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The Long Knives

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The Long Knives

By: Irvine Welsh
Narrated by: Tam Dean Burn Burn
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Brought to you by Penguin.

Justice can be a blunt instrument

"Men like him usually tell the story.
In business.
Politics.
Media.
But not this time: I repeat, he is not writing this story."

Ritchie Gulliver MP is dead. Castrated and left to bleed in an empty Leith warehouse.

Vicious, racist and corrupt, many thought he had it coming. But nobody could have predicted this.

After the life Gulliver has led, the suspects are many: corporate rivals, political opponents, the countless groups he's offended. And the vulnerable and marginalised, who bore the brunt of his cruelty - those without a voice, without a choice, without a chance.

As Detective Ray Lennox unravels the truth, and the list of brutal attacks grows, he must put his personal feelings aside. But one question refuses to go away...

Who are the real victims here?

© Irvine Welsh 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 Crime Fiction Mystery Police Procedural World Literature Fiction Crime Scary
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Critic reviews

An ingeniously plotted and propulsive thriller... bristling with risky satire and moral disgust.
If you like your crime dramas Scottish and sweary, this one's for you. (Jessie Thompson)
A triumph... A great, redemptive book... It leaves you wanting more, much more
Powerful, passionate writing... Welsh gets it just right
Powerful... A bracing and engaging read
Sharp, fearless, passionate, and brilliant.
Intelligent, propulsive, passionate
All stars
Most relevant
Not Welsh's finest, but fun enough. Found Tam Dean Burn's performance hard to gauge - absolutely unlistenable at normal speed, but very good indeed at 1.35 speed.

Tam x1.35

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Really gripping book, fantastic sequel to Crime. Really looking forward to the next book in the series

Gripping and looking forward to the next one

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This story is a good follow-up from the previous adventures with this main character. This time we find him back in his home town of Edinburgh. For me this is very relatable. In the early 80s, my mates and I would venture to the tunnel talked about, near Duddingston Loch. At the time it was dis-used but not very well sealed. I still have scary memories of trying to walk into the dark abyss. Never been back since.
I must also admit the narrator, Tam does speak slowly. Through, this maybe to allow non Scottish accent listeners a bit more time to process the language. I ran it at 1.5x and it worked for me.
Well done to all involved.

Good follow up.

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Compare and contrast with Christopher Brookmyre’s latest, lamentable offering. We’ll put together. Fun. Brilliantly narrated. Altogether, a barry listen. Recommended.

Pretty good ……

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Beautifully read.An intricate story with many different angles. Fascinating characters. Looking forward to the next instalment.

Excellent on all fronts

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