The Less Dead: Shortlisted for the COSTA Prize 2020
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- Create Date：2021-05-09 00:51:24
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Denise Mina
- ISBN：1529111803
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Summary
'This is crime writing of the highest order' The Times
**THE TIMES CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2020**
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 COSTA NOVEL AWARD**
When Margo goes in search of her birth mother for the first time， she meets her aunt， Nikki， instead。 Margo learns that her mother， Susan， was a sex worker murdered soon after Margo's adoption。 To this day， Susan's killer has never been found。
Nikki asks Margo for help。 She has received threatening and haunting letters from the murderer， for decades。 She is determined to find him， but she can't do it alone。。。
**A DAILY EXPRESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020， SELECTED BY LEE CHILD**
_______________________________________________________
PRAISE FOR DENISE MINA:
'More proof that Denise Mina is Britain's best living crime writer' Sunday Express on The Less Dead
'Mina is the most compassionate of crime novelists。。。 a dark and heartfelt novel' Mail on Sunday on The Less Dead
'Denise Mina is the cream of the crop， an author who pushes the crime novel in new and exciting directions and never fails to deliver' Ian Rankin
'You won't be able to put Conviction down' Reese Witherspoon
'Unsettling， evocative and staggeringly good' Daily Express on The Long Drop
'An atmospheric recreation of a vanished Glasgow。。。and a compelling exploration of the warped criminal mind' The Times on The Long Drop: Top Ten Crime Novels of the Decade
**THE TIMES CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2020**
**SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 COSTA NOVEL AWARD**
When Margo goes in search of her birth mother for the first time， she meets her aunt， Nikki， instead。 Margo learns that her mother， Susan， was a sex worker murdered soon after Margo's adoption。 To this day， Susan's killer has never been found。
Nikki asks Margo for help。 She has received threatening and haunting letters from the murderer， for decades。 She is determined to find him， but she can't do it alone。。。
**A DAILY EXPRESS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020， SELECTED BY LEE CHILD**
_______________________________________________________
PRAISE FOR DENISE MINA:
'More proof that Denise Mina is Britain's best living crime writer' Sunday Express on The Less Dead
'Mina is the most compassionate of crime novelists。。。 a dark and heartfelt novel' Mail on Sunday on The Less Dead
'Denise Mina is the cream of the crop， an author who pushes the crime novel in new and exciting directions and never fails to deliver' Ian Rankin
'You won't be able to put Conviction down' Reese Witherspoon
'Unsettling， evocative and staggeringly good' Daily Express on The Long Drop
'An atmospheric recreation of a vanished Glasgow。。。and a compelling exploration of the warped criminal mind' The Times on The Long Drop: Top Ten Crime Novels of the Decade
Reviews
Lois Peterson
，
I'm a huge Mina fan， since her first in the Garnethill series。 This one kept my attention with compelling characters and its dark humour and pathos。 I'm a huge Mina fan， since her first in the Garnethill series。 This one kept my attention with compelling characters and its dark humour and pathos。 。。。more
Thomas
，
Denise Mina brings it again！！！Satisfying as always。 This is a crime novel but also a compassionate story about women on the edges of society。 It's about those people considered by the rest of society to be disposable， a nuisance。 Denise Mins reveals their humanity。 Denise Mina brings it again！！！Satisfying as always。 This is a crime novel but also a compassionate story about women on the edges of society。 It's about those people considered by the rest of society to be disposable， a nuisance。 Denise Mins reveals their humanity。 。。。more
Karina
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dnf
Deborah
，
2。5 stars
Hpnyknits
，
Uneven in the pace， but eventually it picked up。
Anne
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A dark， gritty， gripping read。Margot Dunlop， a doctor， is at a crossroads in her life。 She is grieving the recent death of her mother and on searching for more information on her birth mother she finds out that her mother is dead and was a sex worker murdered in Glasgow。 Since the killer was never found， Margot sets down a path to find out what happened to her mother and finds herself in a world completely alien to her， but she needs to find out the truth。I have enjoyed every Denise Mina book I A dark， gritty， gripping read。Margot Dunlop， a doctor， is at a crossroads in her life。 She is grieving the recent death of her mother and on searching for more information on her birth mother she finds out that her mother is dead and was a sex worker murdered in Glasgow。 Since the killer was never found， Margot sets down a path to find out what happened to her mother and finds herself in a world completely alien to her， but she needs to find out the truth。I have enjoyed every Denise Mina book I have read and this novel certainly falls into that category。 A great read I recommend。 。。。more
Robyn Martin
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Audible
Charles
，
Although I was seeing this as a 3 star volume， the finale was really not equal to the development， in fact， quite a letdown。 Lots of play on point of view， but finally that didn't really matter。 Basically it feels like the message is， shit happens， oh well， that's life， oops， sorry about that。 Although I was seeing this as a 3 star volume， the finale was really not equal to the development， in fact， quite a letdown。 Lots of play on point of view， but finally that didn't really matter。 Basically it feels like the message is， shit happens， oh well， that's life， oops， sorry about that。 。。。more
