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The April Dead

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The April Dead

By: Alan Parks
Narrated by: Andrew McIntosh
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE McILVANNEY PRIZE FOR SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR

NO ONE WILL FORGET . . .

In a grimy flat in Glasgow, a homemade bomb explodes, leaving few remains to identify its maker.

Detective Harry McCoy knows in his gut that there’ll be more to follow. The hunt for a missing sailor from the local US naval base leads him to the secretive group behind the bomb, and their disturbing, dominating leader.

On top of that, McCoy thinks he’s doing an old friend a favour when he passes on a warning, but instead he’s pulled into a vicious gang feud. And in the meantime, there’s word another bigger explosion is coming Glasgow’s way – so if the city is to survive, it’ll take everything McCoy’s got . . .

 Crime Crime Thrillers Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Fiction
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Critic reviews

"One of the great Scottish crime writers . . . Whether it be William McIlvanney, Ian Rankin, Denise Mina or Alan Parks, the way they view – and depict – the world gives great pleasure . . . Like the very best crime novels, The April Dead makes you keenly aware of all the pain out there and (almost) alleviates it"
"This is Scottish noir at its gritty darkest, the fourth instalment in Detective Harry McCoy’s rocky career. Behind his bloody-minded disrespect for his superiors and sardonic wit, McCoy is a tough and instinctive copper who learned his skills on the beat. A cracking read"
"Brilliant . . . The April Dead should grace the bookshelves of every crime fan"
"The April Dead may be the grisliest McCoy novel yet, but also, with its pace and urgency, the most exciting"
"Dark and gritty . . . Gripping"
"Immensely exciting . . . One of the best police thrillers of the last few years"
"Tightly plotted and fast-moving, this well-wrought historical thriller highlights Parks' keen analysis of Scotland's societal traumas, in particular the failure to cope with domestic violence and child abuse. Tartan noir fans won’t want to miss this one"
"The lean, muscular prose is matched by a deep dive into character and the seamy side of the city . . . A full-bodied immersion into Glasgow’s gritty past"
"Praise for the Harry McCoy series: Fascinating and dangerous . . . Parks has clearly studied the masters of tartan noir but has his own voice. He shows how, among the welter of violence, a spontaneous act of kindness can have just as great an impact"
"An old-school cop novel written with wit and economy . . . Think McIlvanney or Get Carter" (IAN RANKIN)
All stars
Most relevant
I've been engrossed in this series. The story of Harry McCoy is gripping and has kept me engaged from Book one. But switching to audiobooks half way through this series has affected my enjoyment a little. The recurrent pronunciation of 'loch' as 'LOCK' by the artist seems such a massive characterisation fail that it really started to grate on me. Harry - a Weegie to his core - talking about the Holy LOCK was infuriating. The artist does multiple accents through this reading, yet never managed to pronounce loch the way a Glaswegian like Harry would. This is 100% the reason behind my one-star ding for this book. Otherwise it would have been a five.

Great story, but...

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Terrific story, engaging characters and well paced. Holy “Lock” was a minor irritation in a pretty good performance.

Great Crime Thriller

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I'm going through this series too quickly. It's so good. Please look again at the narration and production though even if it means getting 2 actors. I'm cringing at some of it. No-one fronted their Th's in the 70s eg: tell the troof, Mrs Smiff, Fink etc. My sons started doing this in their teens in the 90s Definitely a generational thing. With reference to another review younger Glaswegians are doing the k instead of ch thing. I would lay money the narrator is no more than about 40 years old.
Anyway the stories are great, loving them.

Another goodie.

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Good tight plot, with a storyline that was much to the fore in 1974.

I cannot understand why I was unaware of these books until the last couple of weeks.

Best yet!

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The fourth book in the series and just when I thought it couldn't get any better... it did. A superb narrative (the Cockney accent of the Special Beach officer aside but that's my only, very minor criticism), a gripping storyline and more exploration of the complex relationship between the two main characters, the Police Inspector and the criminal. A brilliant audio book, I hope the "May" instalment isn't too far away.

Superb, this series just gets better and better

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