Birthdays for the Dead

By: Stuart MacBride

Narrated by: Ian Hanmore

Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

The gritty new standalone crime novel from the No. 1 best-selling author of Shatter the Bones and Dark Blood

Detective Constable Ash Henderson has a dark secret…

Five years ago his daughter, Rebecca, went missing on the eve of her 13th birthday. A year later the first card arrived: homemade, 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 12 years, always in the run-up to their 13th birthday, sending the families his homemade cards showing their daughters being slowly tortured to death. But Ash hasn’t told anyone about Rebecca’s birthday cards – they all think she’s just run away from home – 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 killer gets what he deserves…

©2012 Stuart MacBride (P)2011 HarperCollins

Tedious violence

This piece is generally entertaining--especially the police profiler--and very well read, but the repeated and prolonged descriptions of physical assaults became tedious.

For those who can stomach strong violence

Would you try another book from Stuart MacBride and/or Ian Hanmore?

I would definitely listen to another book by this narrator but as for the author I'd be more picky. This book was very violent, gratuitously so in my opinion, and I didn't think much of the plotting or the main character. I'm prepared to give the author another go because there are hints of writing that I do like (particularly the humour) but I'm wary of more of the same.

What about Ian Hanmore???s performance did you like?

The changes in voices for the different characters were subtle but noticeable enough to make the book easy to follow. I do like a Scottish accent too.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Revulsion mostly. I've had my fill of serial killer books featuring tortured souls on disgusting quests that require the mutilation of innocent people - being a crime fiction fan I've come across a lot of these but am well and truly done with this particular sub genre. I've also had it with excessively violent blokes using their fists to solve every problem they come across.

Any additional comments?

This book was not for me but I don't think it's badly written. It just takes readers down a path I have trodden too often before.

Excellently written book

If you could sum up Birthdays for the Dead in three words, what would they be?

There's something (brilliant) about the style of this story telling.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Birthdays for the Dead?

I liked those parts where he made me laugh loudly. And those were many. I promise you will like the psychologist Alice McDonnald helping to solve the case. She was soooooo weird but in such a cute way you could not resist liking her. After many situations where she was portrayed like a total nut they visited retired Henry Anderson another psychologist another individual in his cabin. She again did not miss a chance to prove she is a total case which made Henry raise his eyebrow and say "Ain't she delightfully quirky?". Then later several chapters when chasing the suspect and facing a dangerous situation Ash (the main character) stressed her no to do something reckless and she said "I'm delightfully quirky not stupid!".

What does Ian Hanmore bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I wont be able to read it with Scottish accent. It was great to listen that one for a change. He gave the characters life and spark which I would not be able based on my experience. It requires certain theatrical skills and craft to sustain the personality of a character by speaking their parts. He was incredibly coherent through out the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes there was. But I cant write about it without revealing the story.

Any additional comments?

If you are afraid that you will be faced by long and cruel descriptions of harming innocent girls than this will not happen. You have to be however a bit stronger to accept certain parts but for most part of the book you will be following investigation. There will be a certain amount of disturbing moments so be prepared. I was a little bit worried after reading some previous reviews that my stomach may not digest this book but it was not that bad. Probably it depends on what've you read before what films you've watched and what violence you've seen before so for a moderate crime reader this should be all right. To be honest I was much more disturbed by watching film Seven with Brad Pitt. I am not giving 5 stars to this book because I will give 5 only to few books which made a really long lasting and influential impression on me. One of those books which are 5 for me are Stieg Larsson's - Girl with a Dragoon Tattoo and Godfather by Mario Puzzo.

Fantastic!

Exciting! Impossible to put down! Stuart MacBride (whom I've never read before) is at the top with other European crime authors. The narration is also fine. You'll not be disappointed!

Violent and Tedious

I don't normally write reviews, but this book was such a frustrating slog I had to warn people. The story is horrifically violent but what I really couldn't stand was that there was no actual detective work. Just a main character out of control hurling from one stupid decision to another with no one actually following clues, or gathering evidence or doing anything that even resembles police work. The "profiler" is a throw away character and adds nothing to the story or the solving of the crime. The ending is unbearably sad and the whole book is just scene after scene of pointless violence, most of which doesn't even move the story forward. Ian Hanmore is, as always, great. I haven't read any other books by this author and I don't know if I will bother with any others.

Birthdays for the Dead

I want a t-shirt that says "I survived listening to Birthdays for the Dead." It was very good, but, yikes, it was difficult listening on occasion.

Good Story. Asks too much of the reader.

I read almost everything. I really enjoy MacBride's Logan McRae books. I love the gritty local color of the Scottish police department in Aberdeen. I thought this was another Logan book and I enjoyed the character Ash- Although I can't condone his ask-questions-later style and it's not really working for him in this his first book. With all the positives of this novel, I remain unhappy but I respect the writer's skill.

That ending though..

