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Quite Ugly One Morning

By: Christopher Brookmyre
Narrated by: David Tennant
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Summary

Yeah, yeah, the usual. A crime. A corpse. A killer. Heard it. Except this stiff happens to be a Ponsonby, scion of a venerable Edinburgh medical clan, and the manner of his death speaks of unspeakable things. Why is the body displayed like a slice of beef? How come his hands are digitally challenged? And if it's not the corpse, what is that awful smell? A post-Thatcherite nightmare of frightening plausibility, Quite Ugly One Morning is a wickedly entertaining and vivacious thriller, full of acerbic wit, cracking dialogue, and villains both reputed and shell-suited.
©1996 Christopher Brookmyre (P)2004 Time Warner AudioBooks
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What listeners say about Quite Ugly One Morning

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

Great story. Shame about the god awful music.

Everything was fine with this story. But the guitar bookending each scene is totally unnecessary and off putting.

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

Story ruined by awful music!

Firstly I should probably say I am not averse to some heavy guitar. However, despite enjoying the story, the black humour and narration by David Tennant, I was annoyed by the obtrusive gnaw of awful 90s-inspired rock guitar riffing. Seriously? After that I stopped concentrating on the story and started cringing in expectation ofthe next chapter break. Whose 'brilliant' idea was that? I definitely won't be listening to any more titles by this author, just in case.

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

90's crime novel has excellent narrator

I must admit, I only picked up this audiobook to listen to David Tennant being amazingly Scottish for a couple of hours. Got what I came for and very much enjoyed it. The novel was fine too.
It reminded me of detective stories from the 80's and 90's.

Watch out for the badass and obnoxious guitar/synth solos between chapters! They're noisy but makes every last sentence sound smug and hardcore.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A rattling good read

A good story well written with strong characters and a frighteningly believable plot. A group of individuals are determined upon a course of fraud and they have the National Health Service in mind. Beware there is an excess of gruesome injuries and gory discoveries and the language is 'strong'. Only four stars because the music is unnecessary and irritating. David Tennant brings the whole thing to life with glorious and colourful reading. Highly recommended .

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

Loved it all except music

Tennant is great, story is brilliant. But wish you didn't have blaring rock music between each chapter

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Quite brilliant

The 'Only Fools & Horses' of detective fiction - with un-deleted expletives! A huge belly laugh from start to finish. I can't wait for the next instalment.

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8 people found this helpful

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

Jarring music the downside.

I liked the story, I enjoyed David Tenants performance, but it's regularly broken up with annoying music that is jarring and often fades in over the narration. Still enjoyed it, but I'd have preferred a version without the music.

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1 person found this helpful

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

So cleverly written

How does a writer make you laugh out loud when reading about a grusome murder? Easily!

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

Violent, but...

The book starts off with pretty graphic depictions of violence. I nearly didn’t get beyond those, but I persevered and, though there is more violence and the like in the rest of the book than I like or would usually tolerate, you’d have to say that it’s a good story, often amusingly told, and David Tennant’s performance is absolutely brilliant.

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

Fantastic, compelling, entertaining

Expertly narrated by David Tennant, this gripping story is the perfect mix of characterisation, plot and social commentary.

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