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The Less Dead

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

'Denise Mina is the cream of the crop, an author who pushes the crime novel in new and exciting directions and never fails to deliver.' IAN RANKIN

When Margo goes in search of her birth mother for the first time, she meets her aunt, Nikki, instead. Margo learns that her mother, Susan, was a sex worker murdered soon after Margo's adoption. To this day, Susan's killer has never been found.

Nikki asks Margo for help. She has received threatening and haunting letters from the murderer, for decades. She is determined to find him, but she can't do it alone...

A brilliant, thought-provoking and heart-wrenching new thriller about identity and the value of a life, from the award-winning author of The Long Drop and Conviction.

PRAISE FOR DENISE MINA:

'You won't be able to put Conviction down' Reese Witherspoon

'Unsettling, evocative and staggeringly good' Daily Express

'A masterpiece by the woman who may be Britain's finest living crime novelist' Daily Telegraph

'An atmospheric recreation of a vanished Glasgow...and a compelling exploration of the warped criminal mind' The Times on The Long Drop: Top Ten Crime Novels of the Decade

© Denise Mina 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 Crime Thrillers Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Crime

Critic reviews

This is crime writing of the highest order (Mark Sanderson)
More proof that Denise Mina is Britain's best living crime writer (Charlotte Heathcote)
Mina is the most compassionate of crime novelists... a dark and heartfelt novel (John Williams)
Always compelling and frightening, Mina's latest novel is full of tough-minded compassion. She is probably the most interesting crime writer at work today
Denise Mina is crime-writing royalty (Val McDermid)
The Long Drop is not just a success and a thrilling read in its own right, but a game-changer for the genre (Stuart Kelly)
A gripping plot and compelling characters
The Long Drop is a beautifully written book, a masterpiece by the woman who may be Britain’s finest living crime novelist.
Not a single word is wasted in this beautifully written novel. Unsettling, evocative and staggeringly good, it is possibly Mina’s finest achievement.
Mina writes with wonderful wit and compassion (Jake Kerridge)
All stars
Most relevant
Well drawn drawn characters abound in this story of the investigation of a cold case working girl's murder. There is a genuine empathy and a respect for the street girls which I found thought provoking and the humour in some parts was a nice counterpoint to the dark subject matter.

More than just a Crime Novel

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This is not a quote you would hear from VisitScotland about this book 😅
I have qualms about plots involving such gritty misogyny , but it is very well handled and feels authentic. The narration, with tricky accents is very professional. Quite an accomplishment.

'A heartwarming tale set in a vibrant Glasgow '

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best read this year why should I have to blether on for 15 words when I've said what I wanted
to say

really good not over hyped

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Fascinating, gritty glimpse into the lives of people seldom written about. Tense and keeps you questioning till the very last word.

tense till the end

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The book is well narrated. The story is a bit thin and I expected a better conclusion, but it’s been a reasonably entertaining way of passing my lockdown runs.

A long moderately engaging murder mystery

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