Best Peter Holdway Audiobooks

The best audiobooks narrated by Peter Holdway — 13 titles spanning Fantasy, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Mystery, averaging 3.81 ABR stars.

Peter Holdway built his audiobook reputation on Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Chronicles, and The Crown Tower is a strong argument for why he belongs in the conversation about fantasy's best narrators. His voice has a grounded, measured quality — authoritative without being stiff — that suits Sullivan's adventure-driven storytelling perfectly, making the buddy dynamic between Royce and Hadrian feel genuinely lived-in. Beyond Riyria, Holdway pops up across a surprising range of material: L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s Magic of Recluce, the Innkeeper Chronicles dramatized adaptations, and scattered mystery and thriller titles. He's particularly at home in ensemble casts — a natural ensemble player who can hold his own without swallowing scenes. Listeners who like their fantasy narration solid and unsentimental, without the showboating that sometimes plagues the genre, will find Holdway a reliable and frequently underrated guide.

Where to Start with Peter Holdway

  1. 1
    The Crown Tower : The Riyria Chronicles 1 (Riyria Chronicles) cover

    The Crown Tower : The Riyria Chronicles 1 (Riyria Chronicles)

    The Riyria Chronicles • Book 1

    by Michael J. Sullivan

    Narrated by Bradley Foster Smith, Chris Genebach, Danny Gavigan, Nora Achrati, Peter Holdway, Shanta Parasuraman, Terence Aselford, John Kielty, Kay Eluvian, Brandon Burton, Stewart Crank

    4.28 ABR Score (43.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.33 Goodreads (43.5K) ★ 4.76 Audible (223)
    10h 11m listening time • Released 2022
  2. 2
    Clean Sweep cover

    Clean Sweep

    Innkeeper Chronicles [Dramatized Adaptation] • Book 1

    by Ilona Andrews, Nora Achrati, Ryan H. Reid, Alex Hill-Knight, Karen Novack

    Narrated by Alejandro Ruiz, Christopher Walker, Holly Adams, James Lewis, Karen Novack, Ken Jackson, Nora Achrati, Peter Holdway, Elias Khalil, Ryan Reid, Alex Hill-Knight

    4.24 ABR Score (1.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.39 Goodreads (672) ★ 4.77 Audible (1.0K)
    6h 2m listening time • Released 2022
  3. 3
    One Fell Sweep cover

    One Fell Sweep

    Innkeeper Chronicles [Dramatized Adaptation] • Book 3

    by Ilona Andrews, Nora Achrati, Karen Novack, Megan Dominy, Ryan H. Reid, Alex Hill-Knight, Nick DePinto, Samantha Turret

    Narrated by Karen Novack, Nick DePinto, Nora Achrati, Peter Holdway, Ryan Carlo Dalusung, Robb Moreira, Megan Dominy, David Cui Cui, Ryan Reid, Alex Hill-Knight, Samantha Turret

    4.23 ABR Score (965 ratings)
    ★ 4.5 Goodreads (507) ★ 4.86 Audible (458)
    8h 5m listening time • Released 2022
  4. 4
    Drumindor (Dramatized Adaptation): The Riyria Chronicles cover

    Drumindor (Dramatized Adaptation): The Riyria Chronicles

    The Riyria Chronicles • Book 5

    by Michael J. Sullivan, Full Cast

    Narrated by full cast, Bradley Foster Smith, Danny Gavigan, Terence Aselford, Nora Achrati, Andrew James Spooner, Jenna Sharpe, Zura Johnson, Peter Holdway, Emlyn McFarland, Stewart Crank, Chris Davenport

    4.04 ABR Score (4.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.37 Goodreads (4.1K) ★ 4.76 Audible (17)
  5. 5
    The Desert Prince (Part 3 of 3) (Dramatized Adaptation) cover

    The Desert Prince (Part 3 of 3) (Dramatized Adaptation)

    The Nightfall Saga • Book 1

    by Peter V. Brett

    Narrated by Laura C. Harris, Lise Bruneau, Matthew Bassett, Matthew Schleigh, Nora Achrati, Peter Holdway, Ryan Carlo Dalusung, Yasmin Tuazon, David Cui Cui, Melody Muze, Shravan Amin

    3.75 ABR Score (10 ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Audible (10)
    6h 24m listening time • Released 2022
  6. 6
    The Magic of Recluce (1 of 2) : The Saga of Recluce, Book 1, Part 1 cover

    The Magic of Recluce (1 of 2) : The Saga of Recluce, Book 1, Part 1

    Saga of Recluce • Book 1

    by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

    Narrated by full cast, Bradley Smith, Andy Brownstein, Carolyn Kashner, Amanda Forstrom, Chris Genebach, Ken Jackson, Richard Rohan, Peter Holdway, Nora Achrati, Steven Carpenter, Michael Glenn

    3.74 ABR Score (34 ratings)
    ★ 3.94 Goodreads (16) ★ 4.61 Audible (18)
    6h 57m listening time • Released 2020
  7. 8
    Colter's Journey (Tim Colter) cover

