Jess Kidd has 4 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 4 narrators, with an average listener rating of 3.8★ across 25 ratings. The most-rated is Things in Jars.
Things in Jars
Summary
In this "miraculous and thrilling" (Diane Setterfield, number one New York Times best-selling author) mystery for fans of The Essex Serpent and The Book of Speculation, Victorian London comes to life as an intrepid female sleuth wades through a murky world of collectors and criminals to recover a remarkable child. Bridie Devine - flame-haired, pipe-smoking detective extraordinaire - is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors in this age of discovery. Winding her way through the sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing secrets about her past that she’d rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot-tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where nothing is quite what it seems. Blending darkness and light, Things in Jars is a stunning, "richly woven tapestry of fantasy, folklore, and history" (Booklist starred review) that explores what it means to be human in inhumane times.
©2020 Jess Kidd (P)2020 Simon & Schuster Audio
Himself
Summary
Having been abandoned on the steps of an orphanage as an infant, lovable car thief and Dublin charmer Mahony assumed all his life that his mother had simply given him up. But when he receives an anonymous note suggesting that foul play may have led to his mother's disappearance, he sees only one option: to return to the rural Irish village where he was born and find out what really happened 26 years ago. From the moment he sets foot in Mulderrig, Mahony's presence turns the village upside down. His uncannily familiar face and outsider ways cause a stir among the locals, who receive him with a mixture of excitement (the women), curiosity (the men), and suspicion (the pious). Determined to uncover the truth about what happened to his mother, Mahony solicits the help of brash anarchist and retired theater actress Mrs. Cauley. This improbable duo concocts an ingenious plan to get the town talking about the day Mahony's mother disappeared and are aided and abetted by a cast of eccentric characters, both living and dead. Himself is a simmering mixture - a blend of the natural everyday and the supernatural, folklore and mystery, and a healthy dose of quintessentially Irish humor. The result is a darkly comic crime story in the tradition of a classic Irish trickster tale, complete with a twisting and turning plot, a small town rife with secrets, and an infectious love of language and storytelling that is a hallmark of the finest Irish writers.
©2017 Jess Kidd (P)2017 Simon & Schuster Audio
Mr. Flood's Last Resort
Summary
From the award-winning author of the "supernaturally skillful debut" (Vanity Fair), Himself, a spellbinding romp about a caretaker and a cranky hoarder with a secret - complete with skulking saints, unresolved disappearances, greedy heirs, and a firecracker neighbor determined to get to the bottom of it all. Maud Drennan is a dedicated caretaker, but her sunny, capable disposition and snappy quips mask a deep sadness. A tragic childhood event left her in the company of a cast of patron saints who pop in and out of her life like unwelcome tourists. She tries to find solace in her hard work in London...but then she meets the inimitable Mr. Flood. A menace by all accounts, Cathal Flood is a widower living alone in a Gothic Dorset mansion crawling with collector's items and feral cats. Stubborn as anything and an extreme hoarder, he has been battling his son's attempts to move him into an old age home, and rumor has it he sent his last caretaker to the madhouse. But Maud is this insolent old man’s last chance: If she can help him get the house in order, he might be able to fend off the deportation. So the unlikely pair begin to cooperate, connecting over their shared love of folk tales and their suspicion of Gabriel, Cathal’s overbearing son. Still, shadows are growing in the cluttered corners of the mansion, hinting at buried family secrets, and reminding Maud that she doesn’t really know this man at all. When she starts poking around, the forgotten case of a missing local schoolgirl comes to light, and a full-steam search for answers begins. Full of charming eccentricities, twisted comedy, a whole lot of heart, and Jess Kidd’s "lyrical, lush, and hugely imaginative" (Sunday Express Magazine) prose, Mr. Flood's Last Resort is a mesmerizing tale that will make you re-examine the space between sin and sainthood, reminding you that when all is said and done, the most important forgiveness that we can offer is to ourselves.
©2018 Jess Kidd (P)2018 Simon & Schuster
Everyday Magic
Summary
Welcome to Little Snoddington, where nothing is normal and every day is magic.... Nine-year-old Alfie Blackstack’s parents have met a very unfortunate end. Now he’s living in the dark and cobwebby Switherbroom Hall with his mad-haired Aunt Gertie and warty Aunt Zita, who would really like to pickle him. Before long, Alfie realises his aunts aren’t just the weird local chemists, they’re witches!
©2021 Jess Kidd (P)2021 W F Howes