ML Downie
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another great book based on real crimes which took place in glasgow。
Kristi Zambrano
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trash！
Mintzis
，
Mina is a good writer。 Margot’s encounters with her biological family are compelling and credible。 The mystery part， however， gets convoluted。 I read the book some time ago and found that I could recall margot’s encounters with her family but not the murder mystery part。
Susan
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There were several things I really like about this book: the non-traditional look at the serial killing of sex workers and the frank representation of sex workers， the good and the bad。 The story is presented mainly from the view of Margo， a daughter looking for her birth mother after her adoptive mother passes away。 Margo is dealing with a lot of stress/depression and is pregnant。 She isn't necessarily looking to hunt down her bio-mother's killer， she just wants information。 But the hunt gives There were several things I really like about this book: the non-traditional look at the serial killing of sex workers and the frank representation of sex workers， the good and the bad。 The story is presented mainly from the view of Margo， a daughter looking for her birth mother after her adoptive mother passes away。 Margo is dealing with a lot of stress/depression and is pregnant。 She isn't necessarily looking to hunt down her bio-mother's killer， she just wants information。 But the hunt gives her something to distract her from the things she really needs to do and wants to avoid。 This is the main plot。 What didn't add to the plot was the rather random relationship she seemed to have with her best friend， Lilah。 It never felt solid and when Lilah reappeared in the story I kept having to remind myself who she was。 That doesn't feel very BFF。 But I really struggled with the ending。 You probably recall that I am not a fan of the tidy little ending with everything miraculously resolved。 True， but I do feel the need for the main storylines to be completed。 I finished this book wondering where the last chapter was。 And the arguing with the physical book that there were problems with the ending it gave me。 Problems which I won't detail here as they would be considered spoilers。 Needless to say， my enjoyment of reading was severely curtailed by the unsatisfactory conclusion。Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for a copy of the book。 This review is my own opinion。 。。。more
Jody Yarnall
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Good read， a little complicated with some really messed up characters。。。kind of like real life。
Thomas
，
More thoughtful and sensitive than your average crime thriller。
Colleen
，
Mina never disappoints with her gritty tales。
Bernie Maurer
，
Will try another book by this author。
Dlmrose
，
3。5
Elaine Sloan
，
A little depressing going into the bowels of addiction and prostitution。 A character study of an adopted woman seeking her roots as she tries to figure out her future。 I'm not sure she was better for what she learned。 A little depressing going into the bowels of addiction and prostitution。 A character study of an adopted woman seeking her roots as she tries to figure out her future。 I'm not sure she was better for what she learned。 。。。more
Ann Carter
，
I’d probably be giving this another star if I hadn’t listened on audible but， because I did， the narrator’s voices for some of the characters grated on me big time and are fully clouding my opinion of the book。 On top of that， the ending was just plain annoying。 Mina does a sterling job of capturing Glasgow’s ins and outs so kudos for that。
Gareth Johnstone
，
First Denise Mina book I've read and will certainly read more。 Not as complex a plot as found in Ian Rankin， but ideal late night read。 The conclusion was unexpectedly sudden but clear and satisfying， and the situation credible throughout First Denise Mina book I've read and will certainly read more。 Not as complex a plot as found in Ian Rankin， but ideal late night read。 The conclusion was unexpectedly sudden but clear and satisfying， and the situation credible throughout 。。。more
gnarlyhiker
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huhgood luck
Clay Strong
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Interesting and clever。 Good suspense， and quite enjoyable。 Recommended。
Cecil
，
Preliminary statement: I write this review with a heavy heart， because Mina’s Alex Morrow novels are among my favorites。 But here goes:Are you a fan of those movies where putatively intelligent people do stupid things， just to drive the plot forward？ Or those mysteries where there’s that one person whom everyone insists can’t possibly have done the crime， yet is revealed in the end to be the killer？ Then this one’s for you。 Otherwise， steer clear。
Max
，
A young woman's search for her birth mother unearths a shocking history of violence in this timely and tragic tale of male rage and female courage。 It is devastatingly good。 A young woman's search for her birth mother unearths a shocking history of violence in this timely and tragic tale of male rage and female courage。 It is devastatingly good。 。。。more
Johanna Markson
，
