Give your ears a treat with the best audiobooks for 2026

Narrated by award-winning actors Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine, this pulse-quickening bestseller will have you hooked from the first line. Maggie McCabe, a celebrated army combat surgeon, has spent her life on the edge, but after a string of heart-breaking personal losses, she’s ready to disappear from the spotlight. When a former colleague offers her a new start treating elite, anonymous clients, it feels like a lifeline. She’s called halfway across the world to care for a mysterious, powerful man in a world of unimaginable wealth and secrecy. But when her patient vanishes without a trace, Maggie realises she’s no longer just a doctor, she’s a target.

10 hours and 31 minutes

Narrated by Countdown's Susie, this clever detective novel is a cut above the rest. It follows the mystery surrounding an anonymous letter delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary offices. The missive hints at secrets and lies linked to a particular year: the year the senior editor’s older sister went missing. As Martha, the editor, and her team unravel the clues, the mystery becomes even more insistent and troubling. Are there forces trying to keep it buried?

12 hours and 32 minutes

Warm, witty, and full of heart, By Your Side is classic Ruth Jones, brought to life beautifully in her own voice. She takes you through Linda's life as she tackles on one final case in her career: what happened to Levi Norman? As she tracks down this relatives, Linda's journey to a windswept Scottish island becomes a moving tale of unexpected friendship, second chances, and self-discovery. A joy to listen to.

10 hours and 59 minutes

Narrated by the legendary author, this deeply personal audiobook vividly recounts a young, wild childhood in northern Quebec’s vast forests, with Margaret living a somewhat isolated and nomadic but beautiful life. From there she links life moments to literary milestones, including Cat’s Eye and The Handmaid’s Tale. Filled with nature, politics and unforgettable characters – from poets to bears – it’s an intimate, beautifully told journey that captures the essence of a remarkable life. Her storytelling mastery makes the audiobook an unforgettable experience, and one of the best memoirs of 2025.

25 hours 30 minutes

Narrated by Lulu herself, this is a compelling and candid memoir from a true national treasure. With warmth, humour and raw honesty, Lulu shares stories never told before, taking us from the tenements of Glasgow to the heights of international fame. Hearing her soulful voice tell her own story adds an intimacy and emotional depth only she could deliver, whether recalling childhood struggles or showbiz triumphs. Her heartfelt narration makes this not just a memoir, but a powerful listening experience. More than a celebrity memoir, this is a story of strength, self-discovery and survival.

8 hours and 14 minutes

You’ll love hearing Dawn French’s bubbly voice as she pokes fun at the contrast between the sophisticated woman she hoped to become and the “champion twat” that she has been over the last sixty years. It’s about the messy moments in life, because in those moments, we learn about ourselves, others, and the best way to be honest and light-hearted in life. Dawn hopes “to remind you of just what a massive twat you also are.” It's brilliant fun.

5 hours and 49 minutes

Narrated by John Murray and blending academia, history and danger, this high-stakes thriller will have your heart pounding. For centuries, two secret women’s organisations – the covert Order of St Katherine and the power-hungry Fellowship of the Larks – have battled over a fragment of medieval embroidery linked to a lost manuscript. When trailblazing paleographer Dr Anya Brown is recruited to St Andrews, she’s drawn into this deadly rivalry and forced to use her expertise to survive. Narrators Rose Robinson and Steph de Whalley capture the tension beautifully, making this fast-paced, twist-laden tale irresistible in audio.

10 hours and 30 minutes

Traditionally, as women move through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond, our bodies undergo dramatic changes, often ones that can limit mobility, strength, and independence in later life. Dr Vonda Wright is determined to change that narrative. Drawing on decades of experience as a pioneering orthopaedic surgeon, she offers a clear, practical path to ageing with power. With proven strategies and actionable steps across four key areas - exercise, nutrition, lifestyle, and supplements - Dr Wright shows how we can protect our bones, rebuild our strength, and thrive at every stage. It’s an invaluable guide to feeling strong, capable, and in control of your future.

9 hours and 49 minutes

If you haven’t yet read this epic novel, I urge you to listen to it. Dream State follows friends and lovers from their 20s into their seventies in the early 2000s. Through their lives, we see macro changes about the future of the American environment as a micro level study of human relationships and how they change. It’s bright, barrelling, and not one to shy from humour. I found the audiobook adds some lightness to the novel.

13 hours and 44 minutes

Read by Irish actress Dervla Kirwan, when Cora sets out to register her baby's birth, her husband expects her to follow family tradition and name their son after him. But when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates. The choice she makes in this moment will shape the course of their lives. Seven years later, her son is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, and one that will prove as cataclysmic as the storm from which it emerged. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, believing it will enable him to become his own person. Or he is Gordon, named after his father and raised in his cruel image – but perhaps with a chance to break the mould.

9 hours and 41 minutes

When Clara and Mike move into their dream home, something is instantly off. Cracked stoves, scribbles on the wall, and flickering lights are only the beginning of the nightmare. Taunted by Josie, the waifish, pretty woman next door, Clara gradually feels she is going mad as mysterious, sinister things keep happening to her. Narrated with pace and passion, this Audible Original is packed with twists and turns. I couldn’t stop listening.

11 hours and 10 minutes

Narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Jones, James Patterson’s newest thriller is brilliantly brought to life. This follows an art student, who needs to pull off an almost impossible crime to secure her future and free her wrongly-imprisoned father. Her unlikely team of forgers - a ruthless mob boss and eccentric fashion designer - make for a truly cinematic audiobook. You won’t want to take your best headphones off.

8 hours and 14 minutes

This shocking, masterful thriller is about a 'perfect' man, who hides a multitude of unsettling truths. His chilling character worms his way into vulnerable women's lives. Lisa Jewell weaves a complex and compelling plot that's cut with the narratives of his victims at different points in time. I really recommend giving this a listen because Richard Armitage and Joanna Froggart's cinematic narration of this audiobook is enough to have you gripped.

12 hours and 1 minute