The best mystery audiobooks for long drives & road trips
A long drive needs a mystery audiobook that grips — propulsive plot, a narrator who carries hours of runtime, a story you stay in the driveway to finish. Every title below won the Audie Award in the mystery category, the audiobook industry's own pick for the best mystery production of its year, which makes them the safest road-trip credits. The most recent winner is Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben (2026).
| Audiobook | Author | Narrator(s) | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gone Before Goodbye | Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben | ensemble cast | Audie Mystery (2026) |
| Listen for the Lie | Amy Tintera | Will Damron, January LaVoy | Audie Mystery (2025) |
| Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers | Jesse Q. Sutanto | Eunice Wong | Audie Mystery (2024) |
| The Heron | Don Winslow | Ed Harris | Audie Mystery (2023) |
| Later | Stephen King | Seth Numrich | Audie Mystery (2022) |
| Fair Warning | Michael Connelly | Peter Giles, Zach Villa | Audie Mystery (2021) |
| The Chestnut Man | Søren Sveistrup | Peter Noble | Audie Mystery (2020) |
| The Punishment She Deserves | Elizabeth George | Simon Vance | Audie Mystery (2019) |
| The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye | David Lagercrantz | Simon Vance | Audie Mystery (2018) |
| The Crossing | Michael Connelly | Titus Welliver | Audie Mystery (2017) |
| Career of Evil | Robert Galbraith | Robert Glenister | Audie Mystery (2016) |
| The Silkworm | Robert Galbraith | Robert Glenister | Audie Mystery (2015) |
| Unleashed | David Rosenfelt | Grover Gardner | Audie Mystery (2014) |
| The Beautiful Mystery | Louise Penny | Ralph Cosham | Audie Mystery (2013) |
| Feast Day of Fools | James Lee Burke | Will Patton | Audie Mystery (2012) |
| The Reversal | Michael Connelly | Peter Giles | Audie Mystery (2011) |
| Devil in a Blue Dress | Walter Mosley | Michael Boatman | Audie Mystery (2010) |
| The Voice of the Violin | Andrea Camilleri | Grover Gardner | Audie Mystery (2009) |
| The Tin Roof Blowdown | James Lee Burke | Will Patton | Audie Mystery (2008) |
| Echo Park | Michael Connelly | Len Cariou | Audie Mystery (2007) |
| The Serpent on the Crown | Elizabeth Peters | Barbara Peters | Audie Mystery (2006) |
| Twisted | Jeffery Deaver | Boyd Gaines, Michele Pawk, Fredrick Weller | Audie Mystery (2005) |
| Lost Light | Michael Connelly | Len Cariou | Audie Mystery (2004) |
| Jolie Blon's Bounce | James Lee Burke | Will Patton | Audie Mystery (2003) |
| Tell No One | Harlan Coben | Steven Weber | Audie Mystery (2002) |
| The Naked Detective | Laurence Shames | Ron McLarty | Audie Mystery (2001) |
| The Breaker | Minette Walters | Robert Powell | Audie Mystery (2000) |
| The Third Man | Graham Greene | Martin Jarvis | Audie Mystery (1999) |
| Vintage Crime Stories | Charles Dickens et al. | Patrick Malahide | Audie Mystery (1998) |
| The Mysterious Affair at Styles | Agatha Christie | David Suchet | Audie Mystery (1997) |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best mystery audiobook for a road trip?
Among award winners, the most recent Audie Mystery winner is "Gone Before Goodbye" by Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben (2026) — a strong road-trip pick. Every audiobook on this page won the Audie Award in the Mystery category, so any of them is a safe choice for a long drive.
How long are award-winning mystery audiobooks?
Most run roughly 8 to 16 hours — long enough to cover a full day of driving on a single audiobook. Exact runtimes are listed on each title's Audible page.
Where can I listen to these audiobooks?
All are available on Audible. A free 30-day Audible Premium Plus trial includes one credit — enough to download and keep one of these mystery audiobooks even if you cancel before the trial ends.
More mystery guides: every Audie-winning mystery audiobook · mystery audiobooks for beginners · all listening guides · best audiobooks by award.