Best Steven Pacey Audiobooks

The best audiobooks narrated by Steven Pacey — 25 titles spanning Fantasy, Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Historical Fiction, averaging 4.19 ABR stars.

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Steven Pacey's narration of Joe Abercrombie's First Law series is frequently cited as the greatest audiobook performance of all time — and it's hard to argue. Pacey voices dozens of characters with such consistency and distinction that listeners forget they're hearing a single person. His Glokta is iconic, his Logen Ninefingers unforgettable. A veteran stage and screen actor, Pacey brings a theatrical intensity to grimdark fantasy that perfectly matches Abercrombie's dark humor and brutal action. If you haven't heard Pacey perform The Blade Itself, you're missing one of the medium's defining achievements.

Where to Start with Steven Pacey

  1. 1
    Before They Are Hanged cover

    Before They Are Hanged

    The First Law • Book 2

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.64 ABR Score (243.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.36 Goodreads (221.5K) ★ 4.81 Audible (21.7K)
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    Superior Glokta's torture-scarred cynicism and Bayaz's quest for ancient magic get Steven Pacey's full character treatment across multiple storylines.

  2. 2
    Last Argument of Kings cover

    Last Argument of Kings

    The First Law • Book 3

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.59 ABR Score (225.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.37 Goodreads (204.4K) ★ 4.75 Audible (21.0K)
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    Steven Pacey captures every brutal nuance as Logen Ninefingers faces his final battle and the Bloody-Nine must confront his oldest friend turned enemy.

  3. 3
    Red Country cover

    Red Country

    First Law World • Book 6

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.54 ABR Score (77.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.32 Goodreads (66.8K) ★ 4.79 Audible (10.4K)
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    Shy South pursues the kidnappers who burned her home and stole her siblings, accompanied only by oxen and her cowardly stepfather Lamb.

  4. 4
    The Heroes cover

    The Heroes

    First Law World • Book 5

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.53 ABR Score (87.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.35 Goodreads (77.8K) ★ 4.76 Audible (9.3K)
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    Three brutal days of warfare over a worthless hill get Steven Pacey's full character treatment — his voice work turns each soldier into someone you'll remember.

  5. 5
    The Blade Itself cover

    The Blade Itself

    The First Law Trilogy • Book 1

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.50 ABR Score (344.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.22 Goodreads (317.5K) ★ 4.7 Audible (26.8K)
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    Barbarian Logen Ninefingers, selfish nobleman Jezal, and crippled torturer Glokta are drawn into a conspiracy that threatens the kingdom. Pacey's exceptional character voices bring Abercrombie's morally gray antiheroes to life in this gritty fantasy that subverts traditional genre expectations with dark humor.

  6. 6
    Best Served Cold cover

    Best Served Cold

    First Law World • Book 4

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.46 ABR Score (126.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.25 Goodreads (113.4K) ★ 4.7 Audible (12.7K)
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    Mercenary captain Monza survives assassination only to embark on methodical revenge against her former employers. Pacey inhabits each player in this chess game of betrayal with distinctive menace and wit.

  7. 7
    The Devils cover

    The Devils

    The Devils • Book 1

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.42 ABR Score (69.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.22 Goodreads (62.8K) ★ 4.72 Audible (6.9K)
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    Brother Diaz leads a squad of murderers and monsters on a holy mission requiring unholy methods in Abercrombie's new fantasy series. Steven Pacey returns to capture every brutal, darkly comic moment with his signature skill.

  8. 8
    Sharp Ends cover

    Sharp Ends

    First Law World • Book 7

    by Joe Abercrombie

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.33 ABR Score (32.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.11 Goodreads (27.7K) ★ 4.71 Audible (4.3K)
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    Abercrombie's collection explores the First Law world's darkest corners through mercenaries, thieves, and bastards living on society's brutal margins. Steven Pacey brings distinct personality to each violent, morally complex tale.

  9. 9
    Locked In cover

    Locked In

    Department Q • Book 10

    by Jussi Adler-Olsen, Caroline Waight

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.29 ABR Score (10.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.18 Goodreads (9.5K) ★ 4.67 Audible (525)
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    Carl Mørck finds himself imprisoned while his Department Q team races to prove his innocence. Steven Pacey captures the claustrophobic tension as past cases catch up with the detective.

  10. 10
    Let Me In cover

    Let Me In

    Let the Right One In • Book 1

    by John Ajvide Lindqvist

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.16 ABR Score (124.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (121.7K) ★ 4.28 Audible (2.3K)
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    In 1980s Sweden, bullied twelve-year-old Oskar forms an unlikely friendship with Eli, who seems impervious to the brutal winter cold. Steven Pacey's narration captures both the innocence and underlying menace of this vampire tale.

  11. 11
    The Shadows in the Street cover

    The Shadows in the Street

    Simon Serrailler • Book 5

    by Susan Hill

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.11 ABR Score (7.0K ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (6.6K) ★ 4.4 Audible (466)
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    Detective Serrailler returns from sabbatical to investigate strangled prostitutes, but when respectable women start disappearing, Lafferton erupts in fear and anger.

  12. 12
    The Other Side of Midnight cover

    The Other Side of Midnight

    Midnight • Book 1

    by Sidney Sheldon

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.10 ABR Score (50.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.96 Goodreads (50.6K) ★ 4.87 Audible (46)
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    An innocent American girl becomes a pawn in a deadly triangle involving a vengeful film star, a Greek tycoon, and an international playboy. Steven Pacey's narration captures the sweeping drama and intrigue spanning from Paris to Greece in this tale of betrayal.

