.