HighBridge in the Studio

October 23rd, 2013 by Josh Brown · Author/Narrator News

Donna PostelHighBridge is proud to announce that Donna Postel will be narrating Red 1-2-3 by John Katzenbach, available in January. Red 1-2-3 is a gripping psychological thriller by one of the preeminent authors of the genre.

Red 1-2-3Redhead One is a fifty-one-year-old single doctor. Redhead Two, a thirty-three-year-old middle school teacher. Redhead Three is a seventeen-year-old prep school student. Their tormenter seems to be everywhere and know everything about them, able to orchestrate fear so excruciating as to be unbearable. He is the Big Bad Wolf, and he is determined to rewrite the ending of the Red Riding Hood fairy tale into a slaughter of the innocents.

In addition to a multitude of audiobooks, narrator Donna Postel’s voice has been heard on hundreds of commercials and corporate narrations. She has previously worked on a number of projects for HighBridge, including Glow by Jessica Maria Tuccelli, and Evil Eye by Joyce Carol Oates.

Flesh and BloodOther recent happenings in the studio, Ray Chase just finished up recording Flesh and Blood by Thomas H. Cook, and Brian Holsopple has voiced Good Behavior by Donald E. Westlake. Both audiobooks are Mysterious Press-HighBridge Audio Digital Classics releasing in February.

Ray ChaseIn Flesh and Blood, ex-cop Frank Clemons investigates the brutal murder of an elderly woman whose murky past leads him into the deadly shadows of a decades-old mystery. Narrator Ray Chase does an excellent job bringing Clemons to life. Chase has narrated a number of HighBridge audiobooks, including Robert Olen Butler’s Christopher Marlowe “Kit” Cobb historical thrillers, and the forthcoming (November) multi-cast The Hunter and Other Stories.

Good BehaviorIn Westlake’s Good Behavior, sly burglar John Dortmunder drops through the roof of the Silent Sisterhood of St. Filumena—and directly into the lap of trouble.

Brian HolsoppleNarrator Brian Holsopple has been working steadily as a voiceover artist for well over a decade. In addition to audio books, he does commercial work and training/eLearning , as well as character voices for a variety of media. And, oh … if you happen to visit Mount Rushmore and attend the official program given by the Park Service, Brian is the voice of Thomas Jefferson.

→ No CommentsTags: ············

A Different Kind of Noir Classic: The City When It Rains

October 22nd, 2013 by Steve Lehman · Uncategorized

The City When It RainsI’ve been wanting to listen to the Mysterious Press-HighBridge Audio Classics recording of Thomas H. Cook‘s The City When It Rains for a while, ever since meeting Tom at Bouchercon in St. Louis and hearing that this was the favorite of his many books. A recent road trip provided the perfect opportunity for me to take in R. C. Bray’s reading of this atmospheric novel.

David Corman is a stringer, a freelance photographer who follows police radio tips and roams the streets of New York in pursuit of the great news shot, the picture that perfectly tells the story without bathos or cliché. Under the tutelage of his mentor Lazar, Corman left a secure teaching job in pursuit of the “Old City,” a vision of an essential New York that underlies the gloss and dreariness of modern life. First Lazar and now Corman are heirs to the great photojournalists of the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s such as Weegee and the old Police Gazette shooters. And Corman’s definitely got the eye. He understands what it means to try to evoke vital truths within a fixed frame. But it’s a tough business, and the wolf is at his door: months behind on rent, he’s facing eviction, and his ex-wife, who remarried into wealth, is angling for custody of their daughter, Lucy.

The City When It Rains is a mystery, but it’s unlike any mystery I’ve read. For one thing, there’s nothing remotely formulaic or derivative about it. There is no murder investigation, no serial killer, no complex financial caper to pull off or thwart, no tough-guy detective. The mystery here is far more human, far more specific: what is the story behind the jumper suicide lying face down in a rain-slicked street whom Corman photographs one night? What is the meaning of the doll wrapped in a blue blanket lying at her fingertips? Who was she; what led her to her fate?

Thomas H. CookCook asks some big questions along the way, the largest among them being the competing pulls of art and life, whether it’s possible to get by without compromise in a harsh and often unforgiving world while pursuing the thing one seems to have been born to do. It’s the artist’s central dilemma; as Yeats put it: “In luck or out the toil has left its mark:/That old perplexity an empty purse,/Or the day’s vanity, the night’s remorse.” And the compromises Corman faces are tough: does he pursue his compulsion to understand this suicide, a young woman who went from Columbia graduate to near starvation and early death? And even more critically, does he honor his own powerful artistic drive to photograph the Old City before it disappears, all at the risk of losing his daughter and everything else?

