Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle that Set Them Free

Actor and audiobook veteran Leyva provides a perfect fit for Tobar’s acclaimed chronicle of the 2010 accident inside Chile’s San Jose mine and the harrowing experiences of the miners who were trapped underground for 69 days. Leyva handles the Latin American accents with finesse, never descending into caricatures. His portrayals of the complicated love triangles at the center of several of the trapped men’s households above ground never fail to entertain. Leyva also does a masterly job recreating the tensions surrounding matters of faith and spirituality, as evangelical Christian Jose Henriquez leads the men in organized worship services, which gradually become more polarizing. Any narrative with so many characters requires a bit of mental juggling from listeners, but it’s a captivating ride nonetheless. Leyva does an excellent job building anticipation with his speech patterns and changes in intensity, and he allows the national spirit of Chile to shine through. A Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover. (Oct.)