  13. 13
    Memories of Midnight cover

    Memories of Midnight

    Midnight • Book 2

    by Sidney Sheldon

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.09 ABR Score (21.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.75 Goodreads (20.9K) ★ 4.58 Audible (310)
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    Catherine Douglas battles amnesia while facing Constantin Demiris, the Greek shipping magnate who destroyed her life. Pacey's rich voice captures the Mediterranean intrigue brilliantly.

  14. 14
    Let the Right One In cover

    Let the Right One In

    Let the Right One In • Book 1

    by John Ajvide Lindqvist

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.08 ABR Score (122.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (121.7K) ★ 4.31 Audible (301)
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    Twelve-year-old Oskar befriends Eli, his mysterious new neighbor who only comes out at night and seems to never feel the cold. Steven Pacey navigates the horror and tenderness of this vampire story set in 1980s Swedish suburbia.

  15. 15
    The Soul of Discretion cover

    The Soul of Discretion

    Simon Serrailler • Book 8

    by Susan Hill

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.06 ABR Score (5.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.17 Goodreads (5.0K) ★ 4.42 Audible (467)
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    Chief Constable Bright assigns Serrailler to a case requiring absolute secrecy, but some investigations refuse to stay buried — Pacey's measured delivery suits Hill's psychological complexity.

  16. 16
    Clash of Empires cover

    Clash of Empires

    Clash of Empires • Book 1

    by Ben Kane

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.06 ABR Score (2.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.16 Goodreads (1.8K) ★ 4.54 Audible (393)
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    Rome prepares to crush Hannibal at Zama while Macedonia plots northern expansion in this sweeping ancient warfare epic. Steven Pacey's narration captures both the battlefield chaos and political maneuvering perfectly.

  17. 17
    The Absent One cover

    The Absent One

    Department Q • Book 2

    by Jussi Adler-Olsen, K.E. Semmel

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.03 ABR Score (52.4K ratings)
    ★ 3.89 Goodreads (49.1K) ★ 4.34 Audible (3.3K)
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    Detective Carl Mørck reopens a twenty-year-old case about boarding school students killed in a car crash, discovering the victims were murdered for witnessing elite family secrets.

  18. 18
    The Legion cover

    The Legion

    Eagles of the Empire • Book 10

    by Simon Scarrow

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.01 ABR Score (5.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.29 Goodreads (5.4K) ★ 4.3 Audible (155)
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    Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro hunt rebel gladiator Ajax, who's been impersonating Roman soldiers while attacking Egyptian naval bases. Steven Pacey brings his signature Roman military authenticity to another Scarrow adventure.

  19. 19
    The Vows of Silence cover

    The Vows of Silence

    Simon Serrailler • Book 4

    by Susan Hill

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.01 ABR Score (6.7K ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (6.3K) ★ 4.45 Audible (338)
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    Detective Serrailler hunts a sniper terrorizing young women while questioning whether one or two killers are at work. Steven Pacey's performance builds tension around the marksman's unpredictable pattern.

  20. 20
    Berlin Red cover

    Berlin Red

    Inspector Pekkala • Book 7

    by Sam Eastland

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.00 ABR Score (913 ratings)
    ★ 4.23 Goodreads (840) ★ 4.52 Audible (73)
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    April 1945: As the Red Army prepares its final Berlin assault, Inspector Pekkala hunts German scientists perfecting V2 rocket guidance systems near the Baltic. Steven Pacey's narration captures both the war's brutality and Pekkala's methodical investigation.

  21. 21
    A Question of Identity cover

    A Question of Identity

    Simon Serrailler • Book 7

    by Susan Hill

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    4.00 ABR Score (6.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.99 Goodreads (6.1K) ★ 4.42 Audible (446)
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    Three murders bearing identical signatures plague Lafferton, but the original killer died in prison years ago. Pacey's performance balances procedural detail with the psychological tension of a case that shouldn't exist.

  22. 22
    The Risk of Darkness cover

    The Risk of Darkness

    Simon Serrailler • Book 3

    by Susan Hill

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    3.97 ABR Score (7.4K ratings)
    ★ 3.96 Goodreads (7.0K) ★ 4.4 Audible (360)
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    Child abduction and a widower's dangerous obsession converge in Simon Serrailler's latest case. Steven Pacey captures both the detective's cool reserve and the raw emotion driving the story's multiple threads.

  23. 23
    The Way of Renegades cover

    The Way of Renegades

    The Bards and Dragons Saga • Book 1

    by Steve D. Wall

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    3.96 ABR Score (705 ratings)
    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (320) ★ 4.57 Audible (385)
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    War hero Ulric's quiet exile ends when revolutionary rifles and Coalition blackmail force him back into action. Steven Pacey voices this flintlock fantasy that blends gunpowder technology with magical elements across 14 hours.

  24. 24
    The Beast in the Red Forest cover

    The Beast in the Red Forest

    Inspector Pekkala • Book 5

    by Sam Eastland

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    3.96 ABR Score (1.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (985) ★ 4.5 Audible (62)
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    Reports of Inspector Pekkala's death send his assistant into Russian forests where partisans fight Nazis and truth becomes elusive. Pacey navigates wartime complexity and Eastland's intricate plotting superbly.

  25. 25
    A Change of Circumstance cover

    A Change of Circumstance

    Simon Serrailler • Book 11

    by Susan Hill

    Narrated by Steven Pacey

    3.95 ABR Score (3.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.01 Goodreads (3.6K) ★ 4.49 Audible (135)
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    Simon Serrailler confronts a sophisticated drug network targeting his town of Lafferton in Hill's eleventh crime installment. Pacey's familiar voice guides listeners through the inspector's most personal case yet.

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 →