Audiobooks Like A Flicker in the Dark

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Karissa Vacker narrates this debut psychological thriller with a controlled, interior tension — her psychologist protagonist is professionally trained to read people, and Vacker plays the irony of that against her character's obvious blind spots, maintaining the dread without tipping the hand across 11 hours. Two recommendations feature Vacker herself, and the seven award-winning titles in the list draw from the same tradition of procedural-adjacent suspense where a traumatic past is both the detective's tool and her vulnerability.

10 audiobooks for fans of A Flicker in the Dark

  1. 1
    The Twisted Women's Book Club cover

    The Twisted Women's Book Club

    by Karin Slaughter, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Sarah Pekkanen, Linwood Barclay, Naomi Hirahara, K.J. Howe, Robert Dugoni, Alison Gaylin, Heather Gudenkauf, Shari Lapena, Clare Mackintosh, Stacy Willingham, January LaVoy, Andi Arndt, Saskia Maarleveld, Kathleen Early, Lauren Ezzo, Stephanie Epstein, Jenn Lee, Brittany Pressley, Cindy Kay, Nancy Wu, Nicola F. Delgado, Emily Lawrence, Karen Murray, Adepero Oduye, Daniela Acitelli

    Narrated by January LaVoy, Andi Arndt, Saskia Maarleveld, Kathleen Early, full cast

    3.93 ABR Score (13.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.52 Goodreads (7.6K) ★ 4.24 Audible (5.6K)
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    Dr. Margaret Richter's exclusive Cape Cod book club harbors lethal secrets, with a full cast including January LaVoy bringing each deadly member to distinct life.

  2. 2
    The Golden Couple cover

    The Golden Couple

    by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen

    Narrated by Karissa Vacker, Marin Ireland

    4.49 ABR Score (268.7K ratings)
    ★ 3.97 Goodreads (240.6K) ★ 4.56 Audible (28.1K)
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    When wealthy suburbanites seek unconventional therapy after an affair, their ten-session limit becomes a countdown to chaos. Dual narrators Karissa Vacker and Marin Ireland reveal each woman's secrets.

  3. 3
    All Good People Here cover

    All Good People Here

    by Ashley Flowers, Alex Kiester

    Narrated by Brittany Pressley, Karissa Vacker, Ashley Flowers

    4.40 ABR Score (371.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.82 Goodreads (342.8K) ★ 4.5 Audible (28.8K)
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    Crime Junkie host Ashley Flowers crafts a journalist's obsession with two unsolved murders twenty years apart in small-town Indiana, with multiple narrators heightening the investigation's intensity.

  4. 4
    What Lies in the Woods cover

    What Lies in the Woods

    by Kate Alice Marshall

    Narrated by Karissa Vacker

    4.30 ABR Score (208.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.94 Goodreads (205.8K) ★ 4.47 Audible (2.7K)
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    Twenty-two years after surviving seventeen stab wounds, Naomi returns to question everything about the attack that shattered her childhood friendship triangle.

  5. 5
    The Terminal List cover

    The Terminal List

    Terminal List • Book 1

    by Jack Carr

    Narrated by Ray Porter

    4.76 ABR Score (132.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.29 Goodreads (73.5K) ★ 4.75 Audible (58.7K)
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    Navy SEAL James Reece discovers his team's death was orchestrated by his own government, launching a methodical revenge campaign. Porter's gravelly delivery matches Reece's military precision and barely contained fury.

  6. 6
    Misery cover

    Misery

    by Stephen King

    Narrated by Lindsay Crouse

    Why this book?

    Both audiobooks deliver intense psychological thrillers centered on obsession and captivity, with narrators who masterfully convey mounting dread and claustrophobia. Crouse's performance mirrors Vacker's skill at drawing listeners into the fractured perspective of protagonists trapped in nightmarish situations.

    4.73 ABR Score (859.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.23 Goodreads (847.7K) ★ 4.76 Audible (11.3K)
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    Novelist Paul Sheldon becomes prisoner to his "number one fan" Annie Wilkes after a car crash in rural Colorado. Lindsay Crouse's chilling performance makes Annie's manic devotion absolutely terrifying.

  7. 7
    The Housemaid's Secret cover

    The Housemaid's Secret

    The Housemaid • Book 2

    by Freida McFadden

    Narrated by Lauryn Allman

    4.66 ABR Score (1.8M ratings)
    ★ 4.16 Goodreads (1.8M) ★ 4.63 Audible (20.2K)
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    Millie's new cleaning job in a luxury penthouse reveals that her mysterious employers harbor secrets as dark as her own hidden past.

  8. 8
    Then She Was Gone cover

    Then She Was Gone

    by Lisa Jewell

    Narrated by Helen Duff

    Why this book?

    Both audiobooks deliver psychological intensity through unreliable narrators and family secrets that unravel in gripping ways, with Helen Duff's narration matching Karissa Vacker's skill at building tension through intimate, character-driven storytelling. The similar runtime and thriller pacing make for an equally immersive listening experience that keeps you hooked with twists rooted in complex relationships rather than external action.

    4.61 ABR Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (1.0M) ★ 4.56 Audible (84.7K)
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    When fifteen-year-old Ellie vanishes without a trace, her mother Laurel spends ten years searching until a chance encounter reveals horrifying secrets. This psychological thriller twists through family obsession and revenge.

  9. 9
    The Lincoln Lawyer cover

    The Lincoln Lawyer

    A Lincoln Lawyer Novel • Book 1

    by Michael Connelly

    Narrated by Adam Grupper

    4.60 ABR Score (279.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.23 Goodreads (258.9K) ★ 4.57 Audible (20.2K)
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    Mickey Haller's mobile law practice from the back of his Lincoln gets complicated when defending a wealthy playboy accused of assault leads him into a web connecting his current and past cases.

  10. 10
    None of This is True cover

    None of This is True

    by Lisa Jewell

    Narrated by Kristin Atherton, Ayesha Antoine, Louise Brealey, Alix Dunmore, Elliot Fitzpatrick, Lisa Jewell, Thomas Judd, Dominic Thorburn, Nicola Walker, Jenny Walser

    Why this book?

    Both psychological thrillers masterfully build tension through unreliable narration and shifting perspectives, creating that same propulsive, twist-laden listening experience that keeps you guessing until the final reveal. The ensemble cast in None of This is True delivers the same atmospheric, character-driven storytelling that makes A Flicker in the Dark so gripping, with equally compelling dual timelines that blur truth and deception.

    4.53 ABR Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 4.07 Goodreads (1.1M) ★ 4.53 Audible (15.4K)
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    The impressive cast creates distinct voices for each character as podcaster Alix becomes dangerously entangled with mysterious birthday twin Josie Fair.

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 →