Disappointingly tedious

Having enjoyed some of the previous novels by this author, I was disappointed by this book. It’s ponderously slow being dominated by long passages that sound like transcripts of what was said at group therapy sessions for addicts. Followed by hearing the resumé of each session by the therapist. There are hours of this navel-gazing presumably intended to flesh out the characters but I found it boring and irritating.

Most of the characters are battling an addiction of one kind or another. None are likeable and verge on caricatures. Buried in all this verbiage there’s a murder that eventually get’s hurriedly solved near the end of the book.

The narrator is very good giving each character a distinctive voice.

18 people found this helpful

The Only Shame is That I’ve Finished it!

My first but definitely not my last by Mark Billingham. This is one of those books that simply resonated with me from the start. I don’t know if it was the quality of the writing, the excellent narration or indeed the story which is built upon the strong foundations of richly developed characters. Addiction is a tough subject to get right but this is a book that to me does just that. From the off the group and the characters involved with it are believable. The story is their story and is told with a clever “Then and Now” dual timeline where even the identity of the victim is kept tantalisingly close for a while before being revealed allowing the main story to develop.

This is a modern whodunit of some quality, the answers are not obvious and are cleverly revealed. Throughout the book the directions and pointers towards possible motives and suspects are cleverly done and never leave the bounds of credibility. The characters grow and interact to move the plot forwards until we reach what to me was a very satisfying conclusion.

I normally see it as a warning flag when the author narrates his own story but Billingham is most definitely both a reader and a writer and shows considerable skill in breathing life into his characters. This one is not quite my usual fayre but I have no hesitation recommending it!

13 people found this helpful

great book

Would you consider the audio edition of Die of Shame to be better than the print version?

Yes , I love the different characters and the way they come across on audible

What was one of the most memorable moments of Die of Shame?

all of it

Which scene did you most enjoy?

every scene with Tony

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

believable

Any additional comments?

Great story , down to earth with a touch of humor , another great book by the author

7 people found this helpful

Not up to his usual standard.

The story was rather long and drawn out and while the twist was interesting and the building up of the plot clever, it didn't offset the feeling that there simply wasn't enough depth to entertain. I'm usually a big fan but this one could have been 30% shorter and provided more entertainment per chapter.

5 people found this helpful

mediocre

a tedious listen, it took me weeks to finish the book, not his best work

5 people found this helpful

Brilliant

Have listen to all of Mark's books, the best one so far this is his imperial bedroom or London's Calling.

5 people found this helpful

It would be a shame to miss this one!

What made the experience of listening to Die of Shame the most enjoyable?

The structure of the plot. The 'Now' and 'Then' chapters.

What did you like best about this story?

Very different characters from very different backgrounds thrown into a melting pot of a relapse prevention group for addicts. Meltdown was inevitable but Mark Billingham ensured the melting pot was well seasoned with murder, mystery, jealousy, and personalities of the highest disorder.

What does Mark Billingham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Mark Billingham brought the characters to life with individual voices and accents. He did not sound like a reader, more of a very accomplished actor.

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

Yes for sure. I listened to it entirely on my daily commute to work, and drove my car very slowly. Needless to say, I was late for work.

4 people found this helpful

great story but

I really enjoyed the book. but not the narration Mark doesn't do the story justice in my opinion. that being said it's definitely worth a listen

3 people found this helpful

Slow,painfully slow

I kept waiting for it to pickup. Stayed to the end absolutely no suspense. Disappointed

3 people found this helpful

Good story, disappointing end

I usually like this author. This story was pretty good but the ending was abrupt and inconclusive. Performance was decent enough. Glad though that it wasn't the first Billingham book I've tried!!

3 people found this helpful