Where the Dead Wait

In her follow-up to the Antarctica-set All the White Spaces, Wilkes sends listeners to the other pole, detailing the horrors of an Arctic expedition plagued by past secrets and cannibalism. Tension simmers at the lowest setting through dual timelines that follow Victorian explorer Captain William Day’s two ill-fated expeditions. The first ends with Day disgraced, and the second is his chance to redeem himself, if he can rescue his missing crewmate. Along for the voyage is the missing man’s wife, a spiritual medium who is convinced she will find her husband. In the audio production, Joshua Riley takes the burden of narrating Day’s angst-ridden efforts to reconcile guilt for his past actions and continued lustful feelings while fulfilling his duty to his present crew. He’s possessed by a violence he can’t fathom and also, perhaps, the missing man’s spirit. Riley’s pleasant voice carries the story onward, even when it’s weighed down by secrets yet to be revealed. Once each plot thread becomes entangled with the rest, the horror and gore explode into a half-suspected twist. Riley has the chance to display his range with this novel’s performances of gruesome cruelty, adrenaline-fueled terror, and icy madness.