    Colter's Journey (Tim Colter)

    Tim Colter • Book 1

    by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone, Ken Jackson, Robbie Gay, Colleen Delany, Nora Achrati, Peter Holdway, Nanette Savard, Evan Casey, David Coyne, Bradley Smith, Dani Stoller, Richard Rohan, Michael John Casey, Matthew McGee, Rose Elizabeth Supan, Yasmin Tuazon, Christopher Graybill, Scott McCormick, Terence Aselford, Jacob Yeh, Bruce Alan Rauscher

    Narrated by full cast, Ken Jackson, Matthew McGee, Robbie Gay, Peter Holdway, Evan Casey, Nora Achrati, Bruce Alan Rauscher, Christopher Graybill, Richard Rohan, Scott McCormick, Colleen Delany

    3.64 ABR Score (28 ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (2) ★ 4.62 Audible (26)
    4h 45m listening time • Released 2020
  8. 9
    See Also Proof cover

    See Also Proof

    Marjorie Trumaine Mystery • Book 3

    by Larry D. Sweazy

    Narrated by full cast, Nanette Savard, Tim Getman, Amanda Forstrom, Carolyn Kashner, Andy Brownstein, Peter Holdway, Chris Stinson, Michael Glenn, Elizabeth Jernigan, Lise Bruneau, Nora Achrati

    3.64 ABR Score (180 ratings)
    ★ 4.1 Goodreads (177) ★ 4.67 Audible (3)
    5h 9m listening time • Released 2020
  9. 10
    Hand of God : Jason Trapp 8 (Jason Trapp) cover

    Hand of God : Jason Trapp 8 (Jason Trapp)

    Jason Trapp • Book 8

    by Jack Slater, Keval Shah, Nora Achrati, James Konicek, Jacob Yeh, Terence Aselford, Peter Holdway, Chris Stinson, Wyn Delano, Drew Kopas, Bradley Foster Smith, Mark Harrietha, A Full Cast

    Narrated by full cast, Terence Aselford, Wyn Delano, Nora Achrati, Peter Holdway, James Konicek, Mark Harrietha, Jacob Yeh, Bradley Foster Smith, Drew Kopas, Chris Stinson, Keval Shah

    3.58 ABR Score (5 ratings)
    ★ 4.33 Goodreads (3) ★ 3.5 Audible (2)
    8h 46m listening time • Released 2026
  10. 11
    Blood Requiem (1 of 2) cover

    Blood Requiem (1 of 2)

    Chaos Queen [Dramatized Adaptation] #3, part 1 • Book 3

    by Christopher Husberg, Michael John Casey, Yasmin Tuazon, Nanette Savard, Nanna Ingvarsson, Bradley Smith, Dani Stoller, Alyssa Wilmoth, Evan Casey, Scott McCormick, Lily Beacon, Richard Rohan, Peter Holdway, Mort Shelby, Patrick Bussink, Christopher Walker, Joy Jones, Danny Gavigan, Kenyatta Rogers, Andy Clemence, Julie-Ann Elliott, Jefferson A. Russell, Bru Ajueyitsi, Eric Messner, Nora Achrati, Dylan Lynch, Terence Aselford, Tracy Olivera, Ken Jackson, Elizabeth Jernigan, Jason B. McIntosh, Marni Penning, Joe Mallon, Thomas Keegan, Katy Carkuff, Colleen Delany, Karen Novack, Dawn Ursula

    Narrated by full cast, Nanette Savard, Dani Stoller, Thomas Keegan, Marni Penning, Alyssa Wilmoth, Nora Achrati, Karen Novack, Katy Carkuff, Joe Mallon, Danny Gavigan, Peter Holdway

    3.58 ABR Score (3 ratings)
    ★ 4.5 Goodreads (2) ★ 5 Audible (1)
    5h 53m listening time • Released 2020
  11. 12
    Hair of the Dog cover

    Hair of the Dog

    Tony Mandolin Mystery • Book 4

    by Robert Lee Beers

    Narrated by full cast, Bradley Smith, Elliot Dash, Andy Brownstein, Peter Holdway, Dani Stoller, Chris Genebach, David Jourdan, Matthew Pauli, Andy Clemence, Nora Achrati, Kimberly Gilbert

    3.54 ABR Score (34 ratings)
    ★ 3.97 Goodreads (32) ★ 5 Audible (2)
    6h 16m listening time • Released 2020
  12. 13
    The Deeds of the Disturber (Dramatized Adaptation): Amelia Peabody cover

    The Deeds of the Disturber (Dramatized Adaptation): Amelia Peabody

    Amelia Peabody • Book 5

    by Elizabeth Peters, Full Cast

    Narrated by full cast, Nanette Savard, Michael Glenn, Marni Penning, Troy Allan, Carolyn Kashner, Ken Jackson, Christopher Tester, Peter Holdway, Arden Wannall, Nora Achrati, Mike Carnes

    3.50 ABR Score (9 ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (6) ★ 5 Audible (3)
    12h 21m listening time • Released 2026

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →