Poor voice personification

I nearly stopped listening early on because of Victoria’s voice. Hated it. Also felt the fight sequences were too long. And what was the outcome of the missing safety deposit boxes? All a bit unsatisfying. Usually like this author. Very disappointed.

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Will this be followed up on

I really enjoyed the concept and wondered where it would lead to.
A interesting development of characters. However some of the reading didn’t work.

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I was ok with the narration.

I had no real issues with the narration Bigtoria's voice was a little grating but fitted my my minds picture of her.
Love the books, love the stories bring back Laz & Roberta
DC Reekie is no Rennie but he still makes a great sidekick

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I wanted to love this, I really did.

I had to turn it off. The gasping and snorting and mouth noises from Greg McHugh were just too much. The voice he uses for the female DCI is so off-putting I just couldn't commit to finishing the book, once I realised there would be no respite from her for most of the book. Not one likeable character had arisen by the time I gave up - hopefully the brilliant Cathleen McCarron voices someone readers can care about, but I didn't get that far.

p.s. Attention Fiona Allen - that's not the wonderful Cathleen McCarron you are listening to, if you only made it through 2 chapters. Yes, she does appear in the alternating voices bit at the beginning, but the silly voice for the female DCI, the one that sounds like it should be the voice of a rather dim witted wombat, is done by Greg McHugh.

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Beginning of a great friendship

Once again Stuart MacBride pulls a rabbit from the hat. Another wonderfully created anti-hero in Edward Reekie who brings along a great heaping of humour, empathy and bumbling to keep the tale whirring along. Aided by a great cast of character and its a tale with more twists and turns than the road to Glenfarach.

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Hard to listen to Bigtoria

I love Stuart MacBride’s books and this one was another great novel. Probably best to read it though rather than listen to it because the narration isn’t great.

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1 person found this helpful

This is the first book I’ve reviewed!

I urge Stuart MacBride fans to persevere with this book: it is better than you might think, if you have listened only to a couple of chapters.
I agree that the character voice of the DI is absolutely APPALLING (sorry, Greg), but once we get into the story proper, it does become slightly more bearable, IMHO.
Some of the other characters’ voices, especially in the first chapters, are also a tad underwhelming.
However, if you can get past five or six chapters without piercing your eardrums with bamboo skewers, I feel sure you will be pleased with the story itself. It contains the trademark gore, ghastly characters, and cunning story lines we have come to expect from the MacBride. There is grim humour and whimsy (although not comparable to Logan McRae and DCI Steel), and the usual gruesome acts of revenge. The story has twists and turns, but not so many as to bring on motion sickness.
Trust this author, whom we hold in high esteem, and give this latest work a fair hearing.

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First time I've ever returned a book

Update: Thanks for the correction, Soo Jay - this review was edited to include the correct reader's name.

Stuart MacBride is my favourite author, but the narration is so bad in this book that I couldn't get through even two chapters. Greg McHugh's take on the female character is beyond bad. The character's voice is described as "posh". She doesn't even sound Scottish - the voice sounds like a character from a children's book where the character isn't human. Like a hedgehog or walrus or something.

How did the publisher's not notice this and get someone else to replace him? It's just bad management.

I'm rating the book a 3 overall (I'll update when I've read the kindle version) - and the performance as 1. I'd give it a 0 if I could.

I always pre-order MacBride books, I won't be doing that again.

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Loved it

Loved it, I love Stuart’s work. Yet again a great yarn. Looking forward to the next one

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Dreadful Narration let’s this one down

I read some of the reviews before I started listening- thinking how bad can the narrator be? Turns out Greg McHugh makes it impossible for me to enjoy one of my favourite authors. I must admit that I couldn’t get into the story at all and the narration didn’t make it any easier. I feel this one from Stuart MacBride is not worth a credit and it hurts me to say that when the Logan books are so brilliant.

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