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    Dead Beat
    Dead Beat
    Dead Beat
    Audiobook8 hours

    Dead Beat

    Written by Val McDermid

    Narrated by Chloe Massey

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Dead Beat introduces Kate Brannigan, a Thai boxing, rock-and-roll female private detective from Manchester. As a favor to her rock journalist boyfriend, Kate agrees to track down a missing song-writer Moira Pollock, a search that takes her into some of the seediest parts of Leeds and Bradford. But little does she realise that finding Moira is only a prelude to murder. Juggling her other cases, including a search to uncover the source of counterfeit luxury goods, Brannigan finds herself for the first time on the trail of a killer.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 11, 2019
    ISBN9781501989766
    Dead Beat
    Author

    Val McDermid

    Val McDermid is a No.1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold more than sixteen million copies. She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009, was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2010. Val writes full time and lives in Edinburgh and the East Neuk of Fife.

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    Reviews for Dead Beat

    3.5/5

    207 ratings88 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Harry meets Zombies! This book develops a couple of characters I am interested in, Thomas, and Butters. Necromancers have come to Chicago and Harry must stop them before thousands die. The means he uses are questionable and I am afraid for him, that's what makes these good stories, you get caught up in the decisions the lead character makes and fear for his future. When an author writes in such a way that you not only can't put the book down while reading, but you need to pick up the next one right after finishing, you know you are on to a good thing.
    • 4/5
      This is another well-written book by Jim Butcher, about Harry Dresden, Wizard, fighting evil monsters in Chicago, IL and alternate dimensions. Harry Dresden and his friends are likable, and his fast-paced adventures keeps your interest! This is re-readable and worth your time, if you like fantasy fiction :)
    • 3/5
      I really don't know why I am still reading this series, maybe it has something to do with the fact that the first couple of books managed to get me interested and since that I ended up borrowing a whole bunch of them from a friend of mine so that I could see how the story panned out. Anyway, I suspect that this is what Butcher wanted, namely to get people hooked on the first few books, and then we end up buying the rest of the series (and if I were Butcher, I wouldn't be complaining).To be blunt, by this book the series is starting to sound like a soap opera, and in fact the discussions that Harry Dresden has with some of the recurring characters are really starting to get melodramatic. For instance, when Harry tells Thomas, who happens to be his brother, despite the fact that Thomas is a vampire, of the White Court no less (and they are vampires that feed on human emotion), that he has to call in the wizard's council to deal with this monumental problem (and they get even more monumental as the books progress) that Thomas has to stay right out of the way.Basically, Harry is approached by another vampire (of the Black Court, and I still don't actually know what they feed on, as it is not blood, because the Red Court feed on blood) and asked to get this book that was written by a necromancer. However, a bunch of other necromancers also want this book because Halloween is coming up, and Halloween is when necromancers start getting up to mischief, and because the necromancers are getting up to mischief, Harry has to step in an stop them, despite the fact that it is more than he can handle, and he is simply some private detective that hasn't had sex in a very long time (though the fact that he is a magician does set him apart from other private detectives).Things are starting to get a little complicated in this book though because you have the vampire that we thought was dead, but is not, and we have some demon posing as a woman to try to get Harry to serve him, and we have the fairies trying to recruit him as a knight, and also we have some forensic scientist questioning Harry's sexuality. In fact I actually wonder what this whole thing about Harry being questioned as to whether he is gay or not is about because the one thing that I didn't think Harry was was a homosexual, and the guy that suggests this seems to pull it out of thin air.Okay, there are morons out there than simply do not understand the nature of sexuality, and as such constantly fire blanks about whether somebody is a homosexual or not, but to be honest with you, the one person that didn't seem to be like that was Butter', the character that raises this question. I guess this is one of the things that people raise with regards to Butcher's writings, and that is fact that he seems to be very, very, interested in sex (maybe he is not getting enough of it, though I must admit that he is nowhere near as bad as Piers Anthony).
