Relative Humidity

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise at first—another PI with mommy issues? But *Relative Humidity* won me over in the first 20 minutes, thanks to Steve Marvel’s narration. His Pete Amsterdam sounds like a guy who’s two rum runners away from quitting life, and his Gertie is a force of nature: imagine if your Jewish grandmother and a stand-up comic had a lovechild. The chemistry between them is electric, and Marvel leans into the absurdity without overplaying it. That’s key, because Shames’ writing walks a tightrope between satire and sincerity. The plot itself is almost secondary (which, honestly, is my only real critique—if you’re here for a twisty mystery, you might leave wanting). Instead, the joy is in the set pieces: Gertie hijacking Pete’s stakeout, a retirement home heist that’s equal parts *Ocean’s 11* and *Golden Girls*, and a running gag about a missing parrot that had me cackling. The pacing clips along, though the final act feels a tad rushed, like Shames got distracted by his own jokes (a forgivable sin). What elevates this audiobook is how *lived-in* it feels—Marvel’s delivery makes even throwaway lines land, and the production is crisp, with no distracting edits. It’s not a *great* mystery, but it’s a *great time*—the kind of listen that’ll have you grinning in traffic or rewinding to share a line with a friend. Just don’t blame me if you start side-eyeing your own relatives by Chapter 3.