A dark and gritty tartan tale set in the seamy backstreets of Glasgow. GP Margo Dunlop arranges to meet her maternal aunt Nikki after the death of her adoptive mother.
Nikki tells Margo that her birth mother Susan was a young sex worker and heroin addict, murdered years ago by a serial killer, who was never caught. She knows he was a former cop but asks for Margo's help to prove it.
A witty and compassionate page-turner that builds in tension and suspense.

The Less Dead. by Denise Mina is a thoroughly satisfying read. The author very skilfully involves the reader in the life of the main character, Margo who is trying to piece together the sad life and death of her murdered mother, Susan. We are not spared the details of Susan’s most horrifying way of life but there’s so much compassion and empathy between the characters that I found myself completely engrossed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harvill Secker, part of the Penguin Random House Publishers, for the complimentary copy of this book.

The Less Dead is a brisk, deftly written and gripping drama set in Glasgow. We are introduced to Margo Dunlop who is going through a stressful time in her life; grieving for her adoptive mother, separated from her boyfriend, secretly pregnant, worried about her mercurial best friend who is being stalked by an unhinged ex...Now she is anxiously waiting to meet a member of her biological family and things are about to get much worse.

This novel features a series of brutal murders committed in the eighties and believed to be the work of one man. Margo discovers that her long-lost family is inextricably linked to and haunted by the killings. As she seeks to learn more about herself she is forced to examine the case and unwittingly becomes a target for threats and intimidation.

However, this story is told more from the aspect of Margo’s experiences and focuses on the people she meets during this tempestuous time. The characters are well-drawn and often very interesting; Aunt Nikki herself deserves a spin-off novel! I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to fans of Denise Mina’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Janette, Margo Dunlop's adoptive mother has recently died and Margo and her long-term, cheating partner, Joe, have also parted ways. Struggling with her work as a doctor in a public health practice, and pregnant to boot, she decides its time to search for her birth mother, Susan Brodie, only to discover that she is dead, too. Margo arranges to meet Nikki, Susan's older sister, who relays the circumstances of her nineteen-year-old mother's death, which happened not long after Margo was born. Susan was one of nine women murdered on the streets of Glasgow by a serial killer in 1989. Throughout the years, Nikki has been receiving letters from the killer(s), glorifying the crimes and describing them in graphic detail. Yearning for a sense of identity, Margo embarks on a dangerous journey to discover more about Susan.

I thoroughly enjoyed this dark novel set in bygone Glasgow's seedy underworld. Denise Mina presented the opposing worlds of Margo and Nikki very cleverly and comprehensively, contrasting Margo's life of a good education, excellent career choices and high expectations with Susan and Nikki, growing up in care, and then facing a life on the streets. The author's characterisation was superb, especially of Nikki who was brave and determined, and Margo herself became bolder as the story progressed.

With a smooth pace there was always plenty going on, with certainly no room for tedium or boredom. The plot itself was fascinating and I revelled in the complexity of the characters, their traits and relationships to one another. As some rather creepy and threatening events occurred the tension and suspense escalated, and I liked the way I was kept waiting for the final outcome. I'm immensely keen to see what the talented Denise Mina writes next and I will, of course, have read Conviction by then. Taut, hard-hitting and sharp, I recommend The Less Dead without any hesitation.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Random House Vintage/ Harvill Secker via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre,  however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different. Characters were so well developed that I felt as though I knew them. I love when a book draws you into the story and it feels like you are living it with them.

I used to read Denise Mina a lot and I enjoyed the Paddy Meehan series. I've not been too keen on the last few I've read, and I couldn't get a connection with the story or characters of this one.

This is a very clever thriller with its roots in the dark days of Glasgow; especially around drugs and prostitution.
It approaches an old serial killer case from a modern day person looking back to understand her birth mother. When her adoptive mother dies Margo comes across her aunt’s letters trying to make contact with her. These letters were hidden and the correspondence is a total surprise.
Margo decides to respond, through an adoption agency that supervises reconciliation meetings, to find out about her birth mother.
This takes her down a path that she could never have imagined. Her mother gave her up because of her life of drug dependency and lifestyle of prostitution.
Initially frightened by her new found family she becomes determined to find out about her mother’s life choices and who murdered her. This takes Margo into a world she is ill prepared for; where she struggles to understand why women worked the streets and is horrified to learn how in little regard, lives like here mother’s, were held. Margo feels she can look into matters, ask questions and perhaps find out what happened to her mother and why.

Meanwhile, the reader becomes aware that someone is stalking her; threatening her with obscene letters and could pose a series threat to her life.
The author has the police remaining impotent still in modern times which is telling as Margo leads the investigation into these old murders, especially her own mother’s case. 8
A true thriller. Well researched piece into street prostitution. Motives, reasons the women continue this life and the men around them.
The book is strong on female characters and the bond between the women outlined grows as the novel progresses. Margo is on a steep learning curve and it becomes very personal to her. As readers we are given fleshed out characters and as a result we can better appreciate the subject matter beyond serial killer murders prostitutes as in similar stereotype investigations since Jack the Ripper.

The writing is balanced and well paced allowing conflicting thoughts to come and go as understanding forms.

The whole story can be unpacked in terms of these distinctive roles of men and women around attitudes to sex, sex work and pornography. But it tells more than just a bleak story of exploitation, control and male violence. It demonstrates women being enabled, supported and taking back control.
You fear for Margo as the stalker gets closer to her and you wonder just how it will end. Margo it seems has gained strength through learning about her birth mother but can she avoid her ultimate fate at the hands of the same or some copy-cat murderer.

Denise Mina writes gritty crime thrillers without wasting her words. This is a book full of insight and passion. Without judgement on the lives portrayed the storytelling is tense and thrilling, Glasgow is seen to be changing but in this novel we are reminded of how lives were blighted in the past and how some in society were deemed less than human.
Problems and uncaring attitudes still impact on the lives of some in society today. Violence of men to women remains as unreported; women left without justice and especially among some disadvantaged groups. In this wonderful novel the spotlight has been shone briefly on such issues but in the art of good storytelling the reader was kept in the dark about who would survive the violence, endure the thrilling moments and reach the end of book. A must read both as a crime thriller and as a social mirror - I like a book that scares me but also makes me think.

Margo was adopted but only when her adoptive mother died did she discover the cache of letters that led to her contacting the adoption agency. When her birth family gets in touch she meets her aunt who tells her that her birth mother was a teenage prostitute murdered just after Margo's birth. Her aunt Nikki has been getting letters supposedly from the killer ever since and she wants Margo to her her find the killer. Margo is estranged from the man she loves because he interfered in the relationship between mutual friends but now she has found out she is pregnant and she wants to help her family.
Considering Mina is a writer who always explores the gritty underbelly of society the theme of this book is no surprise but she has stepped away from the police procedural a little here as this is a more psychological tale about impact on families. The book is fairly graphic and hard-hitting but what comes across is the sisterhood of the street workers and the attitude of the police towards them. I didn't really like the sub-plot about Margo's friend and her abusive relationship, it didn't seem to sit with the rest of the tale although I realise it was supposed to be about dependent relationships. However this is still Denise Mina and she certainly knows how to write a thriller.

I am afraid that this book did not gel with me at all. I had to struggle to get to the end. I could not engage with the characters and the situation they were in. I found it a depressing, grubby sort of plot and one that I could not get into at all. I did finish it, as I hate to give up on a book, but I cannot say I enjoyed it.
I found it rather odd that Margo as a GP never actually seemed to go toward. Perhaps it is all nonsense that the NHS is overworked.

Well this was terrifying! Ms Mina really can so easily instil a sense of dread and terror, whilst fleshing our her characters so well.
This was my 2nd Denise Mina novel - my first being the incredible Conviction. I am not normally one for a crime novel, but my Rare Birds Book Subscription (heartily recommended by the way!) gave it to me and I was so pleased it did.
Lots of complicated relationships/families in this one, but I felt I 'knew' each person almost intimately. You know the characters are well-rounded when you find yourself casting the TV version in your head when reading!
Went at a brilliant pace and didn't find any moments boring. Did find the end slightly rushed and would have preferred to know more about what happened after, and when the killer is revealed I was admittedly slightly underwhelmed.
However would still thoroughly recommend (although Conviction is better!).
P.S
Slightly tangentially, but reading this did make me think how I would love to read a book that really got into the head of men who use/used sex workers on the street. They are so often portrayed as 'bad men' (which let's be honest they mostly are!) but would love to really explore why they do what they do, and what society can do to stop it (beyond demonising those sex workers).

This is the first Denise Mina book that I have read and I found it a very intense gritty book to read. This story .concentrates on the seamier side of a prostitutes life In Glasgow in a very positive and interesting way. The character portrayals were so good and although I did not think that Margo was often very sensible she seemed to have her emotions always in the right place. The descriptions of areas of Glasgow made me feel the depths of the dark side of life for these unfortunate girls. The story was gritty and I had to keep reading it to find out the who murdered Susan, there was lots of false leads throughout with no surety of naming with certainty.
I was however disappointed with the ending as it lacked the intensity and depth that the rest of the book had provided.

The Less Dead opens with our protagonist Margo , a doctor, nervously waiting to meet her aunt Nikki for the first time, keen to discover more about her birth mother Susan who was murdered at the tender age of nineteen. Nikki almost misses her appointment with Margo, thanks to the current trial at the High Court where a man stands accused of Susan’s murder. This initial encounter is fraught with tension and disbelief, with Margo unsure whether Nikki’s tales are of a fantastical nature or actually grounded in truth. Deciding to carry out some investigations of her own, Margot quickly realises the truth surrounding her birth mother and together with a most venomous, threatening letter posted through her letterbox, this thriller starts off at a cracking pace.

This is a gritty, hard hitting read tackling such serious topics of abuse and addiction, prostitution and murder but never written in a way to shock. The author has chosen to relate this seedy,dangerous side of life with a combination of compassion, plenty of dark humour and a sense of mystery. The descriptions of street life on the Drag are vivid, there’s no hiding from the stark reality for these women and with heroin flooding the Glaswegian streets from the 1980’s it’s obvious that the loss of community that kept these women relatively ‘safe’ has maybe lead to multiple murders, including Susan’s but are they the work of a serial killer?? The most likely suspect is ex cop Martin McPhail but is this just salacious gossip ?

What I loved most about The Less Dead is the author’s brilliant characterisation, in particular that of the Brodie women. She discusses their lives as prostitutes with such compassion, looking beyond their ‘profession’ and portraying them as worthy human beings, strong, tough, resilient but ultimately poor. You wouldn’t want to mess with the Whiteinch Brodies and despite their humble, awful lives, trapped by addiction and violence and abuse I think in their own way they had the determination and power to alter the future. These women,including Susan, are not simply ‘street furniture’ or ‘the less dead’ as police and society term them, but individuals struggling to survive in whatever way they can. Susan, by giving baby Margo up for adoption was giving her the greatest gift of all, sacrificing her love for her daughter so that she could have a better life and break free from the cycle that has trapped the likes of Patsy, Betty, Nikki and Susan and Lizzie. I loved the dark humour that is present in the writing throughout, depicting these women as larger than life, mentally unstable characters you can’t help but develop a soft spot for. My favourite without a doubt being Nikki. As you will discover, this character is far from one dimensional with the author depicting a softer side that lies beneath a tough outward exterior. Betty’s years as a stage psychic are funny and the inclusion of Tracey, the volunteer at the adoption agency provides yet more light relief. Although Lizzie and Nikki are shown to offer protection to Margo in ways that are incredibly violent I did find these scenes laced with black humour, diffusing any shock value.
Lilah, Margo’s best friend is yet another character penned as slightly crazy with a tendency to be attracted to the nutters of this world which isn’t actually funny when you realise her circumstances but her dialogue with Margo is often suffused with dark humour also.

I could understand Margo’s need to connect with her birth family following the death of her adoptive mum Janette but felt immense sympathy for the way in which she ends up with way more than she bargains for. Despite her very different upbringing Margo seems to grow in strength as the storyline progresses so that I couldn’t help but wonder if she’s inherited some of the resilience so prevalent in the Brodie women.

I think the actual plot line of Margo discovering her blood relations and then becoming immersed in the search for Susan’s killer had promise but wasn’t in my eyes as thrilling as I expected. Despite this, I still found the narrative made compelling reading as I literally couldn’t put the book down. Margo becoming the recipient of anonymous poison pen letters which are crude and vile in the extreme carries a certain amount of menace, further enhanced by the letter writer’s infrequent voice that punctuates the storyline and whom may also be a stalker to boot. For some unknown reason I didn’t feel this mystery individual posed any real substantial threat but that’s just my interpretation. It’s up to the reader to decide whether the letter writer is also Susan’s killer and whether Margo is in any real danger. There are plenty of red herrings in the storyline but whether you find them credible is a matter of opinion. Take your pick from McPail the ex cop, Jack Robertson, author of a book investigating the killings, Margo’s unknown father or maybe none of them. There are some unexpected twists to accompany the efforts at misdirection which do add an element of intrigue.

I don’t know why but I found the ending an anticlimax and this is one of the reasons I have downgraded my original thoughts of a 5 star review to 4.5. Additionally I wouldn’t class this book as your usual thriller since for me it lacked the right amount of tension and menacing undertones. I just felt the strength of this book lay in the characterisation rather than the plot. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the writing style and lapped up every word so I highly recommend and whilst this is only my second Denise Mina book I’ve read I’m keen to discover all her back catalogue! My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

Denise Mina is clearly a very uninhibited writer both in the language her characters use to express themselves and in her descriptions of the physical environment that they experience. And whilst his is none too flattering to the Glasgow of today it probably fairly reflects how that city was 30 or 40 years ago. The Less Dead is a novel in which Margo - a Glasgow GP - sets out to find her birth mother who gave her up just 2 days after birth. It turns out to be a grim journey for Margot as she picks up threads is drawn back into the world of prostitution, drugs and crime which her mother inhabited. This might sound like a depressing read but that would be to belittle Mina's skill as an author where her plot cleverly provides bridges that Margo successfully crosses, and, in so-doing comes to understand her mother's actions and motivations. So, not a grim read at all. Rather the opposite. Social divides shall always exist but if, as Margo did, people keep open minds there are answers and unlikely new friendships out there just waiting to to be found.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Vintage for the copy of this book in return for my review.
I didn’t love the book but it was an interesting read differing from others by its grittiness which I found disturbing at times. I found it hard to form any sort of liking for the characters. Margo should have walked away immediately when she was confronted by her Aunt Nikki who just wanted Margo to use her doctor’s degree to investigate her mother’s death.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Vintage for an eARC of ‘The Less Dead’ by Denise Mina.

“See, in New York, back then, when street people got killed the cops used to mark the file NHI:“No Humans Involved” Not even human. When we get killed they call us the “less dead”, like we were never really alive to begin with.” - Nikki to Margo.

Margo Dunlop is a GP in Glasgow. When her adopted mother was dying Margo discovered a bundle of letters addressed to her from the sister of her birth mother, seeking to make contact. At the novel’s opening Margo is just about to meet her aunt, Nikki.

Margo discovers that her mother, Susan Brodie, had been a sex worker and drug addict and that she was murdered soon after giving Margo up for adoption. Hers was one of nine unsolved murders that took place during the late 80s-early 90s and were barely investigated due to their victims’ high risk lifestyles.

