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The Dead Don't Bleed

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The Dead Don't Bleed

By: Neil Rollinson
Narrated by: David Nellist
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Two brothers confront each other and themselves to overcome their family legacy, from the doomed coalfields of north-east England to sun-bleached southern Spain

Frank Bridge turned his back on his family’s gangland conflicts in Northumberland decades ago. His brother, Gordon, fled to Spain and has not been heard from since. Frank’s life has taken a different path to the same place: he fell in love with Lorca's poetry and the woman who brought it to him.

But when their gangster father, the head of their savage dynasty, dies, Frank feels he must track down Gordon and tell him that their father’s reign of terror is over. Can Frank’s appearance after twenty-five years prompt a truce – a reconciliation even – will his arrival merely be the catalyst for more turmoil and brutality? Beneath the scorching, pitiless Andalusian sun, the two brothers are finally brought together for one last reckoning.

'Thrilling and brilliantly imagined' SARAH HALL

'Savage, sorrowful, superb' NIALL GRIFFITHS

'Vivid, lyrical and propulsive' MALACHY TALLACK

'A compelling, beautifully written story of male heartbreak' RUTH PADEL

© Neil Rollinson 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Crime Fiction Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic reviews

This dangerous delight is what happens when one of Britain’s best poets marries Lorca’s landscapes and 1970s gangland Newcastle in fiction — a thrilling, deep-song, high-proof novel that’s brilliantly imagined, gorgeously crafted and several cuts above the usual debut (Sarah Hall)
Throw Sexy Beast and Get Carter in a blender, add some Lorcanian duende from blasted blood-drenched Spain and some of that soul-sadness from the sodden, post-industrial far north of England, and you'll get something like this gripping, compelling, elegiac and dismayed novel. Savage, sorrowful, superb (Niall Griffiths)
Marrying the violence, duende and scouring light of Lorca's Andalusia to the broken bottles and police sirens of 1970s Newcastle, this compelling, beautifully written story of male heartbreak slyly explores the way poetry helps you survive your past (Ruth Padel)
The Dead Don’t Bleed is vivid, lyrical and propulsive. Each scene feels charged: a current of violence crackles throughout. Every sentence, every word, is in its rightful place (Malachy Tallack)
Bristling with brutality, it is written with masterly control…a descriptive tour de force… Crossing over into fiction, Rollinson has lost none of his poetry’s flair or concerns, and has given them even greater impact
[A] beautifully written, dark debut novel
An extraordinarily tense and tender portrait of two brothers trying to escape their father’s gangland past… One of this novel’s many successes is in capturing the terror of illicit attraction… [it is] heartbreaking
[A] tight, artful first novel… The Dead Don’t Bleed is terse, bloody and vivid
Rollinson’s gritty, soot-stained lyricism, together with the sombre, oppressive atmosphere, leaves a strong impression
The Dead Don’t Bleed hits a lot of the right notes… a pleasingly thoughtful and atmospheric crime caper
All stars
Most relevant
DNF. I'd rather just read Lorca than spend another minute wading through this pretentious snoozefest. Pity, as the premise got me excited. Not for me. Really could not stand the narrator - maybe I might have lasted longer with print copy.

Boring

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I really loved The Dead Don’t Bleed. Knowing that Neil Rollinson comes from a poetry background, you can absolutely feel that craft in the writing. Even when the subject matter is rough and violent, the language is controlled, precise and often quietly lyrical, which lifts the story beyond a straightforward crime novel.
The book tells the story of a North East crime family over several decades, focusing on two brothers shaped by violence, loyalty and escape. I found myself far more engaged with the characters than I expected to be, and the contrast between the grim, changing North East and the sections set in Spain is handled beautifully. The Spanish strand, and the connection to poetry, adds real depth and emotional weight.
This is a relatively short listen, but it never feels slight. It’s tightly written and builds confidently towards its conclusion. The narration by David Nellist is excellent — measured, atmospheric and perfectly suited to the tone of the book. A powerful debut and a thoroughly rewarding Audible experience. ★★★★★

Where Violence, Memory and Poetry Collide.

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