Dead Beat cover art

Dead Beat

PI Kate Brannigan, Book 1

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Dead Beat

By: Val McDermid
Narrated by: Chloe Massey
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £13.01

Buy Now for £13.01

LIMITED TIME OFFER

£0.99/mo for 3 months - terms apply. Offer ends 31 August 2026.
The stunning first novel in the Kate Brannigan series, from No.1 Sunday Times bestseller Val McDermid.

‘This is crime writing of the very highest order’ The Times

Introducing Kate Brannigan, Manchester’s most-loved private detective – a woman who won’t take no for an answer.

As a favour, Kate agrees to track down a missing songwriter, Moria Pollock. It was supposed to be a nice simple case, but the search soon leads Kate into the dark underworld of Leeds, Manchester and Bradford – and finally to a shocking confrontation with a killer…©1992 Val McDermid (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd Detective Fiction Mystery Private Investigators Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Crime
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
I love the Karen Pirie books by Val and thought I'd try some of her older work.
I listened to the whole book in less than 24 hours.
Good story, plus lots of reminiscing from my 20s and my Manchester days.

Found Myself A New Heroine

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
enjoyed this new charachter and the regional narration was a good fit with the setting. pace was good but the story had less twists and turns than I expected. it was a bit predictable. i

good but not as Vals best

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Bit dated now - sleuthing when the Internet was in its infancy. I like the character of Kate Brannigan and the back story. This was my first Val McDiarmid, I'll probably read another one. Read beautifully.

Gets better as you go on

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I've read better books by Val McDiarmid but this the first time I've listened to one if her books . it was a good story but I got fed up hearing ...'he said defensively ''I said angrily '. 'she said suspiciously ' etc etc... deary me. It was so unnecessary.... I said irritably!!!!!

an average listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is and reads as a first attempt Detective Novel. Has all the cliches that novel would have and then some! It is pre mobile phone. The coolest game mentioned is Lounge Lizard Larry (if you're old enough to remember that!). But after a fashion it is quite good. The narrator is a bit wooden at times, but that somehow adds to its charm. Just don't expect the slicness of her later work!

It is Dated!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews