Audiobooks Like The Cuckoo's Calling

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Robert Glenister's narration of the first Cormoran Strike mystery has the lived-in, unglamorous texture of actual detective work — his Strike is gruff and credible, not heroic, and across 16 hours the celebrity investigation unfolds at the pace of someone actually sifting evidence rather than hurtling toward revelation. Nine of these picks carry high listener ratings, and the list draws from the detective-procedural tradition where the pleasure is in the methodical accumulation of detail rather than the twist.

10 audiobooks for fans of The Cuckoo's Calling

  1. 1
    Troubled Blood cover

    Troubled Blood

    A Cormoran Strike Novel • Book 5

    by Robert Galbraith, J.K. Rowling

    Narrated by Robert Glenister

    4.78 ABR Score (161.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.38 Goodreads (149.1K) ★ 4.77 Audible (12.4K)
  2. 2
    Lethal White cover

    Lethal White

    A Cormoran Strike Novel • Book 4

    by Robert Galbraith

    Narrated by Robert Glenister

    4.66 ABR Score (203.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.25 Goodreads (188.1K) ★ 4.69 Audible (15.0K)
  3. 3
    O homem que morreu duas vezes cover

    O homem que morreu duas vezes

    Thursday Murder Club • Book 2

    by Richard Osman, Jaime Biaggio

    Narrated by Daniel de Mello, Sônia Schaeffer

    4.06 ABR Score (360.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.35 Goodreads (360.6K) ★ 4.5 Audible (2)
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    The Thursday Murder Club residents investigate a mystery involving stolen diamonds, Cold War secrets, and a man who appears to have died twice. This second installment maintains Osman's perfect balance of humor and genuine intrigue through its elderly protagonists' sharp observations.

  4. 4
    Desperation in Death cover

    Desperation in Death

    In Death • Book 55

    by J.D. Robb

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4.84 ABR Score (31.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.57 Goodreads (26.8K) ★ 4.84 Audible (5.0K)
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    Eve discovers a nightmare academy where kidnapped girls are trained as slaves while their spirits are systematically destroyed. Dark subject matter handled with Ericksen's steady, unflinching performance.

  5. 5
    Faithless in Death cover

    Faithless in Death

    In Death • Book 52

    by J.D. Robb

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4.79 ABR Score (32.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.49 Goodreads (26.4K) ★ 4.82 Audible (5.6K)
  6. 6
    Portrait in Death cover

    Portrait in Death

    In Death • Book 16

    by J.D. Robb

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4.75 ABR Score (46.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.39 Goodreads (42.3K) ★ 4.83 Audible (4.0K)
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    A killer photographs victims after death, sending professional portraits to the media in this chilling entry where Eve Dallas hunts a murderer obsessed with capturing souls through his lens.

  7. 7
    Forgotten in Death cover

    Forgotten in Death

    In Death • Book 53

    by J.D. Robb

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4.74 ABR Score (32.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.47 Goodreads (27.5K) ★ 4.79 Audible (4.9K)
  8. 8
    Reunion in Death cover

    Reunion in Death

    In Death • Book 14

    by J.D. Robb

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4.71 ABR Score (36.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.38 Goodreads (32.6K) ★ 4.81 Audible (4.1K)
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    A birthday party becomes a murder scene when a mysterious woman with emerald eyes poisons the guest of honor, launching Eve Dallas into a case that resurrects dangerous ghosts from her past.

  9. 9
    Brotherhood in Death cover

    Brotherhood in Death

    In Death • Book 42

    by J.D. Robb

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4.70 ABR Score (37.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.41 Goodreads (30.5K) ★ 4.75 Audible (6.6K)
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    Dennis Mira discovers his cousin secretly plans to sell their family brownstone, then wakes up with a head injury and his cousin missing. Susan Ericksen guides listeners through Eve's investigation with her trademark steady intensity.

  10. 10
    Seduction in Death cover

    Seduction in Death

    In Death • Book 13

    by J.D. Robb

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4.69 ABR Score (37.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.35 Goodreads (33.7K) ★ 4.8 Audible (4.0K)
    More about this pick

    Eve Dallas tracks a killer using rare date-rape drugs worth a quarter million dollars to murder women after elaborate romantic setups.

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 →