Best David Freed Audiobooks

The best David Freed audiobooks — 7 titles ranked by listening experience across Mystery, Thriller, averaging 4.06 ABR stars.

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David Freed brings something genuinely rare to crime fiction: a protagonist who's a Buddhist, a wise-cracking flight instructor, and a former government assassin — and somehow it works. The Cordell Logan series, beginning with Flat Spin and continuing through titles like Fangs Out and Voodoo Ridge, unfolds with sharp, punchy prose and a dark comic sensibility that owes as much to Raymond Chandler as it does to the procedural thriller tradition. Freed's own background as a pilot and journalist keeps the aviation detail grounded and the plotting credible. Logan is a deeply flawed, self-aware anti-hero, and Freed never lets him off the hook too easily. Readers who like their mysteries laced with dry wit, a distinct sense of place, and a lead character carrying real moral weight will find this series quietly addictive.

David Freed's highest-rated audiobook in our collection is Flat Spin, narrated by Ray Porter (3.93 ABR stars). Performed by Ray Porter, Keith Szarabajka. Rankings here weight the listening experience — narrator performance and Audible ratings factor alongside reader scores.

Where to Start with David Freed

  1. 1
    Flat Spin cover

    Flat Spin

    A Cordell Logan Mystery • Book 1

    by David Freed

    Narrated by Ray Porter

    ★ 3.93 ABR Score (6.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.9 Goodreads (1.6K) ★ 4.31 Audible (4.4K)
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    A broke Buddhist pilot gets dragged into murder when his ex-wife's new husband—his former military buddy—turns up dead. Ray Porter captures Logan's sardonic wit perfectly.

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  2. 2
    Voodoo Ridge cover

    Voodoo Ridge

    A Cordell Logan Mystery • Book 3

    by David Freed

    Narrated by Ray Porter

    ★ 4.16 ABR Score (2.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (599) ★ 4.51 Audible (1.8K)
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    Retired military assassin turned flight instructor discovers 1950s plane wreckage that connects to dangerous secrets spanning decades. Ray Porter captures both Logan's Buddhist philosophy and lethal skills in this aviation mystery.

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  3. 3
    The Kill Circle cover

    The Kill Circle

    A Cordell Logan Mystery • Book 6

    by David Freed

    Narrated by Ray Porter

    ★ 4.14 ABR Score (1.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (311) ★ 4.51 Audible (1.6K)
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    Three former CIA analysts die under suspicious circumstances, drawing retired operative Cordell Logan into a conspiracy investigation. Ray Porter's delivery maintains the intelligence thriller's tension.

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  4. 4
    Hot Start cover

    Hot Start

    A Cordell Logan Mystery • Book 5

    by David Freed

    Narrated by Ray Porter

    ★ 4.17 ABR Score (1.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.1 Goodreads (383) ★ 4.55 Audible (1.5K)
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    A big game hunter and his wife are murdered at their Rancho Bonita estate, with an animal rights activist as the obvious suspect. Porter's performance captures Cordell Logan's skepticism about the too-convenient evidence.

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  5. 5
    The Three-Nine Line cover

    The Three-Nine Line

    A Cordell Logan Mystery • Book 4

    by David Freed

    Narrated by Ray Porter

    ★ 4.14 ABR Score (2.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.02 Goodreads (460) ★ 4.5 Audible (1.6K)
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    Three former POWs return to Vietnam seeking reconciliation with their brutal captor 'Mr. Wonderful,' but when he's murdered, Ray Porter guides us through international intrigue and buried war trauma.

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  6. 6
    Fangs Out cover

    Fangs Out

    A Cordell Logan Mystery • Book 2

    by David Freed

    Narrated by Keith Szarabajka

    ★ 3.90 ABR Score (2.2K ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (794) ★ 4.33 Audible (1.4K)
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    A condemned killer's final confession implicates war hero Hub Walker's close friend as his daughter's real murderer, launching a dangerous hunt for truth.

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  7. 7
    Deep Fury cover

    Deep Fury

    The Cordell Logan Mysteries • Book 7

    by David Freed

    Narrated by Ray Porter

    ★ 3.98 ABR Score (360 ratings)
    ★ 4.16 Goodreads (171) ★ 4.58 Audible (189)
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    When a naked man crashes through a roof after falling from the sky, pilot-turned-investigator Cordell Logan uncovers corporate murder in this high-octane mystery thriller.

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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.

Read our full ranking methodology →