Nora Roberts has published over 225 novels, and her audiobooks capture something her print editions sometimes can’t: the sheer propulsive energy of her storytelling. Whether she’s writing contemporary romance, romantic suspense, or the In Death series under J.D. Robb, a good narrator turns her dialogue into something electric, the kind of thing you listen to while pretending to do chores.

If you’re new to her work, the In Death series narrated by Susan Ericksen is the obvious starting point. Long-time fans tend to rotate between her trilogies, where the world-building rewards binge listening more than almost any other romance author working today.