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed Dead Beat. Harry is a little melodramatic as always, but he's actually starting to have good reason to be so, and he's not letting it stand in the way of his asskicking. Good on ya, Dresden.
    • 4/5
      Dead BeatThe Dresden Files #7by Jim Butchernarrated by James Marsters15 hours, 8 minutesBook published by Roc in 2006Audiobook published by Penguin Audio, 2010WHO: Harry Dresden, wizard and licensed detective…WHAT: deals with the threat of necromancers…WHERE: who have come into Chicago…WHEN: on Halloween (when the threshold between the mortal and preternatural world is low) - and incidentally also Harry’s birthday…WHY: to cast a mega-spell that will create a demi-god of one of the necromancers…HOW: by harnessing the power of dead spirits and following the Word of Kemmlar, a book of a very powerful past necromancer.+ The Dresden Files is a terribly uneven series, but this is one of the better ones. Butcher has pared down the cast of characters to a manageable size and, nicely balanced the action and comedy.+ The plot lines are always interesting in that they are creative, original and clever. C’mon! Zombies! Necromancers! A Fallen Angel! A dinosaur named Sue and… Mouse!+ There were no obvious continuity errors, as past novels in the series tend to be fraught with.- But it must be said that Butcher also tends to dwell overmuch on the pathos of Harry and, the action scenes always require a bit of forgiveness on the part of the reader or listener in terms of choreography.NARRATION:+ James Marsters has a wonderfully rich voice that lends itself directly to the character of Harry, meaning that the listener detects no delineation between the narrator and the character.- Over time, the distinctiveness of each in the cast of characters has leveled off (e.g. Bob seems to sound less British as the series continues.)- There is a neat plot twist involving one of the characters but the revelation falls a little flat. Because the scenes which would have teased the listener weren’t shaped to cue the listener with a little tell, or were underplayed, the twist is anti-climatic.OTHER: I purchased and dnloaded a digital copy of Dead Beat (by Jim Butcher; narrated by James Marsters) from the now defunct audiobook dnload web-site, weread4you.com on 11/23/2011. I loved their discounted prices and expanding selections, but always had a problem playing the files: At any given point during the listening experience, the audio would jump back to the beginning of the file playing or, ahead to the next file. I never did find a fix for this issue and had to deal with it several times during this listening experience. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.
    • 5/5
      I really liked this book! Butcher's books are always a quick read, but keep me interested until the end. So good!
    • 4/5
      Harry Dresden battles necromancers together with his vampire half-brother, a cowardly medical examiner, a zombie T-Rex, and of course Harry's faithful Foo Dog. All the books in this series are reasonably similar, but the characters are fun enough to carry the story-lines. Butters gets a little annoying at times, but he is somewhat redeemed at the end. Mouse is a great addition to the cast too - he may not have a speaking role, but he still manages to be engaging, especially in his hero-roles. The audio-version is highly recommended - James Marsters is an excellent reader.
    • 3/5
      This is a much stronger book than the previous few books. The last few were so focused on vampires, which aren't really my thing. This one is about zombies and necromancy. Some bad wizards are after a book that will help them get unlimited power and Harry has to get it before they do. Enjoyable and easy reading but more complex internal issues being worked.
    • 4/5
      Definitely a fitting book to be reading around the Halloween holiday as it deals with zombies and dark magic. Fitting that Harry, guardian of right, should stumble across such dark themes in this book. I quite enjoyed the book, though I missed Harry's interaction with Murphy. The twists and turns Butcher has included into the book caught me by surprise while I read it, though some I should have seen coming. Definitely worthy read.
    • 4/5
      Another fantastic addition to the series. In this installment I really felt sorry for Harry, he has been put through the ringer on so many different levels. In the last book his hand was rendered useless from being severely burned, and in this one he has a shurikan wound in his opposite leg. This is a terrible combination from a less severe experience of my own, and can say that I really sympathize.
      One thing that I don't fully comprehend is the passage of time in this plot, and I think that I've missed something in-between books.

      Bob the skull was really scary in this installment, and had the creeping willies from his recovery of memories of a former owner. This section is where you would want to fact check, and I did do that about WWI. I learned so much about this topic. Thank you, Jim Butcher, for peaking my interest in the history aspect of your books.

      Also glad to see that the puppy from the last book has turned into a great and terrible beastie. He is a very funny character, and I enjoy the comedic relief he brings to the series.

      Also "Polka will never Die!"
    • 4/5
      Half a dozen necromancers arrive in Chicago, all fighting for the chance to become a pipsqueak deity, and Harry has to find a way to stop them before they kill thousands.
    • 5/5
      See review of book #1 the series - Storm Front.
    • 4/5
      A giant tyrannosaur raised from the dead? Heck yes. This is the best Dresden book I've read so far. It was the most fun. For a more detailed review, check out wizardsandrockets.blogspot.com later today.
    • 4/5
      I had a great time with my re-read of this book! I originally read this series years ago and enjoyed it so much that I decided to pick up the audiobooks to experience it all over again. I have been slowing working my way through the series for a second time often working a book into my reading schedule when I need a bit of a lift. This seemed like the perfect time for a little Harry Dresden and it proved to be a wonderful escape.Although this was a re-read, there were a lot of things about this book that I didn't remember anymore. There were a few stand out sections of the book that I was able to recall and enjoyed being able to revisit them. This is the seventh book in The Dresden Files series which is a series that really should be read in order since the character relationships grow and change over the course of the series.This was a pretty exciting installment in the series. Harry is put in charge of watering Karin's plants while she is on vacation and ends up working to save her reputation for a ruthless vampire. There are some powerful forces searching for a very powerful item that has the potential to do a lot of damage. Harry has to battle several necromancers and their zombies with only the help of his brother and a polka playing mortician. There were some pretty big scenes in this book and I really appreciated Harry's interactions with Sue.James Marsters brings so much to this story. His narration is really top-notch and I found this book to be a joy to listen to. He does a fantastic job with a wide range of character voices in the series and I love how consistent he has been throughout the series. He is able to add a lot of emotion and excitement to the story through his reading. I believe that I enjoyed this book a bit more during my re-read than I did the first time largely due to his narration.I would recommend this book to others. This is a smartly written story that is filled with wonderful characters, intense action, a bit of humor, and an interesting plot. I cannot wait to continue with my re-read of this exciting series!
    • 5/5
      A longer, more detailed book, and rather than being because it's tying lots of loose ends together, because it's a bigger, badder story.The story starts when Marva (yes, *that* Marva) blackmails Harry into finding a necromantic tome for her. Then it turns out a load of necromancers, really bad-ass necromancers, want it too.Harry has to work out how to try and help them, keep his friends and allies alive, and as it turns out along the way stop a necromancer becoming a god and killing all of Chicago and probably all of the White Council too.Things get so bad he calls for help - the Wardens no less - and things for them are so bad that, although they respond as best they can, they co-opt Harry to get their numbers up.Oh, and Harry starts to come to terms with the fact he's marked by Lasciel, although not in a fashion you're likely to guess.Although it's a bit of a spoiler, sorry, the final scenes with Harry riding a zombie T. rex into battle are wonderful.
    • 5/5
      Dead Beat is the seventh book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. In this week's episode... Chicago's only professional wizard, Harry Dresden, must save the good people of the city (and the world) from black magic and necromancy. That is, assuming he can figure out what the Word of Kemmler is and locate it before the bad guys do.Fast paced, laugh out loud funny, a great cast of characters, an amazing climatic battle on Halloween night that works beautifully as a homage to Jurassic Park, this is Harry Dresden at its best. The plot is well focused on Harry's need to stop the necromancers from destroying Chicago in their attempt to take power while deftly layering in wonderful character building and potential hooks for future adventures all without loosing stride.With Murphy spending most of the book on vacation, Harry ends up helped primarily by Butters, a medical examiner from the Chicago PD with a love of Polka, and to a lesser extend by Thomas. Mouse, the puppy from the previous novel, has grown up and there is definitely more to him than meets the eye. We finally learn a bit more about Bob's history and got to see some Wardens in action. There are a couple great twists that I can't wait to see how they play out in future books.I think I have a new favorite Dresden novel. I wonder if I'm going to start saying that in all future Dresden reviews. Apparently I felt that way about book 6 also. Polka will never die!
    • 4/5
      I continue to enjoy this series and while I don't think they will ever give me the 5 star literary tinglies, these books have improved to be not only enjoyable but also interesting. For the first time I found myself eager to get back to listening to the books rather than just using them to occupy the higher functions of my brain while I work.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable addition to the series. Harry takes on evil necromancers with the help of a polka loving coroner, his brother the vampire, and his big dog.
    • 4/5
      Another fun run with Harry Dresden! A humorous and quick moving story with plenty of action. It tells its own tale, though I found the initial hook a little weak, but still propels the greater Dresden Files plot along. Always a good time with Jim Butcher.
    • 4/5
      The big story in this one was that a trio of necromancers and their sidekicks were looking for a special book that has information on how to call forward the dead on Halloween so that one of them can become all-powerful. While all this is happening in Chicago, something bigger is happening between the Red Court and the White Council. And a demon from a previous encounter rears it's beautiful head, while Harry becomes a Warden of the White Council - what will happen next?
    • 4/5
      Harry Dresden's universe keeps expanding with the seventh installment of The Dresden Files, "Dead Beat." I read somewhere that Jim Butcher takes a lot of joy in putting his hero through the wringer and no where is that more true than in this book. Harry is beaten up physically and emotionally over the course of a novel that expands the on-going conflict between the Red and White councils, puts Harry at the center of a conflict to bring forth a god-like being and pushes some of the on-going plotlines of the series forward in an interesting fashion. Harry's hired to find a lost book. Well, maybe hired is the wrong word. More like blackmailed in order to keep his friend, Karin Murphy out of trouble. Harry agrees, not realizing what he's getting himself into. Things quickly go from bad to worse for Dresden as the story unfolds. "Dead Beat" finds Dresden become more world-weary from his battles with various demons, mosnters and villians, but he's still the same guy we met back in "Storm Front." He's a good man, trying to make the right choices, no matter how tempting the lure of the dark path might be. The story is an epic, sweeping one that will draw you in from the first page and keep the pages turning until the last one is done. Then, you'll be eager and anxious for the next installment, especially give some of the series-changing events that happen here. And while it's good, I didn't find "Dead Beat" as great as the last several installments of the series. Part of that may be that missing elements of Murphy, who is off in Hawaii during these events. That said, this is still the best fantasy series in print today and well worth the time
    • 5/5
      I suspect I reviewed this years ago, lost the review, and am just now getting around to replacing it.

      This book contends highly with the first book in the series for my favorite book about Harry Dresden. It's one of the few "Pun As Title" titles I think is proper and accurate and funny (I dislike puns in general). We get Harry in his best form -- over his head and having to get creative, which he does in the very best of ways. I cringed, laughed, trembled, and generally got far too involved in the story.

      Without spoiling everything, I will give two hints -- polka and dinosaurs. They are both essential to the book's action. There, now your curiosity is plucking your sleeve with "WTF? What is she talking about?"

      But you should really read the first 6 books before you get to this one.
    • 5/5
      Note: I feel that Death Masks, Book 5 is where reading this series out of order starts to do you an injustice. This book does work as a stand alone to some extend, but you will get major spoilers for the previous books in the series and it also pulls in characters we have met before. So I recommend reading the previous books before you jump into this one.It’s going to be another long weekend for Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard. Mavra, a Black Court vampire that Harry has previously tangled with, blackmail’s Harry into seeking out the Word of Kemmler (a powerful book by the necromancer Kemmler). This will be no easy task for Harry and he will be constantly weighing which is the lesser of two evils for the entirety of the book.This is one of my favorite books in the series for several reasons. First, I really felt the stakes were higher in this book and I like that Harry doesn’t have many clear cut good/bad choices in this story. True, he’s trying to save all his friends some grief, but in order to truly pull that off he has to deal with Mavra or find a way to double cross her that doesn’t put any of them in peril. Second, Harry gets more responsibility in this book. I think he’s ready for it even if he doesn’t and while he doesn’t like the guise that responsibility comes in, I think he will be a positive influence on others who share the same responsibility. Finally, there’s a dinosaur. Yup. Harry Dresden and a dino. Freaking awesome!Waldo Butters, the mortician, gets a larger role in this installment of the series as well. I really like how Harry doesn’t discount Butters’s abilities just because Butters is afraid. There’s plenty of scary bad guys in this book and it makes sense that non-magic users would find them super intimidating. Polka will never die! – thanks to Waldo Butters.Sheila Starr, a woman who works at a bookstore, is another interesting character. She offers Harry the chance to flirt but she also has her secrets. Then there is Carlos Ramirez, one of the Wardens for the wizarding White Council. I like his cockiness and willingness to jump into the middle of things. Then there is the Wild Hunt and the Erlking who makes life for Harry just that much harder. Bob the Skull also plays a critical role and we learn a bit more about Bob’s past.Harry – the poor man! He has to face some tough truths in this book and one of them is about his own flexible moral compass. Another is about what powers he is offered by stronger beings and how much he is or is not willing to lean on them. However, the ending was just as satisfying as ever. I like that things are a little messy and that not everything is wrapped up with a pristine halo at the end.Narration: James Marsters continues to do Harry Dresden justice with this series. I also like his nerdy, Jewish voice for Waldo Butters – he does a great job with this character when he is panicking. Ramirez’s smooth Hispanic accent was nicely done as well. Captain Antonia Luccio’s Italian accent was lovely as well as decisive and tired from the fight. Marster’s voice for Mavra once again sent chills down my spine.
    • 5/5
      My Favorite Yet! Just when you think the characters can't surprise you any more than they already have. WOW
    • 5/5
      Seventh book- Dresden Files, series.One of my all time favorite series.
    • 4/5
      Six-word review: Halloween nasties challenge Harry and friends.Extended review:He just can't help himself. Jim Butcher. Like a hungry vampire, he gets hold of a word or expression and he just can't stop himself from using it over and over and over again. Repetitions swarm like swarms of swarming insects.I can't be the only one who's bothered by this. Maybe, though, I'm one among a small number who make compulsive notes about it. Old editorial habits do die hard.In the seventh tale of the Dresden Files series, which is replete with snarls (47 times) and growls (32) and numerous other animal-noise substitutes for "said," Butcher is plagued by hordes of word zombies, mindlessly commanded to appear in force.And they do seem to be unstoppable.Butcher has shed the very odd "quirked an eyebrow" that quirked several earlier volumes. Now eyebrows, which seem to have a life of their own, are constantly arching as if of their own volition: someone (usually Harry Dresden) arched an eyebrow (just one eyebrow) 25 times.In fact, there's a lot of ocular activity. Someone blinked 54 times, 56 if you include "blinking." (I do most of my word