Audiobooks are great companions when you don’t have enough time to set and read a good book. This is especially true when you are traveling. Add to that, when going on the long road trip, it can be a bit boring to look at the landscapes and listen to the roaring wind. To help you with that, here are some of the best mystery audiobooks you can listen on your next road trip.
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Best Mystery Audiobooks For Road Trips
1. A Short History of Nearly Everything
Okay, so not exactly a mystery audiobook, but as the book name says, listening to this book tells you a little bit about everything. From the universe to atoms to geology to biology to homo sapiens, you get to know about a lot of things. What makes the book special is that it is written in an entertaining and fun way. Moreover, the fun yet unique metaphors used in the book to explain complicated topics are really helpful and engaging. If you like to understand complicated science stuff in a non-complicated way then this book is for you.
- Author: Bill Bryson
- Read by: Richard Matthews
- Unabridged audiobook length: 18 hrs and 13 mins
Download A Short History of Nearly Everything (Unabridged).
2. Mosquitoland
Mosquitoland is a young adult book where a teen, Mim Malone hopped on a bus to find her real mother and real home a thousand miles away. In the journey, she meets other interesting travelers which forces her to look inwards and confront love and loyalty. If you love the nature of philosophy and questioning the established definitions, Mosquitoland will be a good book on your journey. The book starts a little slow but you’ll be hooked in no time.
- Author: David Arnold.
- Read by: Phoebe Strole.
- Audiobook length: 8 hrs and 26 mins.
3. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings #1)
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is the first book of Montague Siblings series. The story is all about a strong-headed youth Henry Monty Montague. Being a rich family, his father expects Henry to take over the family business. Before he can do that, he goes on one last grand trip to Europe. This is where things go wrong and turn the regular trip into an adventurous manhunt with twists and turns. In the process, he begins to see his old ways and question things he didn’t before.
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- Author: Mackenzi Lee.
- Read by: Christian Coulson.
- Audiobook length: 10 hrs and 47 mins.
Download the Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.
4. Ghettoside (A True Story of Murder in America)
As you can tell from the title, Ghettoside is a true crime story where a young man got shot in the middle of the road and the killer is on the loose. In the Ghettoside, one young man is slaying another like its nothing and hoping to escape the justice system. But when the police department assigned detective John Skaggs, it all changed. If you like a fast-paced crime story, do give Ghettoside a try.
- Author: Jill Leovy.
- Read by: Rebecca Lowman.
- Audiobook length: 13 hrs and 24 mins.
5. The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard #1)
The Lies of Locke Lamora is the first book of the Gentleman Bastard series. Locke Lamora is a handsome young man and genius thief who stops at nothing to steal the thing he wants. His band, known as Gentleman Bastards even fooled and toyed with the dangerous underworld leader. But all good things come to an end when the even more dangerous foe forces Locke Lamora into a deadly game which threatens to destroy everything he knows.
- Author: Scott Lynch.
- Read by: Michael Page.
- Audiobook length: 21 hrs and 59 mins.
Download the Lies of Locke Lamora audiobook.
6. Nights of the Living Dead (Anthology)
Nights of the Living Dead is a collection of excellent short stories about zombies. Even if you are tired of zombie stories and movies, do give the book a try. Trust me, you will like the short stories more than you think. In fact, most of the short stories in the book refer to events and places in the Night of the Living Dead movie.
- Author: Jonathan Maberry (editor)Â and George A. Romero
- Read by: Full cast.
- Audiobook length: 11 hrs and 53 mins.
Download Nights of the Living Dead.
7. The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant
Well, the title is not only long and interesting but it sure gives you an idea about the book you’re about to listen. Fred is a very boring and uninteresting guy who one day wakes up as a vampire and is thrust into the crazy world of zombies, necromancers, were ponies, ancient dragons, and vampires. If you like books filled with fun, humor, and comedy, then this is for you.
- Author: Drew Hayes.
- Read by: Kirby Heyborne.
- Audiobook length: 7 hrs and 2 mins.
8. The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1)
Trust me, as the book name suggests, reading the book only upsets you. The book is all about three siblings who just lost their parents and their home to a wildfire. Now, they have to deal with other unfortunate events, cold breakfast, and a nefarious villain with itchy clothes. Nothing here is pleasant or fortunate. Netflix even adopted the book into a show with the same name “A Series of Unfortunate Events”.
- Author: Lemony Snicket.
- Read by: Tim Curry and Full Cast.
- Audiobook length: 2 hrs and 29 mins.
9. The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings #1)
Who doesn’t know the Lord of the Rings series? One of the best fantasy books out there with a rich world building and lore. In the first book, the One Ring is calling its master. The members of the fellowship need to go on a journey while carrying the ring and destroy it before the ring reaches its master. If you live literature and old-style fantasy books then do try The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s an awesome book to listen on a journey.
- Author: J. R. R. Tolkien.
- Read by: Rob Inglis.
- Audiobook length: 19 hrs and 7 mins.
Download the Fellowship of the Ring.
10. Hatchet (Brian’s Saga #1)
If you like stranded stories then Hatchet is for you. Brian’s plan to visit his estranged father has gone awry when his plane crashed in the wilderness of Canada. Now, he needs to deal with his fear of woods, hunger, and exhaustion. This is a survival store filled with intriguing themes.
- Author: Gary Paulsen.
- Read by: Peter Coyote.
- Audiobook length: 3 hrs and 42 mins.
11. The Martian (recommended)
The Martian is one of my favorite science fiction book that is filled with a lot of fun and actual and mostly accurate science. The premise of the book is simple yet very intriguing. Mark Watney is stranded on Mars and he now needs to grow potatoes, create water on Martian atmosphere, travel thousands of miles in his rover and wait till Nasa sends the rescue mission.
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- Author: Andy Weir.
- Read by: R. C. Bray.
- Audiobook length: 10 hrs and 53 mins.
12. Sherlock Holmes
Just like the Lord of the Rings, who doesn’t know Sherlock Holmes and his awesome detective and observational powers? Sherlock Holmes is a collection of all the short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Add to that, the books are narrated by Stephen Fry. If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes then try this audiobook. The short stories are great while traveling.
- Author: Arthur Conan Doyle.
- Read by: Stephen Fry.
- Audiobook length: 62 hrs and 52 mins.
13. A Dirty Job (Grim Reaper #1)
A Dirty Job is one of the funniest books I’ve listened in a while. Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy until somehow, he’s made in charge of collecting souls. Ever since then, people are randomly dropping dead around him and some creatures in the sewer are hungry for the blood.
- Author: Christopher Moore.
- Read by: Fisher Stevens.
- Audiobook length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
14. And Then There Were None
This book was first introduced to me by my brother and I really loved it. And Then There Were None is a crime thriller. Ten people who have one thing in common were invited to an island. Starting from day one, one by one is falling dead. By the end of the week, every one of them is murdered. What happened, what’s the thing that is common among them, why did they get murdered, and who’s done it? If you like crime thriller then this is one of best.
- Author: Agatha Christie.
- Read by: Dan Stevens.
- Audiobook length: 6 hrs and 1 min.
Download And Then There Were None
Hope that helps. If you think I missed any of your favorite audiobooks for a road trip then comment below and share them with me.