Nikki asks Margo for help explaining that for decades she has received threatening letters from the murderer but no one believes her. Given that Margo is a doctor and middle class, Nikki feels that her involvement will make a difference. In turn, Margo finds that she needs to understand more about her mother and the world that she inhabited and so agrees to work with Nikki. Yet, this brings her to the attention of Nikki’s tormenter and into danger.

I had been impressed by Denise Mina’s 2019 novel, ‘Conviction’, and so welcomed the opportunity to read another of her works. This was a gritty crime thriller that pulls no punches in its depiction of life on the streets of Glasgow both during the late 1980s-90s, when the city was gripped by a heroin epidemic, as well as today.

In interviews about the novel, Denise Mina acknowledges that the novel was inspired by a series of murders of sex workers that took place in Glasgow during the 1990s and her desire to honour those forgotten women. She worked with former DCI Nanette Pollock, who had been working in the city during the time of the murders, giving it a strong grounding in reality.

‘The Less Dead’ wasn’t an easy read given its themes but a powerful one that took many unexpected turns and further confirmed Denise Mina’s ability to craft highly engaging works of crime fiction that also address important social issues.

A very, very slow burner, the main theme of the story surrounds the life of Margot who had been adopted early in her life and the search for details of her birth mother and family. An intriguing story that includes a strange relationship with her best friend and ends up with a incomplete solution, did he or didn’t he murder her birth mother.

Margot is having a thirty something crisis: she's burning out at work; she's just split with her boyfriend who was cheating on her; her mother had recently died. Margot was adopted. She can finally find out who her birth mother was.

This story examines what it's like being adopted and the impact it has on the birth family members. The pace flows along smoothly and the characters and plotline are believable. Set in Glasgow, the descriptions of the city were spot on. Denise Mina knows how to pull a reader in and not let go until you've turned the last page. This is a quick, easy and enjoyable book to read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and the author Denise Mina for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A gritty storyline that does not shy away from the life led by sex workers in the seedy side of Glasgow. Margo, a Doctor, loses her adoptive mother and goes in search of her birth mother , a Former drug addict and sex worker who was found dead. The premise is that ‘the less dead’ are prostitutes and their deaths are never fully investigated. In trying to discover the truth Margo herself ends up as a target along with her birth sister Nikki. Mina develops an insight into the differences in the backgrounds of Margo and Nikki pulling no punches along the way and you can see Margo change as the storyline unfurls.
It was refreshing to read this from the point of view of the main characters rather than a police procedural.
A very enjoyable read

For me, Denise Mina never disappoints! Her descriptions of surroundings are succinct but complete. She draws the reader in to the seedier side of Glasgow where prostitution is rife.
This is a mystery in so far as Margo, who has had a good upbringing as an adoptee, finally looks for her birth family and is drawn into an unsolved murder.
The story examines being adopted AND the impact on the birth family suddenly meeting a grown woman who they have had no contact with for 30 years.
Dark, gripping, thought provoking!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Denise Mina/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was offered the opportunity to read a proof of The Less Dead before publication. I haven’t read any of Denise Mina’s books before; I don’t gravitate to crime fiction and thought that’s what she wrote. I should have tried her sooner: I like her writing and immediately wanted to read on. The story is set up really well in the opening paragraph: you know quite a bit about Margo in the space of just a few sentences. She’s interesting and sympathetic and imperfect: just the ticket for a lead character.
Without it feeling contrived, I thought giving Margo a background of being adopted is a really clever way of showing contrasts: of the life she might have had and the one she has had, of how she feels about her friend and her aunt, how it makes her think about her future. I thought it really captured the different sides of Glasgow, the vibrant cultural city alongside the deprived and forgotten areas.
I read this over just two evenings: it really drew me in and I had to keep reading to find out whether my initial assessment of each character was right or if a red herring had been dangled. The ending was satisfying: the groundwork had been laid throughout so it wasn’t preposterous but neither was it obvious. A cracking read which I recommend.