RC BrayR. C. Bray’s narration is stunning. His deep, clipped, slightly husky voice perfectly captures Thomas H. Cook’s evocation of the shapes and shadows and feel of the big city at night in the rain. His soft accents and vocal characterizations of a wide-ranging cast of disparate ethnicities, sexes, and ages are spot on and so consistent throughout that you always know immediately who is speaking. Cook’s crisp prose conveys the complexities, contradictions, and concessions of one man’s urban existence while raveling out the strands of another person’s life and death, a life seemingly lost to the world and without consequence. It’s a tale that asks hard questions about what we owe to each other, and to ourselves.

The City When It Rains is a true noir classic, and Bray’s reading does justice to every word.

→ No CommentsTags: ·······

Attention all Colin Cotterill fans!

October 16th, 2013 by Susan · Acquisition News

The Axe FactorI’m thrilled to announce that we recently acquired the audio rights to the third and final book in the Jimm Juree mystery series by Colin Cotterill.  The title is The Axe Factor and will be available simultaneously with the St. Martin’s Press hardcover in April of 2014.  His first two, Killed at the Whim of a Hat and Grandad, There’s a Head on the Beach are currently available on audio from HighBridge so if you haven’t yet discovered the clever and witty writing of Mr. Cotterill, check these out.  This new Jimm Juree series has been described as #1 Ladies Detective Agency, but smarter.   It takes place in rural Thailand where the author has called home for many years. Without a doubt it is Cotterill’s first hand Thai experiences that bring the quirky village characters to life in this series.   He has been a critic’s darling and a cult favorite crime writer for his long-time running series featuring Laos coroner Dr. Siri.

→ No CommentsTags: ········

NPR National Park Adventures: You won’t regret the time spent

October 14th, 2013 by Peter · Uncategorized

NPR National Park AdventuresAre you stuck at home like me, or in your car this year doing the commute? Well, get your feet wet and take a listen to National Park Adventures, one of the Road Trips audios from NPR and HighBridge Audio.

Noah Adams is the friendly, familiar voice. I know him from All Things Considered. The stories seem so familiar. Have I heard these reports before? Perhaps some, but not in such a rich collection of travel possibilities.

I love nature and have experienced our national parks as a youngster on family road trips. Yes, I have my favorites in mind before I listen to this audio, walking through my local Loring Park on a beautiful fall day in Minneapolis. As I listen, I discover some great new points of interest. I want to go to all of these places. Thank you, Noah Adams! Thank you, NPR.

If you want a great travel experience, try listening along with Alex Chadwick as he takes a tour of Death Valley National Park, along with the park ranger; they discuss the once lost Lake Manly, a salty lake that forms from the sudden downpour of rain that takes place during the broadcast. They talk about a low landscape – actually below sea level- turned into a flower lover’s paradise, desert mariposa, larkspur, lupine. It’s the color of life, full of green, green views for miles around. At three million acres, the park is the largest in the country, outside of Alaska. I enjoy imagining the beautiful yellow flowers that park visitors call daisies, but are actually a species called, desert gold flower. The sweet smell is astounding to the visitors, the ranger and to the NPR reporter. I want to go there and see this, experience it in person. The beauty of this recording is that, the scene they describe is most likely gone, dried up in the arid park. All the more enjoyable then, you get to capture the moment on this audio.

National Park employees protect all kinds of resources. How about hymns and dirges? This audio features a snapshot of a special musical resource. New Orleans National Jazz Historical Park is something I had never heard of before listening to this audio. From jazz funerals, to a discussion of a local jazz great, Benny Jones Sr, the reporter invites me back to the great city of New Orleans. Listening, learning, dancing, and finger snapping. All are waiting for you as Noah Adams discusses a place that some visitors say, where is the park? Well, the music is the park in this case.  Park ranger Bruce Barnes says the snappy tunes jolt the visitor and listener back into reality after experiencing a jazz funeral, saying: we are still here, life is to be loved and enjoyed with the music; pass it on by listening to these tunes.

I encourage you to visit this historic music park, but first listen to this audio to see what’s in store.

