Birthdays for the Dead
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Birthdays for the Dead
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Narrated by:
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Ian Hanmore
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By:
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Stuart MacBride
About this listen
Detective Constable Ash Henderson has a dark secret…
Five years ago his daughter, Rebecca, went missing on the eve of her thirteenth birthday. A year later the first card arrived: home-made, with a Polaroid picture stuck to the front – Rebecca, strapped to a chair, gagged and terrified. Every year another card: each one worse than the last.
The tabloids call him ‘The Birthday Boy’. He’s been snatching girls for twelve years, always just before their thirteenth birthday, killing them slowly, then torturing their families with his homemade cards.
But Ash hasn’t told anyone what really happened to Rebecca – they all think she ran away – because if anyone finds out, he’ll be taken off the investigation. And he’s sacrificed too much to give up before his daughter’s murderer gets what he deserves…
©2012 Stuart MacBride (P)2011 HarperCollinsListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Birthdays for the Dead
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Simon
- 08-02-12
Violent
Read and enjoyed all the Logan McRae books and looked forward to listening to this. But to my mind it revelled in its violence to a distasteful degree. Sorry that Macbride has decided to join the ranks of the increasingly tired serial killer aficionados.
That being said, well written, well read.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Clive
- 10-05-12
Falls a bit short
I have enjoyed the other books by Stuart MacBride and was expecting more of the same in this one. Unfortunately, it didn't quite do it for me. I found the storyline a bit manic and over the top and I couldn't really accept the credibility of the main character.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Colin
- 08-02-19
Brutal Thriller
Rather too much red meat for my taste, but a strong story line well read as always by Ian Hanmore. It was difficult to empathise with the main character who was vicious and to be honest at times stupid. Is there really so much corruption in the Scottish Police force? At times it was hard to distinguish between the police and the villains. However, it kept my interest until the end. Lots of strong characters and a few weird ones on both sides of the law. Not sure if it is the right thing to say that that it was a good read as the subject matter was beyond grisly and also disturbing, but certainly well written and well paced. For those who like their steak rare, I would say it is an excellent book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Northernrose
- 12-05-16
Gripping
Gripping story line, and great characterisation.
Reader is excellent - could listen to him for hours.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David S.
- 24-02-22
Stunning Storytelling in
Another hard crime masterclass from MacBride. Compelling listening throughout. Great characterisation and it just gets better as you go on.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jockette61
- 08-07-13
Gruesome but gripping
I was prepared not to enjoy this, as I love the Logan Macrae series set in my hometown of Aberdeen, and didn't want a break from that storyline. In some ways, this standalone was even more gruesome than the Logan books, and very depressing as Ash seemed to lurch from crisis to crisis. However I persevered and the characters really grew on me as the book progressed - wondering if we will see them again in another tale IF Stuart can come up with a plausible 'recovery' from the final events of this story.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- r100gser
- 08-12-14
not quite James Oswald but still very good
If you could sum up Birthdays for the Dead in three words, what would they be?
very good listen
What was one of the most memorable moments of Birthdays for the Dead?
comments about a phycoloical profilers flatulance
What does Ian Hanmore bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
he is a very good story teller
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
the very unlikley detective
Any additional comments?
this story is not pretending to be based on a real life policeman, he is a ex bare knuckle fighter with debts and some strange interpretations of the law - however I found it to be an entertaining story, with plenty of twists in the tale - I have already startred another book by the author.....and of course Ian Hanmore only add to the enjoyment.........but if only he did'nt have to sing.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- sharon
- 17-03-12
different
i am a huge fan of stuart macbride and was excited to find a new book, im sure fans of the Logan Mcree books will be dissapointed to find a new subject as i was but its still good. its missing the humour of the previous books and is quiet dark but i think fans will still like it.
I hope we will see the return of the Logan and steel in stuarts next offering though --- please
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jan
- 19-08-15
It's ok....
I've read and listened to most of the Logan McRae books, so I'm accustomed to Stuart MacBride's plot twists, the entirely convincing and consistent characters, the violence, the edge of your seat drama, and the laugh out loud moments.
For this first book in the Henderson series I loved Dr McDonald, but I'm afraid Ash Henderson initially left me indifferent, and later I just disliked him, surely not a good trait for your main character.
The story itself seemed to lose appeal as it progressed, until at the end it was simply depressing.
I think I'll stick to Logan McRae in the future.
In terms of narration, generally good, but there were inconsistencies in the character's accent, particularly noticeable when some subsequent chapters started. In addition some 'scene changes' were not delineated by any pause in narration whatsoever, causing some confusion.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Josephine Murray-Smith
- 10-03-12
Could not stop listening
I have liked all of Macbrides books and this is no exception. He never disappoints. I was unsure because it was not about his usual Aberdonian characters but it was a great read, gritty and real with unexpected twists to the story line. And the narrator was spot on.
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