27 new audiobooks reached UK listeners in April 2026, and the month wore a distinctly criminal streak: nine of them sit in crime and thriller. It also delivered the event recording of the spring, a full-cast Half-Blood Prince led by Hugh Laurie, plus new work from Anthony Horowitz, Liane Moriarty and Lena Dunham.
As ever, we sort rather than list: featured picks grouped by mood, the rest gathered at the end. Click any title for our full review and buying options, or browse the full catalogue at your leisure.
Worlds to disappear into
First, the releases built for total immersion, whether your escape hatch is Hogwarts, a greenhouse or deep space.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Full-Cast Edition)
We raised an eyebrow at recasting a story most households know by heart, then were won round within a chapter. Hugh Laurie’s Dumbledore carries this bittersweet stretch of the saga with dry, wounded warmth, and the production is lavish without being fussy. Early listeners seem as smitten as we are.
Wraithwood Botanist 3
Book three settles any lingering doubt: this series has staying power. Little Lynx writes progression fantasy with an unusually gentle pulse, more cultivation than conquest, and it suits audio beautifully. Of April’s releases, this is the one our readers have flocked to, and the affection is earned.
The Faith of Beasts
A new James S. A. Corey is an event in this house, no argument entertained. Nobody builds a civilisation, or quietly dismantles one, like the pair behind The Expanse. Too fresh for listener verdicts, so we promise nothing; we have simply cleared the diary.
For a proper crime night in
With nine contenders, crime saw April’s fiercest competition for your headphones. Three caught our attention.
A Deadly Episode
The metafictional double act returns: Horowitz once more writes himself in beside his impossible detective. Rory Kinnear remains the voice of this series, and his weary, self-deprecating delivery is half the pleasure. Too new for verdicts, ours included, but the Hawthorne books have rarely let us down.
Wicked Women
Angela Marsons has kept Kim Stone sharp across a remarkably long run, and the title alone signals the trouble her detective is walking into. No listener reactions have surfaced yet, so file this under informed bet rather than guarantee. Devotees will need no persuading.
The Price of Honey
A word of honesty: this is a short piece, part of a serialised experiment, and early listeners are divided on whether it satisfies on its own. Moriarty’s needle-sharp domestic observation is present and correct. We simply suggest knowing the shape of the thing before spending a credit.
For the romantics
Two romances made our cut this month, both queer, both warmer than the April weather deserved.
After Hours at Dooryard Books
Cat Sebastian sets a tender queer romance in and around a small bookshop, which is practically cheating as far as we are concerned. It is warm, wry and quietly devastating, and listeners have taken to it in droves. April’s most dependable comfort listen.
Playing Dirty
The Leighton U crowd returns for another round of rivalry, banter and considerably blurred lines. Ricci understands that good sports romance is really about vulnerability wearing armour, and this entry leans into that. Early word from listeners is warm, though thin on the ground.
Real lives, told straight
Memoir and reportage from two writers who could hardly be less alike.
London Falling
Patrick Radden Keefe reads his own reporting, and his measured, faintly incredulous delivery has always suited his material. A London story of crime and power lands squarely on our doorstep; we confess a proprietary sort of curiosity. Listener verdicts are still to come, and ours will follow.
Famesick
Lena Dunham remains a writer people hold strong opinions about, which is precisely why her memoir writing is so readable. Famesick promises an unvarnished account of a life lived too publicly, too young. Early days for verdicts, but curiosity, we suspect, is guaranteed.
Also released in April
Also out in April: a new Walter Nash thriller from David Baldacci, Scottish and Cornish crime, Liz Earle on ageing well, and Emma Grede reading her own Start With Yourself.
- The Ferryman by Andrew Raymond, narrated by Angus King (7 hours and 3 minutes)
- Hope Rises by David Baldacci, narrated by MacLeod Andrews (12 hours and 20 minutes)
- The Bones of Logan Rock by Sally Rigby, narrated by Clare Corbett (Not Yet Known)
- How to Age by Liz Earle, narrated by Liz Earle (10 hours)
- Start With Yourself by Emma Grede, narrated by Emma Grede (9 hours and 14 minutes)
- Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, narrated by Rebecca Lowman (13 hours and 47 minutes)
That is April accounted for. Choose one, listen properly, and tell us what we got wrong. If you are new to audiobooks, you can try Audible UK free for 30 days and make the full-cast Potter your first credit. Until May, happy listening. Clara
Previous month: March 2026 releases. Next month: May 2026 releases.
