Gods and Beasts

A Novel

By: Denise Mina

Narrated by: Moira Quirk

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

It's the week before Christmas when a lone robber bursts into a busy Glasgow post office carrying an AK-47. An elderly man suddenly hands his young grandson to a stranger and wordlessly helps the gunman fill bags with cash, then carries them to the door. He opens the door and bows his head; the robber fires off the AK-47, tearing the grandfather in two.

DS Alex Morrow arrives on the scene and finds that the alarm system had been disabled before the robbery. Yet upon investigation, none of the employees can be linked to the gunman. And the grandfather-a life-long campaigner for social justice-is above reproach. As Morrow searches for the killer, she discovers a hidden, sinister political network. Soon it is chillingly clear: no corner of the city is safe, and her involvement will go deeper than she could ever have imagined.

©2013 Denise Mina (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Can't get enough of Denise Mina

What did you love best about Gods and Beasts?

Denise Mina's narrative voice is so genuine. There's nothing like it. She has been my favorite author for years.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gods and Beasts?

The conversations between Rosie and Martin were captured with such nuance I felt as if they could be real people.

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

Her use of accents seems right-on.

Any additional comments?

Though not Denise Mina's best work, perhaps, I loved soaking up every minute of the story.

Great storytelling

Any additional comments?

I've quite enjoyed all three of the Alex Morrow books. Well-written, believable with good characters. I was concerned when I read one review that trashed the reader, someone different than the wonderful lady who voiced the first two books, but after listening for just a short while I thought she did just as good a job as her predecessor. Will certainly read more of this author's work,

Gets better at the end but a bridging book

I’m working my way through the Alex Morrow books and this was not my favorite. I wasn’t engaged until the end. It made me excited to read the next book but overall it felt like a bridge book. Relatively little character development compared to the others and less focus on one singular crime. Worth reading if you’re doing the whole series but not stand alone like the End of Wasp Season.

Wonderful writing, not-so-wonderful performance

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

Why, oh why, oh why didn't they have the wonderful Jane McFarlane perform this one? The writing is typical smart, lucid Mina -- the performance is distractingly mediocre. Not sure I'm going to finish listening -- and I've never done that before. Pity.

Would you be willing to try another one of Moira Quirk’s performances?

No.

Disappointing Performance of a Decent Book

This was an interesting continuation of the Alex Morrow series. The book itself was good, with the intricate plots I expect from Denise Mina. The performance, however, was barely average. I had enjoyed the performance of the first two books in the series, and wasn't concerned about the poor reviews of Moira Quirk's performance. After listening to at least 100 audiobooks, I can only think of two that I did not finish because of the performance. Well, this one was almost the third. For the next book they need to go back to the narrator from the first two books.

The only other comment was that I did not like the ending - or rather I did not like that the book seemed to end without resolving a number of the plot lines. The ending made it obvious that there will be a fourth book. It just seemed to end at an incomplete point.

MIna writes another brilliant crime novel

Where does Gods and Beasts rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Mina's Alex Morrow series is one of the best available in the mystery genre. Gods and Beasts may not rank as high as the two earlier entries in the series but it's still a great listen.

Did Moira Quirk do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Quirk is not as good as previous narrators, but for me she did not detract from my enjoyment of the novel.

It's all about the dialog

This is the third book in a cop series in which the same detective, Alex Morrow , and some of the same supporting cast reappear and evolve. This is not for those who crave action, suspense, a lot of violence and sex--which I also like if well written.

Awash in judiciously selected minutiae , and more than adequqte plot lines, each book reveals a little more about the recurring characters, without rehashing the last book --which is great for listeners like me who read them chronologically and closely together.

I happened upon Mina by accident, wasn't sure after the first one but by the second book was lhooked. Alex Morrow et al havgrown on me, but what I really have been enjoying is Mina's knack for richly nuanced exchanges between characters. Set in nicely detailed backdrops Mina creates a sense of intimacy unusual in your average cop series,

So far the narrators have been pitch perfect for Mina's style. Hope that continues; I'd like to read the rest of the series,

A challenge to expectations

The story is gritty and dishearteningly realistic. It presents a depiction of corruption and its workings in an all-too-believeable weaving of elements of society and politics. I think Mina will go down as one of the finest writers of mystery fiction of our time.

I read a lot of criticism of the reader of this book. I think she did a great job! Outstanding, in fact. But I, too, was disappointed at first not to hear the same reader who has done earlier performances and who seemed to me to be the voice of Denise Mina. As the reading went on, I got used to the new voice and I am sorry to hear her disparaged just because she wasn't the expected. I thought she gave a very measured and nuanced performance. In fact she was very clear and perhaps a little bit more easily understood than the previous reader.

This series gets better and better

If you have enjoyed the first two books in the Alex Morrow police detective series do not hesitate to listen to "Gods and Beasts" just because of the change in narrator. The story is to good to be missed.

Moira Quirk does a very creditable job of reading this book, it will not take long to for you to accept her as the voice of Alex Morrow. She also does the variety of new characters introduced very well.

As the this series continues with "The Red Road" due to be published in early 2014, I will be a happy listener with either Jane Macfarlane or Moira Quirk

Lose ends...

Bit slow to start and weave together and then had to replay the last few chapters to see if I missed the big ending - don't think I did - it just ends and will have to read the next one to see what happens next.