checking and counting using Amazon's marvelous "search inside" feature; I don't actually log them all by hand. Honestly I don't.)And despite all the noisy vocalizations, for some reason the author gets a run on "quietly" in dialogue tags ("he said quietly"). Not only does he use it 62 times--an average of once every eight and a quarter pages--but it appears six times on two facing pages (356 and 357) and four more over the next few.Maybe it's unusual enough for anything to happen quietly in a Dresden book that it must be remarked on again and again.Dammit, though, he gets the novels written--averaging more than one a year since the first of the Dresden Files series came out in 2000. If he doesn't take the time to go back and comb the text, refining it with judicious excisions and elegant variations, well, maybe that's the price of churning them out at a steady rate while compulsive types like me can't actually write to the end of anything and call it finished.And I keep reading them, despite these quibbles, because they're entertaining escapism, done well enough to hold my attention and not insult my intelligence.That's a kind of repetition I can applaud.
    • 5/5
      This series just gets better and better! It definitely doesn't disappoint that's for sure.I wish I could take Mr. Butcher out for a beer and become friends. If he's as humourous and fun to be around like his character creations, that would be a hell of a friendship.So i'm done book seven now. WOW! The pace of the books just seems to be picking up more as I go along. The action and edge of the seat story lines are fantastic! Mr. Butcher keeps you guessing right to the last page. You finally get a chance to find out more about Harry's hand injury and healing abilities and the scar on his palm. Characters in the previous stories come back into play again in this books. This seems to be a constant in The Dresden Files series. Which is fantastic because each character develops over the series and you form favourites and loved characters that you get to hear about instead of Harry Dresden being a one man show touching on people here and there but not expanding the story lines to build them alongside him, like a real relationships in life. Would like to score this more than 5/5, but alas that's not possible. It sure deserves a higher rating for the increasing calibre of writing.
    • 4/5
      I thought the Halloween setting would be gimmicky but it works surprisingly well. Stakes are raised, and power shifts. Thomas increasingly becomes my favorite.
      (I actually finished this yesterday, but had a lot of things going on...)
    • 5/5
      This seventh book in the Dresden Files series, took me along a roller coaster ride tread by many of the fans, yet managed to make the experience nearly pristine and virginal. The book was at first a slow starter, then became a precocious child, then became an overacheiver, then, a late bloomer. The entire novel were the work of a workaholic, of that I'm sure. The series follow a formula only in the broadest sense of the word. I wish to tell Jim Butcher to ditch his cliffhangers. I mean, by that, his tendency to put Dresden in a dead end and have him rescue by a providential arrival - here, once, by a Deus Ex Mafia. Not all such rescues are humdrum, though. When the hero is saved by Butters, it made for inspired writing. But I leave the benefit of the doubt to the author, who knows about his audience, more than I do, and knows on which side his bread is buttered. Dead Beat is startlingly different in raw ideas, from its precedents. The vampires set the ball rolling, and referee the majority of the death counts, but they are mostly off screen. The one vampire in the book, Thomas, is there, is interesting, but does not help much. There are new and newer characters to make up for that. The Book Of Kemmler is a book within a book. The entire show runs round it. And one of the characters is fiction within a fiction. The best thing about book seven is that the layers that form part of the novel are available at first reading. I took great enjoyment from it. Dresden's hero complex is dealt with, with care, restraint, artfulness, and thoughtfulness. The plot coupons and twists in the book are well timed. I think the reveals, which are different and self sufficient (not depending on previous ones), enhance the craftsmanship of the author, who, in retrospect, I'm seeing growing with his main character. All of the annoying twinges of previous books have been erased, at least in my book. If this book were a brochure, I'd buy everything in it. It's that good.
    • 4/5
      This is the 7th installment in the Dresden Files and I'm still not sure how of the enjoyment I take in this series is due to Jim Butcher and how much to James Marsters' reading.

      The plot is straightforward: Unless Harry Dresden delivers the Word of Kemmler (a book) to Marva, she will Fframe his friend Murphy for murder. Of course he is not alone in the search for the book. Harry has to figure out why everybody wants the book, battles various nasties and save the world - again. A fun read with lots of twists and turns and never a dull moment for Harry or the reader.