The Underwood Tapes

De: Amanda DeWitt

Narrado por: Laura Knight Keating

A captivating and profoundly moving novel with hints of supernatural intrigue, blending We Were Liars and Your Name into a can’t-miss listen for fans of You’ve Reached Sam.

Thirty years ago, Grace’s mom left her hometown of Hermitage, Florida and never looked back—which is exactly why Grace thinks it’s the safest place to spend her summer now. Since her mom died in a car crash, Grace has been desperate to get away from the memories and reminders of her loss. Spending the summer transcribing cassette tapes for the Hermitage Historical Society might be boring, but boring is just what Grace needs.

Until she hears the voice of Jake Underwood—the boy who first recorded the cassette tapes back in 1992. When Grace realizes he can hear anything she records, despite thirty years of time between them, they strike up an impossible conversation through the tapes.

But the past isn’t any simpler than the present, and a mystery has haunted Hermitage through the generations. In the 1970’s, a hurricane made landfall and resulted in the tragic death of Jake’s uncle Charley. In a town as suffocatingly small as Hermitage, it’s impossible not to notice how no one talks about that storm, or Charley, and as the mystery unfurls, Grace can’t help but realize a worse truth: No one talks about Jake either.

A beautifully written exploration of grief and what happens when untreated wounds bleed into future generations, The Underwood Tapes is the perfect read for anyone in need of a good, cathartic cry.

“[An] engaging mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews

©2025 Amanda DeWitt (P)2025 Recorded Books

Great writing, good story

3.5 rounded up.

While overall, this was a VERY well-written book, the ending was SO anticlimactic. I was disappointed that after everything, this was the way she chose to end the book.

I will read more of DeWitt's work. I loved her style and I loved the magical realism in this book. I also really loved the way she wrote the teens - they were realistic and compelling and not dumb. Yay!

I'd recommend this for anyone who wants a low-stakes mystery with a little magical realism.

One of the best books of 2025

This book was perfect. I loved everything about it. The characters, the plot, the narrator, you name it and it was excellent. Dewitt wove a magical tale told over time about two people separated by 30 years trying to solve a mystery. I laughed, I cried, I even laughed so hard I cried and I loved everything minute of this wild ride. Even with most of the year remaining I know this is one of the best books of 2025.