🔥 1-Sentence Hook One minute, she’s working at a bar; the next minute, multiple American cities are gone. Casual Tuesday.
🔍 Quick Stats Genre: Apocalypse, Cult Energy, and Vengeance Narration Style: Solo narration Narrator: Stacey Glemboski Length: About 37 hours (you’re in this for a while)
📊 Dad Score™
Plot Impact: 🔥🔥🔥 Solid apocalypse setup, steady tension, not reinventing the genre but doing it competently.
Narrator Swagger: 🎧🎧 Gets the job done. Doesn’t elevate it, doesn’t ruin it. Professional apocalypse voice.
Chore Compatibility: 🧹🧹🧹🧹 Very good for repetitive, brain-off chores. Dishes, yard work, existential dread.
Tear Risk: 🧱 No tears. Emotional distance maintained.
📼 Final Verdict ✔️ Yes — if you like end-of-the-world stories with cults, revenge arcs, and some awkward romance sprinkled in like seasoning you didn’t ask for.
🧠 The Story (Spoiler-Free) This is classic apocalypse fiction: nukes drop, society collapses immediately, and bad people quickly reveal they’ve been waiting for this moment their whole lives.
There’s tension, violence, and a lot of decisions driven by emotion instead of logic — which tracks, honestly, given the whole “nuclear annihilation” thing.
The romance is… there. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it makes you pause mid-task and say, “Really? Now?”
🎧 The Narrator Stacey Glemboski is solid but not flashy. Clear delivery, consistent tone, no wild swings.
This isn’t a narration that steals the show — it supports the story and stays out of the way, which is fine for a long listen like this.
🎤 The Listening Experience Best used for:
Simple, repetitive chores
Long drives
Tasks where you want story momentum but don’t need to track every detail
This is very much a one-listen-and-done experience. I didn’t hate it. I also don’t feel the urge to revisit it.
🧪 Final Thoughts Good book. Good writing. Solid apocalypse vibes.
Not cracking my top ten, but it did exactly what it promised and didn’t waste my time, which already puts it above average in this genre.
Authors: John Mankiewicz, Jamie Napoli, Daniel Pyne, Katie Pyne, Aaron Lipstadt Narrators: Jon Hamm, Ana de la Reguera, Alia Shawkat, Omar Epps, Erin Moriarty, Sosie Bacon, John Slattery Listening Time: 4 hrs 21 mins Publisher: Audible Originals
📊 Dad Score™
Category
Rating
Why
Plot Impact
🔥🔥🔥
Classic detective setup. Short, satisfying, and carried by tone and vibe rather than big twists.
Narrator Power
🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️
Full cast magic. Jon Hamm fits the role like a trench coat.
Chore Compatibility
🧹🧹
Best for light chores. You’ll want to pay attention to the dialogue.
Tear Risk
🧱
No emotional gut punches here. Just hard-boiled vibes and snappy narration.
Final Verdict
👍 Worth a re-listen when you’re in a noir mood. Solid, nostalgic, and smooth.
🧠 The Story
This one’s dripping in noir—from the detective narration to the jazz-club pacing. Set in the 1950s, it scratches that “gumshoe with a grudge” itch. Think trench coats, low lighting, cynical monologues, and someone definitely hiding a gun under a newspaper.
At one point I weirdly wished it was Christmas and I was wearing a robe, drinking coffee, staring at snow. So yeah—this audiobook has a mood.
Pace: Steady—not too fast, not too slow. Like sipping something strong and dark. Type: Mystery / Detective Themes: Corruption, class tension, good guys doing bad things for the right reasons.
🎙️ The Narrator Power
This is how you do a full-cast audiobook. It works because it was written to work that way. Jon Hamm nails the lead—he’s got the voice, the attitude, and the emotional restraint of a man who’s been punched in the ribs and didn’t flinch.
Everyone else? Spot on. Voices were distinct, performances had feeling, and I could actually follow who was talking without checking the cast list.
Would I listen to another book by these folks? Absolutely.
🎧 The Listening Experience
This is one of those Audible Originals that actually hits right. Production is top-notch. Crisp sound, good pacing, clean transitions. It felt like a radio drama for people who hate being told what to feel.
Can you do chores while listening? Yes—but not anything complicated. If you’re snaking a drain or assembling IKEA furniture, save this one for later. It’s good enough to deserve your attention.
🔁 Would I Listen Again?
Yeah. Probably next winter. It’s not an every-year classic, but it’s short enough and good enough to revisit when you’re in the mood for something noir and polished.
🧠 Final Thoughts
Check this one out if:
You’re into noir detective stories
You like full-cast narration with actual chemistry
You think Jon Hamm could pull off a fedora and mean it
You’re in between big series and want something shorter but satisfying
You just want something cool, clean, and free (yep—it’s included with Audible)
Bonus Tip: Just found out it’s the second in the series, but it stands on its own. No homework required.
