Dead Silence

In her horror debut, Barnes (who also writes as Stacey Kade) has a premise that is difficult to beat. Claire Kovalik’s small repair/salvage crew discovers the Aurora, a long-lost space cruise liner. There seem to be no survivors—though the socialites and celebrities onboard all died violently. Was it an invasion? An infection? Something more uncanny? The narrative shifts back and forth from exploring the derelict ship to Claire being interviewed about the events, adding an incredible amount of tense foreshadowing. The novel probably didn’t need any help gripping readers, but narrator Lauren Ezzo imbues Claire with such emotion that listeners can’t help but care even more about the characters and their fates. Listeners feel precisely what Claire does—anxiousness to balance duty with her needs, her crew’s needs, and her dislike of some of those in her charge. When Claire doubts her experiences on the Aurora because of her past traumas, listeners hear it in her tone. When she fumes at her interrogators or falls into despair, Ezzo portrays that perfectly as well. And when Ezzo reaches the shocking conclusion, listeners will be glad she was there with them.