The Less Dead， Denise MinaMina is one of the best mystery writers out there and this， her 15th， doesn’t disappoint。 Her characters， the plotting， the focus on social and class issue， are all skillfully handled yet again。 She really is a top queen of crime writing。Unmoored by the loss of her adoptive mother and the breakup with her longtime boyfriend， Dr。 Margo Dunlap can’t seem to move on or even clean out her mom’s house。 Instead， she decides it’s time to make contact with her birth mother。What The Less Dead， Denise MinaMina is one of the best mystery writers out there and this， her 15th， doesn’t disappoint。 Her characters， the plotting， the focus on social and class issue， are all skillfully handled yet again。 She really is a top queen of crime writing。Unmoored by the loss of her adoptive mother and the breakup with her longtime boyfriend， Dr。 Margo Dunlap can’t seem to move on or even clean out her mom’s house。 Instead， she decides it’s time to make contact with her birth mother。What happens instead is a meeting with her mother’s sister Nikki， who informs her of her birth mother， Susan’s， death at the age of nineteen。 Susan was brutally murdered and no one has ever been convicted of the crime。 But， since that time， the murderer has been writing letters to Nikki to taunt and scare her。 Finding all these revelations overwhelming， Margo decides to move on from this newly found family。 Yet， it seems her mother’s murderer is enthralled by how much Margo looks like Susan and she soon receives a disturbing letter herself。 Caught up in a 30+ year old murder case， Margo must decide if she should now become this other woman’s daughter as well， or just deal with the out of control issues in her own life， which includes her best friend’s stalker ex-boyfriend and her confused feelings about her own ex。Stunning and emotionally compelling from start to finish， this is another first-rate thriller by Mina， laser focused on a group of women who’s lives usually mean so little to society that they are less dead than others。 And， with Mina， there is always humor。 Just devoured this in one sitting。 。。。more
JJ
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DNF @ 55% Just not interested in the characters， and I usually avoid serial killer stories， especially dislike when there's chapters from the serial killer's POV。 DNF @ 55% Just not interested in the characters， and I usually avoid serial killer stories， especially dislike when there's chapters from the serial killer's POV。 。。。more
Claire
，
I really love Denise Mina's writing， and this was another excellent read - tense， sometimes funny， with dialogue that sings and sounds like real people。 My only complaint is that this ended so abruptly that it startled me。 I would have liked a close-out chapter or epilogue， but having re-read the last chapter it was clear what happened， so I'm unsure why I found it so jarring。 I really love Denise Mina's writing， and this was another excellent read - tense， sometimes funny， with dialogue that sings and sounds like real people。 My only complaint is that this ended so abruptly that it startled me。 I would have liked a close-out chapter or epilogue， but having re-read the last chapter it was clear what happened， so I'm unsure why I found it so jarring。 。。。more
Amber
，
I enjoyed The Less Dead and found it an engaging read。 The dark setting of Glasgow's sex work industry made for compelling reading and I really liked the dynamic of Margo and her long-lost auntie Nikki。 The twist and reveal of the killer was good， albeit a little predictable and I would've liked it to focus more on the main story rather than the subplot around Margo's pregnancy but overall a good read！ I enjoyed The Less Dead and found it an engaging read。 The dark setting of Glasgow's sex work industry made for compelling reading and I really liked the dynamic of Margo and her long-lost auntie Nikki。 The twist and reveal of the killer was good， albeit a little predictable and I would've liked it to focus more on the main story rather than the subplot around Margo's pregnancy but overall a good read！ 。。。more
Karina Santos
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Margot is adopted and pregnant and wants to learn more about her birth mother for Heath reasons。 Meeting through the adoption agency， Margot meets Nikki - her birth mothers sister。 Margot asks Nikki about her mom to learn that she was dead - murdered。 Nikki and her sister （Susan） were prostitutes and Glasgow cops didn’t take the murder as seriously because of this。 Nikki asks Margot to look into the murder since Margot is a doctor， but Margot thinks she’s crazy until Margot began to receive thre Margot is adopted and pregnant and wants to learn more about her birth mother for Heath reasons。 Meeting through the adoption agency， Margot meets Nikki - her birth mothers sister。 Margot asks Nikki about her mom to learn that she was dead - murdered。 Nikki and her sister （Susan） were prostitutes and Glasgow cops didn’t take the murder as seriously because of this。 Nikki asks Margot to look into the murder since Margot is a doctor， but Margot thinks she’s crazy until Margot began to receive threats from the murderer at her home。 I enjoyed the story and this was the first thriller I read。 However， the writing made jt a little confusing sometimes。 The author is Scottish and used Scottish slang and terms。 Also， instead of using quotation marks she used apostrophes to show conversation， which made it a little hard to follow at times。 I liked the build up between characters and the way that the story progressed。 I didn’t really see this as a major thriller and by half way I was able to figure out who the murderer was。 The ending was abrupt and truthfully， a little lackluster。 Margot is able to follow the killer after he followed her all of the time。 With only a few pages left， she confronts him and realizes he was putting a show on all along。 They have a scuffle， she accidentally kills him and then the book ends。 I wish there was more to the ending and a little more information post confrontation。 It was as if the book built up to something huge and then BOOM。 Ended。 I just wanted a little more。 Enjoyability: 7/10Plot/Content: 6/10Writing Quality: 5/10Found Book: Library 。。。more
Ian Mapp
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