• A Quantum Murder

  • The Greg Mandel Trilogy, Book 2
  • By: Peter F. Hamilton
  • Narrated by: Toby Longworth
  • Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,305 ratings)

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A Quantum Murder  By  cover art

A Quantum Murder

By: Peter F. Hamilton
Narrated by: Toby Longworth
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Publisher's summary

Dr Edward Kitchener, a brilliant researcher into quantum cosmology, lies dead with his lungs spread out on either side of his open chest. Only a mercenary or professional killer could have breached the premier-grade security system - but why would a professional waste time in ritual slaughter?

Greg Mandel, psi-boosted ex-private eye, is enticed out of retirement to launch an investigation into a past which - according to Kitchener’s theories - might never have happened.

©2011 Peter Hamilton (P)2011 Audible Ltd

What listeners say about A Quantum Murder

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent sci-fi murder mystery

A Quantum Murder is the 2nd book in Greg Mandel trilogy. Although, this is a standalone story, all the relevant characters from Book 1, Mindstar Rising, are back, so the background is useful. The story occurs about 2 years after the 1st with the same general conditions in place. This time around, Greg is dragged into a murder investigation of a prominent physicist who was doing work for Event Horizon. In spite of appearing to crack the case, his intuition suggests something is amiss and he pursues justice with a Mandel doggedness.

Hamilton introduces some bizarre physics dealing with apparent time travel without the typical causality paradox. In addition, he explores the world of designer synthetic chemistry (probably around the time that ecstasy was becoming popular in England) and the biology of memory. Surprisingly (for Peter Hamilton). the sci-fi components are not only underwhelming, but nearly fade into the background as the mystery deepens. At its heart though, this is an engaging and erudite who-dun-it. The only slight detriment is the "Night of the Living Dead" scene close to the end which was just a bit over the top..

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Early Hamilton - he got better

I didn't do my research when I selected this book. I thought it was a new Peter Hamilton and jumped into it right away. It didn't take long for the dated buzz words and clumsy writing to convince me this must be an ancient book. A little research and yes, this book is more than 15 years old.

Peter F. Hamilton has certainly grown as a writer. But knowing the proper frame of reference for this work I able was to sit back and enjoy this young work. If you listen real close you'll be able to hear the beginnings of characters, situations, and technologies that would be showcased in the Commonwealth Sagas and in the Void books.

I downloaded this book on the day Audible made it available and there were a few technical issues with the recording (especially, part 2 of the download). Audible may find these and fix these but if they don't you'll be able to hear the narrator turn pages and hear the narrator mock the writing (don't remember the exact quote but the narrator disapproved of the author's describing a character's hair as "manes"). Unfortunate, as the reading by the narrator was excellent - he did a great jump picking "voices" that match the persona the writer had wanted each character to project.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Where is Book One?

I love Peter Hamilton's books. I listen to them over and over; but why did Audible first post book three, then book two? I'm not going to start this series until they post book one.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not one of Hamilton's best

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If one has not read volume one in the trilogy, I think A Quantum Murder may strike some readers as pretty far out. The geopolitical background in the first novel is essential for suspension of belief in the second.

Has A Quantum Murder turned you off from other books in this genre?

I am 71 and have been reading Sci Fi and fantasy since Heinlein in the 50s. Nothing is going to turn me off of speculative fiction.

Do you think A Quantum Murder needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

There is a third novel in the series. I hope it is better than the second. It is my next walking read.

Any additional comments?

Once again, Toby Longworth delivers.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Combo of Sci-fi Murders

Science fiction murder mystery makes a great combo when you have Peter F. Hamilton writing. "A Quantum Murder" is the second book in the Greg Mandel trilogy. I read the first book sometime last year and I have forgotten to continue on with the series. The first few chapters was confusing because I forgot all about the main character, who is a sci fi detective. There is less action in the second edition than in the first book, "Mindstar Rising."

"A Quantum Murder" is better because Hamilton is known for his space opera. He goes more in depth into the high tech world and trying to solve the murder case. I need to write myself a reminder to finish the trilogy soon.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Near Future Who-Dun-it

Would you listen to A Quantum Murder again? Why?

While there were a few minor issues for me, overall I liked this book and I think anyone who enjoyed the first one will like this one, and may even enjoy the slower pace. I like sci-fi and I like who-dun-it stories, and this was a good meld of both genres. It's more of a classic detective story than the first book as well. The characters had individual quirks, were easily distinguished from each other, so no getting them mixed up. There were links back to the first book - although things are explained so you don't actually have to have read/listened to the first book. I was quite sorry when it was over and it was good enough for me to want to listen to the next book in the series.

What did you like best about this story?

The reader is brilliant, the characters are brought to life with his vocalisations.

Which scene was your favorite?

The story pace is slower than the first Greg Mandel book, but it suits the story. There are no wasted scenes (except the end - more on that below) and while some might figure out the villain ahead of time, I did not, which was great for me - I don't like working it out before the protagonist. There are a couple of actions scenes in the last half of the book, including a strange one at the end, which seemed to be thrown in to cater to a more action orientated audience. I didn't think it needed it to be honest, and there were at least two parts to it that made no sense to me and one of them had Greg acting unusually, acting against his nature and not in a good way. It seemed that while most of the book had a "British" detective style, the end scene was definitely "American" detective style (not intended as a slight, only as a style comparison).

Any additional comments?

The editing isn't great. There are pauses where there shouldn't be, so where you think there is going to be a scene change or new chapter turns out to be a continuation of the last scene, and at about the 1:16 mark in the second segment the reader asks incredulously what a "mains" (or "manes"?) is which obviously should have been edited out.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Worth It, But Not Great

It was interesting to see the future of the characters from the first novel. I personally didn't find murder mystery to be as compelling as the industrial espionage of the first book. In fact, nothing seemed to happen for most of the book. I enjoyed the book, but I don't know if I'd read it again.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Little character development & predictable ending

The first Greg Mandel book was enjoyable. This second isn't nearly as interesting. As a mystery, it falls seriously short. It was obvious "who done it" early on, and then is was just a matter of plodding on through the book until the end. And the characters weren't nearly as interesting as in the first book. We didn't learn anything new about them at all. That's why for me it's only 3 stars.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hamilton Does It Again

What made the experience of listening to A Quantum Murder the most enjoyable?

Peter F. Hamilton always does a fantastic job of weaving an intricate story line. The futuristic settings are believable, and the characters behave in logical ways. He doesn't have to force the story line along, it just flows naturally.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Quantum Murder?

The opening sequence. The imagery is vivid without being over the top, it makes you feel like you're actually there, seeing the torrential downpour of rain. Waking to screams. It hooks you and pulls you in.

Which character – as performed by Toby Longworth – was your favorite?

Greg Mandel. Toby has the perfect voice for the gruff former Mindstar operative.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was. Fortunately I was on a long road trip, so I was able to get through it in two day.s

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Second book in the trilogy is as good as the first

The intriguing characters from the first novel (hormone-augmented Greg Mandel with his psi abilities, Julia Evans with her machine-augmented links to alternate personality cores) return to solve a very bizarre murder mystery with world-changing implications. Hamilton plays a bit fast and loose with the quantum mechanics hinted at in the title, but the story is so well told that it is easy to suspend disbelief. It's certainly a must read in order to get to the final novel in the trilogy.

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