Gettysburg, Zion, Everglades, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon. All of these and more are featured on this nifty collection of audio reports, taken from the NPR broadcasts and made available as a cd or download to listeners who want to travel more, but maybe don’t have the chance right now to get to these parks (especially now during the government shutdown). We have the time now to listen, in our cars, or on a lunch break, so do like I do and put on your headphones, go for a walk in the park, and enjoy some National Park audio keepers. You won’t regret the time spent, and maybe you will find yourself planning a trip to a new park, or an old favorite, that is calling you to visit.

→ No CommentsTags: ·····

Nicola Barber Returns to Narrate Call the Midwife Audiobooks

October 9th, 2013 by Josh Brown · Author/Narrator News

Nicola Barber is returning to read the remaining two titles in the Call the Midwife trilogy: Shadows of the Workhouse and Farewell to the East End.

Nicola Barber is an Award-Winning British voice actor originally from London. She has more than 12 years of voice acting experience. As one reviewer wrote of her reading of the first Call the Midwife book: “Barber is brilliant. She slips into every accent effortlessly, and her Cockney accent is particularly charming. She carries the weight of the stories with ease and affection, and embodies the characters beautifully.” AudioFile magazine called her work on the first volume “Rare and moving.”

Call the Midwife is Jennifer Worth’s New York Times bestselling memoir of a bygone era of comradeship in London’s postwar East End. A rich portrait populated by unforgettable characters, Call the Midwife movingly chronicles heartbreak and suffering amidst the consolations of community, and it’s also the basis of PBS’s TV series by the same name that has averaged 3 million viewers (originally airing on BBC).

Season 3 of Call the Midwife will resume on PBS next year. Shadows of the Workhouse and Farewell to the East End audiobooks from HighBridge will both be available in February 2014.

→ No CommentsTags: ···········

Digital Classic: Penance

October 7th, 2013 by Josh Brown · Uncategorized

First published in the mid-1990s, Penance was David Housewright’s first novel, and won the Edgar Award for the Best First Novel. A Minnesota native and resident, Housewright has gone on to write more than ten novels to date, with about as many short stories under his belt.

Penance was released under the Mysterious Press-HighBridge Audio Digital Classic banner earlier this year. It’s an absolute must-listen for fans of the genre.

PenanceHolland Taylor is an ex-cop turned PI who lost his wife and daughter to a drunk driver years ago. When the drunk driver is murdered after being released from prison, Holland Taylor immediately becomes the prime suspect. He is quickly cleared of the crime, but finds himself working to figure out who the killer really is. This leads to an investigation which involves him in Minnesota politics. Gubernatorial candidate Carol Catherine “C.C.” Monroe is being blackmailed by an old boyfriend, and she wants Taylor to find the blackmailer.

The story eventually culminates with Taylor out-witting those who thought they were two steps ahead of him. Don’t underestimate a man who keeps a floppy-eared bunny as a pet.

Personally, I was drawn to the story because it is set in Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minnesota’s “Twin Cities”), and, being a Twin Cities resident, I enjoyed the familiar locales throughout the narrative. The setting plays an important part in the story–different streets, suburbs, locations, sports teams, and even the weather–all painted perfectly by Housewright. Housewright’s vivid description of Minneapolis-St. Paul will draw non-residents into this unique locale as well.

Another reason I enjoyed this audiobook so much was the fact that it’s read by R. C. Bray, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators. He does a phenomenal job on the audio. AudioFile magazine praised Bray’s performance on the audiobook, stating: “R. C. Bray delivers a perfect raspy-voiced private eye.”

Penance is highly recommended. It is a fantastic and enjoyable crime mystery. It’s fast paced, witty, exceptionally well plotted, and just plain fun.

→ No CommentsTags: ·········

Calling All Midwives

October 3rd, 2013 by Steve Lehman · Acquisition News

I’m pleased to announce . . . I’m thrilled to announce . . . I couldn’t be happier to announce . . .

Isn’t there any other way to say this? How about: I’m ‘eaven and ‘ell chuffed ter tell what HighBridge has picked up the bloody rights to produce audiobook editions of the remaining two titles in the Call the Midwife trilogy: Shadows of the Workhouse and Farewell to the East End. Call the Midwife is, of course, Jennifer Worth’s brilliant memoir of birth and death and everything in-between in London’s post-war East End and the basis—need I say it?—of the acclaimed BBC series that airs in the States on PBS. And that’s not all, old fruit: stay tuned for an announcement soon on the narrator.