Honestly, the book was kind of hard to follow. There were way too many characters to try and keep up with and the accent was really think on the narrator. Even with the think accent though, the narrator was great.
Despite all the characters that were hard to keep track of, the ones I did keep track of, kept me interested.
The ending though... the big cliff hanger.. that's what really got me. How can you end a book like that!! Now.. I must know what happens!!
I'm hoping this songs for the dying is actually book 2 if the Ash Henderson series bc I'm going to put my other book I had queued up on hold for that one.
Good job to the author!

Happy to hear that Ash will be back

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, but to those who have a strong stomach. Jo Nesbo fans maybe. Terrific suspense, great storytelling with a dose of dark humor.

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

Yeah, it was just about impossible to put down.

Any additional comments?

Terrific reader. The lead character is the kind of flawed anti-hero I like to read about. Really wanted to hear what happened to him next, and to his profiler. Was very pleased when I checked the author's website to see that another Ash Henderson novel will be out in January. Yeah, the book was pretty violent, but no worse than Val MacDermid or Jo Nesbo or others I could name. And this was more entertaining than most.

Dr. MacDonald was the only redeeming quality in this book.

I love other books by this author but this one just fell flat. Ash is a really difficult character to like and want to hear his thoughts.
The constant graphic assaults seemed to be a substitute for actual story-telling and strong writing or character development. Instead of detectives uncovering clues or leads in their case Ash just beat everyone to a pulp and taught Dr. MacDonald to cover for him. And how many times can one describe the sky as “dirty orange”!?!? I think I counted at least 5x in the book. …. Why???

Dr. Macdonald was truly a beautiful character though, hilarious, lovable, annoying, and so well rounded and not a stock character. I would read this book just to get to know her!

I also want to praise this narrator! He did so many voices and added a lot to this book! The writing (though flat at times) came to life because of this wonderful performance!! So many times as I listened I was in awe of the narration.

Excellent!

Set in a fictional 'Oldcastle' with completely new characters this book is grisly, violent, and shocking; 'gritty' is an understatement - it is more like being carried along on an avalanche of boulder scree.... and I absolutely loved it. MacBride has created some great new characters, and I especially enjoyed Alice aka 'Dr McFruitloop', who is more than a little off-the-wall. Generously larded with MacBride's typical black Scottish humour to help alleviate some of the more revolting bits, I found this compulsive listening. What's more the plot is well-constructed, and though I wouldn't quite say believable (I would prefer perverts like the Birthday Boy to remain firmly in the domain of fiction!), I found myself guessing till the end.

In my opinion MacBride set the bar high when he narrated some of his earlier books himself, so Ian Hanmore had a hard act to follow. He does a very good job - tackling quite a few different accents with aplomb, and was an excellent choice for the job. I really enoyed his narration.

If you are familiar with MacBride's books then you know what to expect so no warnings needed. If you are new to this author then be warned that his books are like Marmite, you either love them or hate them. Not for those offended by strong language or violence, or have too many delicacies and a sense of humour failure - for others, highly recommended!

Birthdays for the Dead - Stuart MacBride

If I was reading this book I wouldn't have put it down until I finished it. Totally gripping the whole way through, excellent. Narration was superb

Brutal but Compelling...

Having listened to a number of Logan McRae books, I decided to take a risk with this standalone novel. The protagonist (Ash Henderson) is markedly different from McRae - a far more visceral and gritty character. At one point he is described as a "Man of Violence", and this is particularly apt. Nevertheless, MacBride provides the reader with a brutal, yet gripping narrative in which we follow Henderson and his quirky psychologist sidekick as they search ever more frantically for the twisted "Birthday Boy". If you're a fan of MacBride and can endure the stark and unflinching descriptions of violence, you'll find this book a compelling and enjoyable read.

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.

Interesting Story line but I found it a bit slow.

Great hideous premise for a story and fantastically rich characters. I did find a cop keeping "his" secret in this hard to accept.
The agony for the victims is unbearable and holds the tension brilliantly. This is then spoilt by the rather drawn out back story.
Accepting that it is a great story and I still love the gritty writing of Stuart MacBride.

Dark stuff

I am a fan of MacBride and was expecting a dark, gritty, violent and blackly humorous tale. Birthdays For The Dead lived up to all my expectations. It was pacey and the characters interesting. The plot was full of twists and turns, though credibility was stretched at times. The narration was excellent. Overall, not a story for the faint hearted!

I'm hooked

Where does Birthdays for the Dead rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Its in my top 3. Loved the characters and thought the narrator was brilliant. So good ive now downloaded all of Mr McBrides books!

Who was your favorite character and why?

ash was great but the psychologist was extremely funny

What about Ian Hanmore’s performance did you like?

he was amazing. my favourite narrator from now on.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

both, gruesome and funny

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.

Great story line

I really liked the story and yet felt it was very slow in telling, an excellent concept shame that it side tracked a little too much. Narration excellent. The gripping underlying theme was brilliant, have to say I fast forwarded through the to get to the good bits. Screen blocked now by advert for coupons !

great

This was a great book to listen to, kept me on the edge of my seat the characters are so real. great book