The best audiobooks for long drives & road trips

A long drive needs an audiobook that grips — propulsive plot, a narrator who holds you, hours of runtime. Below are the award-winning thrillers, mysteries and full-cast productions in the index: the kind of listen that keeps you in the driveway to hear the end.

Last verified 2026-06-10 · 56 award-winning titles, every entry sourced from the Audie record — nothing invented · Sources: APA + Wikipedia

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Audiobook	Author	Narrator(s)	Award
Gone Before Goodbye	Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben	ensemble cast	Audie Mystery (2026)
Don't Let Him In	Lisa Jewell	Richard Armitage, Joanne Froggatt, Tamaryn Payne, Gemma Whelan, Louise Brealey, Patience Tomlinson	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2026)
Listen for the Lie	Amy Tintera	Will Damron, January LaVoy	Audie Mystery (2025)
Lone Wolf	Gregg Hurwitz	Scott Brick	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2025)
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers	Jesse Q. Sutanto	Eunice Wong	Audie Mystery (2024)
All the Sinners Bleed	S. A. Cosby	Adam Lazarre-White	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2024)
The Heron	Don Winslow	Ed Harris	Audie Mystery (2023)
Greenwich Park	Katherine Faulkner	Laura Kirman	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2023)
Later	Stephen King	Seth Numrich	Audie Mystery (2022)
Local Woman Missing	Mary Kubica	Brittany Pressley, Jennifer Jill Araya, Gary Tiedemann, Jesse Vilinsky	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2022)
Fair Warning	Michael Connelly	Peter Giles, Zach Villa	Audie Mystery (2021)
When No One Is Watching	Alyssa Cole	Susan Dalian, Jay Aaseng	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2021)
The Chestnut Man	Søren Sveistrup	Peter Noble	Audie Mystery (2020)
The Institute	Stephen King	Santino Fontana	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2020)
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11	Garrett M. Graff	Holter Graham, full cast	Audiobook of the Year (2020)
The Punishment She Deserves	Elizabeth George	Simon Vance	Audie Mystery (2019)
Crimson Lake	Candice Fox	Euan Morton	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2019)
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye	David Lagercrantz	Simon Vance	Audie Mystery (2018)
The Fourth Monkey	J. D. Barker	Edoardo Ballerini, Graham Winton	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2018)
Lincoln in the Bardo	George Saunders	Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, George Saunders, full cast	Audiobook of the Year (2018)
The Crossing	Michael Connelly	Titus Welliver	Audie Mystery (2017)
Cross Justice	James Patterson	Ruben Santiago Hudson, Jefferson Mays	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2017)
Hamilton: The Revolution on Amazon →	Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter	Mariska Hargitay, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter	Audiobook of the Year (2017)
Career of Evil	Robert Galbraith	Robert Glenister	Audie Mystery (2016)
The Patriot Threat: Cotton Malone	Steve Berry	Scott Brick	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2016)
The Girl on the Train on Amazon →	Paula Hawkins	Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey, India Fisher	Audiobook of the Year (2016)
The Silkworm	Robert Galbraith	Robert Glenister	Audie Mystery (2015)
Those Who Wish Me Dead	Michael Koryta	Robert Petkoff	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2015)
Mandela: An Audio History on Amazon →	Nelson Mandela (with Joe Richman)	Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Joe Richman	Audiobook of the Year (2015)
Unleashed	David Rosenfelt	Grover Gardner	Audie Mystery (2014)
The Hit	David Baldacci	Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2014)
The Beautiful Mystery	Louise Penny	Ralph Cosham	Audie Mystery (2013)
Red, White, and Blood: The President's Vampire	Christopher Farnsworth	Bronson Pinchot	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2013)
Feast Day of Fools	James Lee Burke	Will Patton	Audie Mystery (2012)
The Nightmare Thief	Meg Gardiner	Susan Ericksen	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2012)
The Reversal	Michael Connelly	Peter Giles	Audie Mystery (2011)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest	Stieg Larsson	Simon Vance	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2011)
Devil in a Blue Dress	Walter Mosley	Michael Boatman	Audie Mystery (2010)
Darling Jim	Christian Moerk	Stephen Hoye, Justine Eyre	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2010)
Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales on Amazon →	Nelson Mandela (ed.)	Samuel L. Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, full cast	Audiobook of the Year (2010)
The Voice of the Violin	Andrea Camilleri	Grover Gardner	Audie Mystery (2009)
Child 44	Tom Rob Smith	Dennis Boutsikaris	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2009)
The Tin Roof Blowdown	James Lee Burke	Will Patton	Audie Mystery (2008)
Heart-Shaped Box	Joe Hill	Stephen Lang	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2008)
Echo Park	Michael Connelly	Len Cariou	Audie Mystery (2007)
The Dead Yard	Adrian McKinty	Gerard Doyle	Audie Thriller & Suspense (2007)
The Serpent on the Crown	Elizabeth Peters	Barbara Peters	Audie Mystery (2006)
Twisted	Jeffery Deaver	Boyd Gaines, Michele Pawk, Fredrick Weller	Audie Mystery (2005)
Lost Light	Michael Connelly	Len Cariou	Audie Mystery (2004)
Jolie Blon's Bounce	James Lee Burke	Will Patton	Audie Mystery (2003)
Tell No One	Harlan Coben	Steven Weber	Audie Mystery (2002)
The Naked Detective	Laurence Shames	Ron McLarty	Audie Mystery (2001)
The Breaker	Minette Walters	Robert Powell	Audie Mystery (2000)
The Third Man	Graham Greene	Martin Jarvis	Audie Mystery (1999)
Vintage Crime Stories	Charles Dickens et al.	Patrick Malahide	Audie Mystery (1998)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles	Agatha Christie	David Suchet	Audie Mystery (1997)

More guides: filter every record yourself in the finder · best audiobooks by award · Audiobook of the Year · best audiobooks for beginners: where to start · best full-cast & multi-voiced audiobooks · best author-narrated audiobooks & memoirs.