Shadows of the Workhouse and Farewell to the East End will hit the stores on Valentine’s Day next year. If you pick them up as soon as they come out you’ll have just enough time to listen to both before Season 3 of the TV series begins in the spring.

It took a while to land these, but all’s cushty now here at HighBridge, just luvverly jubberly. Would I feed ya a porky pie? Not on your porridge knife!

→ No CommentsTags: ········

Featured Audio Giveaway – Oct 2013 – Star Wars Topps Collector’s Editions

October 3rd, 2013 by Kay Weiss · Featured Audio Giveaways

Featured Audio Giveaway

Star Wars: A New Hope Original Radio Drama – Topps Collectors Editions, “Light Side” and “Dark Side”

by George Lucas; performed by
Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and an ensemble cast
Hear an excerpt

Two chances to win this week!

Basically, if you have been breathing anytime between 1979 and today, you are familiar with the first Star Wars film, A New Hope (Episode IV).

What you may NOT be familiar with is the awesome audio drama NPR broadcast in 1981 that featured an expanded storyline, the voices of Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels, original movie sound effects, and original movie music.

Take that awesomeness, combine it with a LIMITED RUN, Topps Star Wars Illustrated trading card (art matching the two editions available) and you’ve got a must-have audio collectable.

Choose your allegiance! We’ll draw one “Light Side” and one “Dark Side” winner!

(Psstt… We aren’t kidding—these are limited edition, so you might also want to think ahead to Christmas gift giving…)

More backstory and edition information at StarWarsRadioDrama.com.

________________________

How to Win This Audio CD

1. Send an email to newsletter@highbridgeaudio.com
2. Choose your allegiance! Put either the word “Light” or “Dark” in the subject line.

Entries must be received by no later than 10/25/2013.
See the Program Details for more information.

________________________

Last Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to MARGUERITE BEAL, winner of the last giveaway, The Road from Gap Creek. Thanks to all who participated.

→ 2 CommentsTags: ······

OLD JEWS off-Broadway show coming to the midwest

September 30th, 2013 by Frank Randall · HighBridge at the Movies, Uncategorized

The hit off-Broadway show based on the beloved internet sensation (and audiobook) by Sam Hoffman and Eric Spiegelman is pulling up stakes from New York and heading for the great midwest. The live show was developed by lifelong Jewish humor devotees Daniel Okrent and Peter Gethers, who clearly loved the original Old Jews Telling Jokes as much as we do. Chicago’s version of the show features an all new cast and plays through November 24, 2013, at the Royal George Theatre.

→ No CommentsTags: ······

Thomas’ Poll Winner: The Seersucker Whipsaw

September 30th, 2013 by Frank Randall · Uncategorized

One of the grand masters of the genre, Ross Thomas wrote 25 suspense novels in his long career, employing a well-crafted style and colorful characters who trade on snappy, witty dialogue to churn up the underbelly of many a political intrigue. The Mysterious Press Classic audio line from HighBridge has turned up a gem from early in Thomas’ career, 1967’s The Seersucker Whipsaw.

Thomas introduces us to Pete Upshaw and Clinton Shartelle, an unlikely pair of American political operatives hired to use their true blue domestic campaign trickery to influence the outcome of a presidential election in the African republic of Albertia. “Public Relations” specialist Upshaw is sly, cynical and game for anything that comes his way, but he’s the straight and narrow foil for Shartelle, a fiercely individual southerner with a knack for pulling the strings and pushing the right buttons at key moments in any given political circus. Luckily for Upshaw, Shartelle loves a long shot and he embraces the difficult task at hand with a glint in his eye and an apt summary for the mission about to unfold: “It’s Richard Haliburton and Rudolph Valentino and Tarzan all rolled into one big package.” Shartelle is what you might call an enlightened good ol’ boy, and hearing him in action is one of the strengths of the audio as performed by the impressively versatile narrator R.C. Bray.  Throw in the nostalgic flair of Mad Men, the natural charm of a backroom conversation between James Carville and Bill Clinton, and Thomas’ exquisite plotting and execution, and my poll of one declares The Seersucker Whipsaw a clear winner.

While shedding some highly entertaining light on the manipulation of mass media as practiced in the Kennedy-Johnson era, perhaps one of the surprising takeaways from this early foray into the modern global political intervention we now take for granted is how much things have stayed the same over the last fifty years. And how endearing a couple of cynical, morally suspect Americans can be when, with a wink and a nod, they demonstrate a virtuosic mastery of the art of human nature and a delight in helping the underdog.

→ No CommentsTags: ······