Reviewed by Craig Sisterson
Margot is having a thirtysomething crisis: She's burning out at work, a public-health practice; she's just left her longtime boyfriend after discovering he was cheating; and her mother recently died. The only silver lining to her mother's death is that Margot, who was adopted, can finally go looking for her birth mother.
What she finds is an imcomplete family--the only person left is Nikki, her mother's older sister. Aunt Nikki brings upetting news: Margot's mother is dead, murdered many years ago, one of a series of sex workers killed in Glasgow.
The killer--or killers?--has never been found, Aunt Nikki claims. They're still at large... and sending her letters, gloating letters that the details of the crime. Now Margot must choose: take the side of the world against her dead mother, or investigate her murder and see that justice is done at last.
After firmly establishing herself as a Crown Princess of Tartan Noir thanks to three outstanding series (Garnethill, Paddy Meehan, Alex Morrow), in recent years Glasgow scribe Denise Mina has poured her immense talents into some unique crime standalones. From true story novelisation in THE LONG DROP to zesty Euro-tripping thriller entwined with true crime podcasts in CONVICTION, to this latest novel THE LESS DEAD, Mina again and again has underlined her versatility and storytelling mastery.
THE LESS DEAD is another brilliant novel that takes readers into some uncharted waters.
Margot Dunlop is at crisis point. The Glasgow doctor is overflowing with stress and grief: her mother recently died, she’s left her loving but wayward long-time partner, she’s burning out at work, and she’s pregnant. Perhaps finally seeking out her birth family could be one silver lining?
But no, her nightmare gets even worse. Margo learns her birth mother, Susan Brodie, was a teenage sex worker and drug addict, who was later brutally killed; a murder that’s still unsolved. While Margot gets to meet her ‘aunt’ Nikki, that’s not helpful either; Nikki may be crazy, she’s sure Susan was killed by a corrupt cop, and now she expects Margot to help her find justice.
THE LESS DEAD is a fascinating read – quite dark and grim in its content, yet compelling and heartfelt too. It takes readers into the lives of those who struggle on the margins, who work or live on the streets, the people whose deaths have been marked ‘No Humans Involved’ on police case files in some jurisdictions. Or considered 'the less dead', as Nikki shares with Margot.
While there is a whodunnit aspect to this excellent novel - who killed Margot's mother? - it's a book that's about a lot more than the resolution of that storyline. THE LESS DEAD entrances and excels in how it takes readers into others' lives, particularly the lives of those ignored, sneered at, or shrugged off by many throughout society. A fine novel that once again is a little different to what Mina has done before - so it may not work for all her fans who would prefer more of the same. A book that is more focused on characters, and society at large, than the solving of a crime. Tartan Noir with a twist.
Craig Sisterson is a lapsed Kiwi lawyer who now lives in London and writes for magazines and newspapers in several countries. He’s interviewed hundreds of crime writers and talked about the genre on national radio, top podcasts, and onstage at festivals on three continents. Craig's been a judge of the Ned Kelly Awards, McIlvanney Prize, is founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards and co-founder of Rotorua Noir. His book SOUTHERN CROSS CRIME, was published in 2020.
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