"This is Glesga"

Would you listen to Where the Bodies are Buried again? Why?

Instantly listen-able, draws you in and postpones your sleep.

What did you like best about this story?

Great contemporary story that manages to capture Glasgow and all its idiosyncrasies. A city where a short walk can take you from the fattest cats to the scrawniest rats of modern life.

What does Sarah Barron bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Sarah's reading shows great characterisation and range in a story that uses most of Britain's social ladder, her performance is excellent.

10 people found this helpful

Great characterisation and a hot plot

I'm a BIG fan of Brookmyre and was excited to see that this title was on Audio just in time for the mid-year holidays.

Jasmine Sharp is the fragile herione of this novel and her character is brilliantly written. Insecure and more than a little bewildered with the world, Jasmine carries half of the plot with her through the fast paced action, piecing together a cold-case mystery as she escapes bullets and double-dealing thugs alike. The other half is carried by a top female cop in the Glasgow poe-liss who, with her family problems and hostile male counterparts, has her own set of problems. The depth of these two leading ladies' characters is enriched by contrast with a bunch of Glasgow underworld drug dealers and bent cops.

The plot moves along at a rattling pace and resolves neatly, if a little sweetly, and is excellently narrated by Sarah Barron. A wide range of accents, tones and pitches keeps the Glasgow voice alive, perfectly portraying youth & age, regret and joy, fear and peace. Though I am not Scottish and am therefore possibly not qualified to judge, all the characters accents sounded genuine and brought the location of the action alive.

Excellent stuff, Chris Brookmyre! Keep it up!

20 people found this helpful

A different Brookmyre

All of the Brookmyre novels i've read/heard have been slightly surreal - flying bodyparts, schoolkids helping capture terrorists, clowns robbing banks, etc etc. This is more of a 'straight' crime novel,, but is just as good as everything else he's written, and just as good as the other stuff I read - heartily recommended

10 people found this helpful

Too many characters confuses the stories

I’ve enjoyed two of the author's Jack Parlabane novels (notably Black Widow) and so thought I’d try the first of his Jasmine Sharp series. This book follows two separate stories that run in parallel until the 23rd of 45 chapters. One thread involves Jasmine in the early days helping her uncle in his private investigation business. He disappears and she endeavours to find him. The other follows Detective Catherine McLeod pitting her wits against drug dealers and murderers in the Glasgow criminal fraternity.

Jasmine's story is easier to follow than DI McLeod’s as the latter flits back and forth among the names of the numerous criminals and good and bad policemen: by the end I wasn’t sure who was which. There are two interesting story-lines, but they are blurred by not only having too many characters, but also diversions into side issues of the personal relationships among the characters and their spouses and too much psychological navel-gazing.

I see that some reviewers are critical of the narrator. I thought she was very good and captured the Glasgow accents well, but then, I’m from Edinburgh and may not know any better!

4 people found this helpful

Good story spoiled by some awful narration

Would you consider the audio edition of Where the Bodies are Buried to be better than the print version?

NO.

What other book might you compare Where the Bodies are Buried to, and why?

Sorry I don't think I properly understand this question. Too much ambiguity for me so I won't try.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Sarah Barron's rendition of the leading male character's voice was for me, truly dreadful. I almost gave up listening but this was a very interesting storyline (well it is a Chris Brookmyre novel) and her other 'voices' were pretty good BUT not this particular one. So laughably monotone and expressionless it became absurd.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The Biggest Gang In Glasgow?

Any additional comments?

Good, original storyline and clearly there's a follow-on from this which I will sadly not be buying because I can see that the same male character appears and Sarah Barron narrates-so not for me. For sure I'll be buying the paperback next time.

3 people found this helpful

Good story but too much introspection

The story starts slowly, but picks up pace in the second half when it became more interesting. Too much navel gazing by the police woman about her domestic and sex life which was tedious. The narrators voice was quite monotone and although she did try to put on some different voices it didn't quite work for me.

2 people found this helpful

Really good book, really well narrated

Where does Where the Bodies are Buried rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very high. I chose it because I've listened to other books narrated by Sarah Barron.

What did you like best about this story?

It's interesting and gripping.

What does Sarah Barron bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Her characterisations are good.

Any additional comments?

Really good book, really well narrated

1 person found this helpful

Don't worrry, the bodies are buried very slowly !

The author, first, pedestrian, predictable, cliché-ridden.......sounds a bit harsh, how about fails to hold the reader/listener's attention?
Sarah Baron, well, some narrators have the uncanny knack of a different voice for each main character, I can be 5 minutes into a new chapter before I realise Jasmine is back and the female DCI has debated the existential possibilities of the villains possible reactions or non-reactions.
The book drags, some well written insights mired in verbal diahorrea.
Niver agin.

5 people found this helpful

Glasgow Hoods and Bent Coppers

Don't know why he's suddenly Chris instead of Christopher Brookmyre, I nearly went past it thinking someone was copying him!

A girl starts working for her uncle in a PI firm, she's terrified she's rubbish and her uncle disappears a week into the job, leaving her to run the show. The cops aren't much help, but is this due to lack of information or the covering up of something sinister?

Best quote, "It's not Starsky and Hutch, more like Jack and Victor"

5 people found this helpful

One of his best

I like Brookmyre's style of writing which often combines wit with a cracking good story. This does not have the funny interludes of his Parlabane series but the story more than makes up for it in sheer quality. This is a book that should be made into a two or three part TV mini series with star actors - it is that good. BBC take note and get cracking. A "stoater" of a tale.

6 people found this helpful