I’ve recently been forced to move from reading the printed/e-reader page to listening to audiobooks. Initially, it wasn’t what you’d call a roaring success. I quickly realised that most audiobooks stand or fall on the skills of the narrator and there were a lot of voices I just couldn’t cope with, even when sampling tried and tested authors. Ian Rankin is a case in point. The pantomime worthy Scottish accent of his narrator was like nails on a blackboard to me.
I learnt that I prefer to listen to a male voice rather than a female one. It’s a matter of dialogue – male narrators, in general, seem to be more able to handle female voices than vice versa. I also learnt to really listen to the samples provided before parting with my (usually) £7.99.
Stephen King has long been one of my favourite authors. I’ll even read his turkeys. (FairyTale, anyone?) So, I was pretty delighted to discover the voice of Will Patton as he narrated the Bill Hodges Trilogy – Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch. He was nominated for an Audie Award in the Solo Narration – Male category for his work on Mr. Mercedes. And richly deserved. He not only handles dialogue superbly but also infuses narrative with a range of emotions.
At present, I’ve just started the third in the trilogy and intend to search out more of Patton’s work in the future. And who knows, it might lead me to new authors and genres.
JJ Grafton 